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The Peace and Freedom Party State Convention last August 1 nominated me to be the vice-presidential running mate of American Indian Movement (AIM) activist and political prisoner Leonard Peltier. I knew this would be a momentous task, as I would not only be running my campaign, but also be representing Leonard Peltier on the campaign trail. I asked San Diego Peace and Freedom Party activists Jennie Lopez and Bob Alba to manage the campaign, and brought on Tim Hensley from the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee and AIM in San Diego to be the campaign press secretary. Kevin Bishop of Los Angeles set up a campaign bank account and coordinated basic literature production, and Party activists up and down the state spread the word in their local areas.
The road trip campaigning in California included trips along Highway 395 in the desert, Highways 5 and 99 up and down the center of the state, and Highway 8 in the south. I learned that people want to be able to tell their stories, they want someone to listen to them and take their issues seriously in the political process. Everywhere I went to tell Leonard's story, my story and the Party's story, their stories became a part of the campaign and gave a public voice to their concerns. Poverty, unemployment and racial profiling were the most talked-about topics, and sexual harassment, the prison-industrial complex and corporate control of utilities and their high cost also were part of campaign discussions. A few campaign forums offered the opportunity to talk about Leonard Peltier's candidacy and the historical significance of the campaign, and its effect on people around the world.
Interview requests came in from the international press, including Germany, France and Brazil; next were high school and college students with a sprinkling of junior high students excited to learn about Leonard Peltier and his case. Among the media outlets that took an interest in the campaign were Karthik from KPFK Radio in Los Angeles and Eric Williams and WBAI Pacifica Radio in New York. In San Diego, only two media entities carried the campaign story, Helix High School's newspaper and RadioActive Radio. I want to thank them for willingness to present the "other" side of the political story -- the need for third parties in a poisoned two-party political system.
At the end of this intense campaign was a memorable Election Day 2004 at Eastlake High School in Chula Vista. Jennie Lopez and I spent most of the school day with students from Irma Alba's classes discussing the case of Leonard Peltier and why his work and struggle for human rights affects their daily lives. The supportive responses from so many young people during this campaign have given me energy to carry on my struggle, the Party's struggle and the struggle of Leonard Peltier.
This story was accompanied by a photograph of Janice Jordan holding a "Free Leonard Peltier" banner, which appears to have been taken as people dispersed at the end of a march. In the background is a young man resting in the shade of a tree, with Spanish-language picket signs calling for a new trial for Mumia Abu-Jamal and demanding an end to the death panalty. The caption reads, "Janice Jordan, who ran as the Vice Presidential candidate with Leonard Peltier, has been active in working for to grant him his freedom."
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