By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
Four pieces of art painted by a man in prison for murdering two FBI agents are being removed by a Washington state agency.
The Retired FBI Agents Association complained about the paintings, which are hanging near the front doors of the state Department of Labor and Industries’ headquarters in Tumwater, Washington, Capital Justice reports.
Leonard Peltier, 71, a Native American activist, created the paintings while in prison for murdering two FBI agents during a standoff on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1975.
“He’s nothing but a thug,” said retired FBI agent Ray Lauer. “He’s an unrepentant cop killer.”
“For the state of Washington to use taxpayers’ dollars to basically offer a free art gallery to somebody who is a convicted cop killer, I find it, as a law enforcement officer, appalling and quite frankly disgusting as taxpayer also,” Lauer said.
The paintings were part of an exhibit to celebrate National American Indian Heritage Month.
I find it disturbing that the paintings were there in the first place. The decision by a Washington State Official to place the paintings in a state facility as very “poor” taste. Some in the media and of course many Hollywood actors have made Peltier a cult hero-like many other cop killers who achieve similar status in other states. Thanks to the Retired Agents for having these paintings removed.