Nationality American Indian Years active 1972–present | Other names Mr. X Other name Mr. X | |
Full Name Harry David Hill Occupation Activist, Electrician, Mechanic, Youth Drug Counselor, Martial Arts Instructor, AIM Organizer, Artist Organization American Indian Movement, Leonard Peltier Defense Committee Known for Wounded Knee Standoff 1973, Bureau of Indian Affairs Take Over 1972, Custer South Dakota Riot, Sioux Falls South Dakota Riot, Cass Lake Minnesota Standoff, First Longest Walk, National Horse Rides for Freedom for Leonard Peltier, Jim Thorpe Run from OK to CA 1984, Various Demonstrations and Speaking Engagements against Grand Jury Abuse 1976, Demonstrations against KKK and Police Harassment/Police Brutality of Native People. | ||
David Hill (born 1941), who some refer to as Mr. X., is a Native American activist. He is perhaps best known for participation in the Wounded Knee incident, for allegedly being the person behind the nebulous pseudonym involved with the murder of AIM activist Anna Mae Pictou-Aquash, Mr. X., and for bombing the Mount Rushmore Tourist Center as stated by Paul Demain. In actuality, Hill has never been charged for any of the above offenses.
Contents
Early life
David Harry Hill was born in 1941.
Personal life
Hill lived with one of the female activists, Thelma Rios, during his early days with the American Indian Movement during 1974–1975. He has been an advocate against alcohol and drug use, and has never been a user of either. Hill lives a healthy lifestyle and encourages youth and others to take care of their bodies. He continually says native people can only afford to fight with one another when they run out of oppressors. Hill is a Sun Dancer and has consistently encouraged the use of sweat lodges throughout Oklahoma since the 70's.
Career
Although identified as a cop by ex-wife Thelma Rios, the claim (with respect to Hill being an officer of the law) is disputed.
Hill actually worked as a union electrician, Director/Coordinator of Indian Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, Youth Alcohol and Drug Counselor in Oklahoma City Indian Center, Martial Arts Instructor at the Chickasaw Nation and at the Indian Center in Rapid City, SD, Seminole Nation, and as an Artist.
Activism
Hill has been an activist his whole life and with the American Indian Movement since 1972. He has served with the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee as Director three times and National Advisor to present, was at the Wounded Knee Standoff 1973, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Take Over 1972, Custer South Dakota Riot, Sioux Falls South Dakota Riot, Cass Lake Minnesota Standoff, Coordinator for First Longest Walk from Colorado to Marion Illinois, organized National Horse Rides for Freedom for Leonard Peltier, Jim Thorpe Run from OK to CA 1984, Various Demonstrations and Speaking Engagements against Grand Jury Abuse 1976, Demonstrations against KKK and Police Harassment/Police Brutality of Native People. He organized a demonstration against police brutality in Ponca City, Oklahoma resulting in a grievance committee formation to resolve such issues. Hill has had speaking engagements all over the United States, France, Canada, colleges, civic organizations, and Simon Schuster books paid him as a consultant and speaker on Native American life. He also organized and served as talk show host for two different radio stations in Salt Lake City, Utah, Seminole, Oklahoma and numerous programs on blogtalkradio. Hill also was instrumental in organizing a health outreach program for Native Americans in Salt Lake City, Utah. He also established a house for temporary shelter for indigent Native Americans in Salt Lake City, Utah. Hill organized various demonstrations in Utah in regard to the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, Mormon Church misrepresentation of Native Americans and lack of Native American representation on the Mormon Advisory Board. Hill organized security during the Comanche tribal standoff in 1980 keeping Bureau of Indian Affairs (known by the acronym BIA) from interfering in Comanche tribal affairs. The standoff ended peacefully. He was hired by Seminole Nation as security consultant during their standoff with BIA officials which ended peacefully.
Hill was identified by Rios-Conroy as having provoked the Custer Courthouse Incident riot that unfolded in 1973 following a one-day jail sentence of murderer Darld Schmitz, a White Air Force veteran in the murder of Wesley Bad Heart Bull. According to Rios-Conroy, "He started it all, Dave. He provoked the riot. He was right there. He told me so, proudly, several times. He instigated that courtroom riot too. I was there. I saw him start it, punching a cop. At the time everybody thought it was great. He was a warrior. He was a hero and everybody trusted him, including me." She also later said she was misquoted about him being a cop, documented in the book "The Unquiet Grave" by Steven Hendricks.
Rios-Conroy's account is corroborated by a separate account found in Peter Matthiessen's book, In the Spirit of Crazy Horse. Hill has allegedly never in any capacity worked as a cop or collaborated with law enforcement. He has actually filed a letter with his attorney, to the FBI that he would never talk to them ever in the '70s.
Hill serves continues to serve as a fierce proponent of Leonard Peltier's innocence, issuing a declaration to the United Nations in 2010 to raise awareness and advocate for the release of the aforementioned individual from prison. He has organized national horse rides and demonstrations to bring awareness to the issue of unjust incarceration through violations of the Constitution against native people, such as what has occurred to Peltier. Hill has served as Director of the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee and Advisor on a number of occasions.
Hill was also one of several Native American actors who walked off of the set of the critically panned Adam Sandler movie, The Ridiculous 6. Of the filming conditions, Hill stated that, "They were being disrespectful. They were bringing up those same old arguments that Dan Snyder uses in defending the Redskins. But let me tell you, our dignity is not for sale. It is a real shame because a lot of people probably stay because they need a job.”
Terrorism
Between 1975 October 10 and October 14, Harry David Hill, Annie Mae, Leonard Peltier, Darlene "Ka-Mook" Nichols and Dennis Banks are involved in several bombings in the Pine Ridge area. Hill allegedly harasses Annie Mae about being an informant, and forces her to make bombs so that her fingerprints would be on them, which according to legal theories proposed by AIM attorneys would implicate the government in any criminal planning conspiracy. When asked about these allegations Hill vehemently denies them all.
Mt. Rushmore
On 27 June 1975, Harry David Hill, along with Anthony "Tony" E. Ament (Thelma Rio's son-in-law), allegedly bombed the Mount Rushmore Tourist Center.
On 7 July 1975, a search warrant was served on 1014 Milwaukee Street and several hundred pieces of evidence were seized in conjunction with RESMURS FBI agent shooting case and bombing of Mt. Rushmore. Hill was then charged with possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, unlawful possession of firearms and transportation of firearms. It was later determined the guns were not Hill's, the house was not Hill's and the other items listed as evidence were determined to be no more than an electrician's normal toolbox and work materials, which are not related to bombing.
On 11 July 1975, United States Attorney Michael T. Milligan entered a motion to dismiss charges against Hill for charges filed July 7 on the “grounds and for the reason that the best interest of justice will be served.” Hill was not charged on either the federal or state level, the latter being owed to former South Dakota governor Bill Janklow. The federal charges were dropped for lack of sufficient evidence. The state misdemeanor charge of obliterating the serial number on a firearm was dropped in exchange for Hill pleading guilty to a misdemeanor assault of officers and all the guns were returned to Thelma Rios.
Pine Ridge
Between 1975 October 10 and October 14, Harry David Hill, Annie Mae, Leonard Peltier, Darlene "Ka-Mook" Nichols and Dennis Banks are involved in several bombings in the Pine Ridge area. Hill allegedly harasses Annie Mae about being an informant, and forces her to make bombs so that her fingerprints would be on them, which according to legal theories proposed by AIM attorneys would implicate the government in any criminal planning conspiracy.
Wounded Knee
On 26 June 1975, two FBI agents, Jack Kohler and Robert Williams, traveling in separate and unmarked vehicles, were following up on information that a wanted Oglala, Jimmy Eagle, was believed to have recently been at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in Oglala, South Dakota driving a red vehicle. The Agents believed that they had spotted Jimmy Eagle and followed him onto the Jumping Bull property. After agents entered the Jumping Bull compound to serve, on Jimmy Eagle, a warrant for robbery and alleged torture, a fierce shootout ensued with a group of American Indian activists. Several activists fled the scene. Agents Kohler and Williams, as well as Navajo Joe Killsright Stuntz, were killed in the ensuing shootout.
The FBI compiled a list of suspects who the Bureau believed was responsible for the deaths of the Agents. Harry David (Mr. X) Hill was on the original list of subjects, but was later dropped from its lists along with a lot of others, because of investigation later showed they were not there at the Jumping Bull Ranch on the day in question.
One source also identified Hill as the shooter of African-American activist Ray Robinson.
Mr. X
Mr. X is a pseudonym referring to the purported "true" murderer or murders of activist Anna Mae Aquash and two FBI agents. Mr. X is said to have been one of the triggermen who shot Annie Mae in the back of the head. Rios-Conroy claimed that Hill was Anna Mae's murderer, although she was arrested and pleaded guilty to being party to the murder. She also named attorney Bruce Ellison as being with her at that time. This name was first invoked by the defense of Leonard Peltier during his trial in 1977, where the defense alluded the murderer(s), Mr. X, escaped from the murder scene in a mysterious red pick-up truck, or been the name of a Native American killed earlier that day, Joseph Stuntz.
AIM members Dino Butler, John Trudell and Vernon Bellecourt claim that Hill was the Mr. X behind the mask, saying he was responsible for shooting the agents (although this account is highly contested by other AIM members). John Trudell later met with federal authorities and subsequently testified against former AIM members, John Graham and Arlo Looking Cloud, resulting in their imprisonment.
However, according to American Indian Movement, "Mr. X" was a hoax. Along with Robert Robideau, and Ward Churchill, Hill was also implicated in the creation of this alias. According to another AIM activist, Darelle "Dino" Butler, "There is no Mr. X. There was no white man coming to our camp that day bringing dynamite. Those are all lies created to keep Leonard in jail longer." At a later date, Robert Robideau, who along with Dino Butler, were tried for the agents' death and were acquitted by reason of self-defense. Dino Butler in a taped statement said he did not go down to the agents' cars.
On 12 June 2000, in an interview conducted from Leavenworth Prison, Peltier was asked about the nature of the true identity of Mr. X, Peltier replied, "Mr. X is, could be anybody. I mean there's no doubt that somebody killed these agents, but we don't know who he is."