Bear Lincoln's Letter to the Editor of Anderson Valley Advertiser
(published in the April 30, 1997 issue)

What It's Really Like Hello Bruce, I would like to make the public aware of the gross racism against Native Americans in the so-called justice system in Mendocino County. The District Attorney's office would like to put me to death for allegedly killing a Sheriff's deputy. It is a matter of record that the majority of death penalty cases in this county have been against Native Americans. It is a fact that the death penalty has not had an effect on crime. The state is sending a clear message that revenge killings are OK as long as they are doing the killing. Also, that killing is acceptable as long as it's done by the gang that is in control. Sheriff Tuso has sent a very clear message that he can come to the "Round Valley Indian Reservation," and ambush and murder an innocent man who committed no crime and call it justifiable homicide. Then charge me with his death and the death of the officer. But when the facts come out at the trial, the public will see that the deaths of these two men were the result of incompetent leadership and extreme prejudice. I urge the public to follow this case and be concerned, because corrupt law enforcement affects everyone sooner or later. We will prove in the trial that the Sheriff's deputy has covered up their actions against the Indian community, and that they are the ones who are guilty of lying in wait and ambushing and murdering Leonard Peters. They seek the death penalty for me for crimes that they have committed. If they had conducted the first killing as a routine homicide investigation, Leonard Peters and officer Davis would still be alive. But Sheriff Tuso wanted to play "John Wayne" and put the Indians on the reservation under his thumb and shoot anything that moved, which happened to be an innocent man walking in the night on a mountain road. It is only by the "Grace of God" that I have survived to tell this story and expose law enforcement gone runamok in Mendocino County. Sheriff Tuso is guilty of setting the stage for more killings to take place on the Round Valley Reservation by his biased law enforcement and other injustices against my relations and supporters. Tuso has been trying to impose the death penalty on me since the night of the police ambush on April 14th of 1995. The DA's statement to the media that they would seek a death sentence in this case is a reality that I've been living with since the night they murdered my friend without cause. This case is a very good example of a corrupt law enforcement and justice system that doesn't give a damn what the public thinks or sees concerning their conduct because they believe that they will have to answer to no one. Therefore, they can break as many laws as they want to and believe that they are immune to any type of prosecution or dismissal. The DA needs to change his line from "we the people," to "we the law enforcement community." That would be a more truthful statement. It is needful for the public to follow this case to see what is really going on with a system that has strayed from "we the people." Signed, Angry Native Bear Lincoln Ukiah