Incident at Oglala - The Leonard Peltier Story

As the film and the FBI's own evidence shows there is absolutely no proof that has not been exposed as fraud, that links Peltier to the murder weapon or the red van (Peltier drove a pickup truck) that the agents reportedly followed onto the reservation. The FBI goes so far as to argue that ypeople in this part of the country call a pickup truck a van and vice versayyto explain just one glaring inconsistency in the governmentys case. The FBI's own statements are filled with inconsistencies and outright falsehoods, which resulted in the Federal Judge Edward McManus of the first trial harshly rebuking them for their shameful, reckless and unlawful behavior. In the video the FBI spokesman's dishonesty is clearly, if not painfully, apparent. Simply watch this video and decide for yourself. You will be surprised and certainly appalled by what you see.


yIncident at Oglalay is a vitally important document detailing a form of repression and cultural genocide that has continued, although in differing forms, since the arrival of Columbus, against Native Americans. The Dali Lama, Nelson Mandela, Bishop Desmond Tutu, The European Parliament and Amnesty International have all urged that executive Clemency be granted to Peltier based on the facts of this case and the massive miscarriage of justice that it represents. This important film is a must see for anyone who cares about the ideals of freedom and justice in this country and the shameful realities that, all too often, hide behind those noble-sounding terms. For as long as men like Leonard Peltier and Mumia Abul-Jamal remain imprisoned, none of us are completely safe from the same treatment.
Mitakuye Iyasin!


An absolute, must-see!   July 4, 2000
43 out of 46 found this review helpful

I knew little about Leonard Peltier's situation which is why I wanted to watch this documentary. I can not believe this man is still in jail, over 20 years later. His situation is a perfect example of a government who would do what is necessary to "solve" a murder. Never mind that the case had a million holes in it that were never answered. This is the kind of thing that is not supposed to happen in America (event though it does all the time). This should be required viewing for every person in America (the land of the free!).


Very Biased   July 1, 2005
D. MILLS (Manassas, VA United States)
41 out of 56 found this review helpful

The fact is that only the killer [and maybe a couple of others (who have managed to maintain their silence)] knows what really happened that day. This is a biased defense of Leonard Peltier. Maybe he did it. Maybe he didn't. Even if he did it, maybe he was justified, and certainly he was railroaded by the FBI.

Although it doesn't prove whether Peltier is innocent or guilty, this video DOES prove that the FBI acted inappropriately with respect to this case. Like Geronomo Pratt, the FBI used lies, thuggery and threats of violence and imprisonment of innocent people to get their man. Meanwhile they virtually ignored the other violence that took place.

As one person in the video explains, "There were shootouts before AND after" the incident, and the government never gave a hoot about any of those victims. But when two white guys are killed, they suddenly want justice.

Is Leonard Peltier guilty? I don't know. Are the tactics of the government atrocious? Absolutely.



Very Good Documentary   November 6, 2000
Daniel Miller (Bowling Green, OH United States)
37 out of 38 found this review helpful

This is an excellent documentary of the events on the Pine Ridge Reservation that led to the imprisonment of Leonard Peltier. It does sn excellent job of showing the incident from the side ofPeltier and the other Native Americans. It could have done more interviewing with the government authorities who were there. The truth can be seen through the government's lies as shown in books such as "The Trial of Leonard Peltier" by Jim Messerschmidt, "Agents of Repression: The FBI's Secret Wars Against the Black Panther Party and the American Indian Movement" by Ward Churchill, and "In the Spirit of Crazy Horse" by Peter Matthiessen. Those three and Leonard Peltier's book "My Life Is My Sundance" are all very highly reccomended for anyone interested in this subject.


Leonard Peltier is Innocent!!!   May 23, 2003
Samantha M. Peterson (Dunellen, NJ United States)
34 out of 37 found this review helpful

This documentary makes it painfully obvious how weak the government's case against Leonard Peltier really is. The fact that he was actually convicted scares me to death! Despite the fact that it was a tragedy that those two agents died that day, they had to have known the risk they were taking by storming onto a reservation, where the people lived in fear everyday that they could be killed. Regardless of what actually happened that day, and who was reponsible for those deaths, the fact of the matter is that the way the prosecution handled their case against Peltier, and the resulting conviction is a travesty of justice! Just about every claim, or piece of evidence mentioned by a government representative interviewed for this documentary was disproved by the defense, or even just plain fact. Reasonable doubt is an understatement here. And what about the fact that no one was ever tried for the death of Joe Stuntz? The government was so outraged that two of their agents had been killed, but they forgot that they are also sworn to defend and protect the residents of the Indian reservations as well! This documentary will be hard to watch, and it will make you angry that something like this can happen in the "Land of the Free", but as Americans, it is our duty to act on behalf of our fellow Americans when they are victimized in this way.