February 28 is the 50th anniversary of the historic struggle at Wounded Knee, at Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota. In 1973, the American Indian Movement carried out an occupation action on the reservation, against which the U.S. Army, Marshals and National Guard waged an all-out armed assault for 71 days. In the lead-up to that occupation, the traditional people of Pine Ridge had been protesting the policies of the corrupt and reactionary tribal chairman, Dick Wilson. American Indian Movement leaders Dennis Banks and Russell Means led a caravan of Native people to hold a symbolic occupation of Wounded Knee, the site of the notorious 1890 massacre by the U.S. Army of more than 300 Oglala Lakota men, women and children.

After the occupation, many leaders and participants were heavily prosecuted. In the more than two years that followed, Wilson and his paramilitaries carried out reprisals against the traditional residents of Pine Ridge. 64 people were murdered. Despite appeals by residents, the U.S. government did nothing. Then AIM members, including Leonard Peltier, a young 31-year old Anishnaabe and Dakota activist, came to Pine Ridge to provide protection after a plea from the residents. On June 26, 1975, the FBI raided the reservation on spurious grounds. A shoot-out ensued, and two FBI agents were shot dead, along with Joe Stuntz, a Native man about whom there was never an investigation. Three men were indicted for the deaths of the FBI agents. Two were exonerated, but because Leonard had fled to Canada, the FBI set their sights on him. The government conducted a frame-up and railroaded Leonard Peltier into prison, where he has been for the past 48 years.

Join the Party for Socialism and Liberation of Milwaukee and Cactus Club in a screening of Incident at Oglala, the 1992 documentary by Michael Apted, followed by letter writing to political prisoner Leonard Peltier.

Film starts at 7PM with a suggested $10 donation. Donations are made to Liberation Milwaukee, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that seeks to promote a cooperative society based on democratic principles that prioritizes human needs over individual accumulation of wealth. This is an All Ages event but the film does depict violence.