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Write Letters of Support to Leonard
First and foremost, let
Mr. Peltier know that he is not forgotten. Leonard is currently imprisoned at the United States
Penitentiary at Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. You can send cards and
letters to:
Leonard Peltier #89637-132
USP-Lewisburg
US Penitentiary
PO Box 1000
Lewisburg, PA 17837-1000
Congressional Guidelines Never underestimate the power of a
constituent's letter. A constituent's letter can be very
powerful and personal letters show that you really care about the issue.
Please consult our
Congressional Directory for contact information for your
representative, as well as senators for your state.
We encourage you to contact your legislators
at both their local offices and their offices in Washington, DC.
Contact information for local offices can be located on members'
web sites, accessible through the below House and Senate
portals.
Postal mail to the U.S. Congress has slowed
down considerably after increased security. Please note the
process for mail delivery to
members of Congress. Correspondence:
- is inspected to ensure that the letter is sent from a
constituent of the senator or representative
- arrives at a processing unit in Virginia (2-4 days)
- is forwarded to Lima, Ohio, for irradiation procedures
(10-14 days)
- is forwarded to another processing unit where all
non-paper contents are removed and tested (7-10 days)
- is sorted and delivered to individual
congressional offices, if it clears the 7- to 10-day waiting
period for test results.
Therefore, we highly recommend that you fax
or e-mail the letter. You can still mail a letter, if you wish,
but you need more lead time for delivery.
Make Your Letter Effective
-
Find your Congressional District and
contact information.
-
Keep your letter short. Be concise and limit your letter to one
or two pages.
-
Use the appropriate address and salutation. Use the correct
title, address, and salutation, and remember to use spell check
after completing your letter.
| For Representative:
The Honorable John Q. Smith
U.S. House of Representatives
111 Address
Washington , DC 20010
Dear Representative Smith: |
For Senator:
The Honorable John Q. Smith
U.S. Senate
111 Address
Washington, DC 20010
Dear Senator Smith: |
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Identify yourself. Let your legislator know that you
are a constituent.
-
Be polite. Like most of us, legislators will respond
better to positive communication. Start by recognizing their
support on specific pieces of legislation. You can identify
those legislative priorities by visiting your representative's
and/or senators' Web pages. (Links to such sites are included in
the output provided by the above House and Senate directories.)
-
Explain your position. Be clear and concise with
regard to your position on the issue you address in your letter.
-
Ask for a response. Be clear about what you would like
your legislator to do and request a reply to your letter.
-
Write legibly.
Your letter is part of
a letter-writing campaign, so a handwritten letter will give the
appearance of a grassroots "ordinary citizen" communication,
rather than a communication from a "special interest group."
Handwritten letters can be as persuasive as typed letters, but
your handwriting must be legible.
Topics of Correspondence and Sample Letters
Regarding a Congressional Hearing—Please
urge Congress to investigate the Pine Ridge "Reign of Terror,"
misconduct against the American Indian Movement, and the
wrongful conviction and illegal imprisonment of Leonard Peltier. Click here
to view a sample letter. Regarding Clemency—We ask you to write to the White House to request a commutation
of Leonard Peltier's sentence.
Click here to view a sample
letter.
Regarding FOIA
Documents—The
government must release all documents related to the Peltier
case. These documents are over 25 years old and are considered
historically significant. Further, they may contain information
that may exonerate Leonard Peltier.
Click here to view a
sample letter regarding the release of such
documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Regarding Parole—Leonard is entitled to a full parole hearing in
2008. We need your support to ensure that
the hearing is convened as anticipated. Voice your support for
Leonard's parole, as well.
Click here to view a sample
letter. Also, adapt the body of this sample letter to the U.S. Parole
Commission for correspondence to your representative and/or
senators to ask that your congressional representatives actively
support a 2008 grant of parole to Leonard Peltier.
 A
New Approach: Video Advocacy Messages
Share your thoughts with your officials with a Video Advocacy
Message in just three simple steps:
- Create a video in which you
address your officials.
- Upload it to
YouTube.
- Use this
form to send it to your officials. View your
Video Advocacy Message.
Helpful links:
Letters to the Editor
Communicating with your members of Congress is one of the most
important ways you can participate in the legislative process
and one highly effective way that you can expand your lobbying
efforts is by writing a letter to the editor of your local
newspaper. Letters-to-the-editor take no more time to write than
e-mails to Congress and, by writing for a public forum, you can
potentially influence both your legislators and many of the
voters who elect them.
Click
here for newspapers in your state.
Also read these tips.
Other Actions
Please also
write to the following organizations to urge their continued advocacy
on Leonard's behalf:
Amnesty International
Amnesty International
International Secretariat
1 Easton Street
London WC1X 0DW
UK
*You also may send
correspondence to the national Amnesty International office in
your home country.
Amnesty International-USA
5 Penn Plaza – 14th Floor
New York, NY 10001
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
350 Fifth Avenue
34th Floor
New York, NY 10118-3299
United Nations
High Commissioner for Human Rights
United Nations
CH-1211
Geneva 10
Switzerland
Working Group on Indigenous
Populations
United Nations
CH-1211
Geneva 10
Switzerland
Special Rapporteur on Human Rights
and Fundamental Freedoms of Indigenous Peoples
United Nations
CH-1211
Geneva 10
Switzerland
Working Group on Arbitrary
Detentions
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
United Nations
CH-1211
Geneva 10
Switzerland
Write letters—and keep writing them—until
Leonard Peltier is FREE.
Please also view information on our site regarding
petitions
and calls to
Congress.
Attention non-U.S. citizens: You also can contact your
country’s legislative body to educate and influence your
legislators. Urge your country’s government to support freedom
for Leonard Peltier. You might also suggest that your
legislator sponsor a
resolution in support of Leonard Peltier.
In Europe, the
International Peltier Forum (IPF) may be able to provide
guidance as regards efforts currently underway or direct you to
other resources. Contact the IPF at
IPForum@skynet.be.
In addition to the above actions, please contact your
embassy
in the United States to express your concerns about the Peltier
case and urge your diplomats to speak out on Mr. Peltier's
behalf. |
