Leonard Peltier Thanks His Supporters in Belcourt, ND, Maintains His Innocence

BELCOURT, N.D. (KVRR) — After almost 50 years in prison, Native American activist Leonard Peltier addresses supporters in Belcourt, North Dakota.

Over one thousand people came to Sky Dancer Casino and Resort to welcome Peltier home to the Turtle Mountain Reservation.

He received gifts from supporters honoring his fight and return home including a star quilt and Eagle Staff.

Peltier also thanked everyone for the support he received that helped get him out from behind bars and back home to Turtle Mountain.

He will live there on home confinement after his life sentence was commuted by President Joe Biden just hours before he left The White House.

“Spent 49 years straight in prison for something I didn’t do and was not really, really convicted of. I’m so proud of the showing and support you’ve given me and I got a hard time to keep myself from crying,” Peltier told the crowd which erupted in cheers.

Peltier was released Tuesday from Coleman penitentiary in Florida where he had been serving a life sentence in the 1975 killings of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.