While many of the political movements of the 1960's had lost their momentum by the 70's, the American Indian Movement (AIM), was still going strong. Formed in an effort to protect Indian denizens and their land, AIM was targeted for elimination by the FBI's COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program) and deemed a "terrorist" organization.

On June 26, 1975 two FBI agents in dogged pursuit of a native who had committed the gravest of federal crimes � stealing cowboy boots � stormed onto native land and were killed along with an AIM member in the ensuing fire-fight. Four men were accused of the deaths of the FBI agents (and no one was accused of the death of the Indian). One was never tried for lack of evidence, two were acquitted due to FBI misconduct in the prosecution of the case, which left one final suspect: Leonard Peltier.

Peltier fled to Canada in hopes of gaining asylum, but was extradited to the U.S in 1977. His defense team was not allowed to provide evidence from the previous case showing FBI extortion, coercion of witnesses, and fabrication of evidence. As a result, Peltier was sentenced to two life sentences.

To this day, Peltier remains in federal prison and like Geronimo Pratt before him is caught up in an endless cycle of appeals with most Federal judges refusing to even hear his case. The amount of evidence proving Peltier's innocence is overwhelming and he remains a symbol of the hypocrisy in America where pressure is applied to foreign nations with political prisoners, while domestic ones are all but ignored.