Paul Nathanson
(202) 828-1714
media@fbiaa.org
Washington, DC: The FBI Agents Association (FBIAA) today called on American University to remove a statue of convicted murderer Leonard Peltier, who killed two FBI Special Agents in 1975. The statue was erected earlier this month in front of AU’s Katzen Arts Center.
In a letter to Dr. Neil Kerwin, President of American University (AU), FBIAA President Thomas O’Connor expressed concern that AU was using public space to display a statue of a convicted murderer and accompany the decision to allow the statue by repeating slanted and misleading claims about Peltier’s murder convictions.”
“The message being sent by AU to FBI Special Agents and their families, past and present, and to all members of the law enforcement community, is both clear and troubling—AU has decided to advance the political arguments of activists with little concern for providing all of the facts or considering the views of law enforcement,” wrote O’Connor.
In his letter, O’Connor provides facts regarding Peltier’s conviction that are ignored by AU, including that “through well-over a dozen appeals, twice reaching the U.S. Supreme Court, every aspect of Peltier’s trial has been reviewed in minute detail and his conviction and sentence has been upheld in every instance.”
The letter concludes, “The FBIAA hopes that AU will remove the statue and ensure that descriptions of Peltier and his case include an accurate and a thorough description of his convictions and the legal processes that have been exhausted by Peltier.”
A copy of the letter to Dr. Kerwin is attached to this press release.