Prisoner solidarity in Houston

Houston — Houston activists, including the Indigenous dance group, Danza Azteca, came together on Sept. 13 to sign a birthday card for former political prisoner Leonard Peltier.  Peltier turned 81 years old on Sept. 12, and after almost 50 years of wrongful incarceration in federal prisons, he celebrated from his home and not a prison cell.

Peltier was an activist with the American Indian Movement. On June 26,1975, there was a shoot-out on the Pine Ridge Indian reservation in South Dakota when the FBI raided it. Peltier was convicted of murdering two FBI agents and was sentenced to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment.

In February 2025, former President Joe Biden commuted Peltier’s sentence and he was released from prison. He now lives at home in North Dakota on the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa reservation. However, he was not pardoned, so this means he will serve the rest of his life under house confinement.

A card of encouragement was also signed for longtime political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal who is suffering from diabetic retinopathy, which can be treated with a series of injections. He recently had cataract surgery on one eye and is awaiting the same for the other eye. 

On brightly colored paper, heartfelt messages were written to both men and will be mailed out to them.

The gathering began with Rainflower and Conrado Acevedo with Danza Azteca giving a message to Peltier, tenderly addressing him as “abuelo,” meaning grandfather. They then sang “Happy Birthday” to Peltier in an Indigenous language. Others signing messages were with Palestine Solidarity Texas and the Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement. Birthday cards were also signed for those on Texas death row who have September and October birthdays.