“It was murder. They were murdered as an act of war.” – On the killing of his wife, three children and mother-in-law.
“They waged war against us. They hunted us down. They killed, jailed, destroyed, by any means necessary. They saw that magical thing that happened with Alcatraz…all of a sudden this spirit was popping up and gaining momentum through AIM, and this is why the spirit-hunters, those who hunt free thought, came after us.” – On the U.S. government and FBI.
“I’m pleased with it. There’s a truth there. It reflects the reality – the political and racial reality that we went through at that time.” – On Thundeheart
“They could come in and commit mass murder in an Indian community and nobody would ask questions.” – On lessons learned from FBI reign of terror on AIM.
“There were those who started the fire and those who covered it up.”
“They said it started in a fireplace. That was the first story that was put out, that an ember had fallen out of the back of the fireplace and rolled under the backporch and started the blaze. I had that fireplace checked and it was physically impossible to have started in this way, so when they told that story they knew they were lying.”
“I spoke to an electrician and he said there was no such evidence.” – On suggestion of electrical problem.
“They said it was a fire of undetermined origin.”
“I couldn’t move. I didn’t have the energy. I felt I’d been beaten. I had the emotions and the feelings, but I couldn’t do anything. But I did have this instinct to survive.” – Reaction to the tragedy.
“But in 1979 I’d been operating within the rules. There was no criminal intent or criminal conduct in what we did. I had a right to redress my grievances. That didn’t mean blowing up FBI headquarters. I didn’t want to become the beast. But someone within the American government was very angry with me because we were working very effectively and had credibility and respectability within the community at large. I didn’t listen to history the way I should have. I had always expected that although it would be between me and ‘them,’ it would be playing fair. I didn’t understand.”
“I felt I wasn’t safe in any community if they could commit mass murder and have no one ask a second question. I had no political identity any more. I wandered around in a daze.”
“I still remember the moment. I was with a friend in a car and all at once these lines came into my head – Gently the rains of purification washed through my mind. That was what started it.” ~
SOURCE: Waterloo Region Record (Ontario, Canada)