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Bob Robideau dies at 61
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Robert Robideau, an American Indian activist who was acquitted of killing two FBI agents in a 1975 shootout in South Dakota, has died. He was 61.
Robideau had been living in Barcelona, Spain, where authorities said that his death Tuesday may have been related to seizures caused by shrapnel left in his head from an accidental explosion.
Robideau, a Portland native, was the cousin of Leonard Peltier and a member of the American Indian Movement who had occupied the reservation town of Wounded Knee, S.D., for 71 days in 1973, two years before the shootout.
Robideau had been living in Barcelona, Spain, where authorities said that his death Tuesday may have been related to seizures caused by shrapnel left in his head from an accidental explosion.
Robideau, a Portland native, was the cousin of Leonard Peltier and a member of the American Indian Movement who had occupied the reservation town of Wounded Knee, S.D., for 71 days in 1973, two years before the shootout.
His son, Michael, told The Oregonian that Robideau attended Roosevelt High School and received a degree in cultural anthropology from Portland State University.
The newspaper said that Robideau left for South Dakota in the early 1970s with several family members, including Peltier, to join AIM and its protests against poverty and corruption on tribal reservations.
In June 1975, two FBI agents followed a man wanted in the theft of a pair of cowboy boots onto the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The agents soon came under heavy rifle fire and were killed.
The FBI identified Peltier as a suspect in the shooting and placed him on their most wanted list.
Months later, Robideau was driving Peltier's station wagon through Kansas with other AIM members when ammunition in the car accidentally exploded.
Robideau, who was seriously injured, was arrested and tried for the FBI agent killings, but was acquitted.
Peltier was arrested by Oregon State Police troopers while driving through Oregon and later convicted of the FBI shootings. He is serving two life sentences.
Robideau appeared in "Incident at Oglala," the 1992 documentary about the Pine Ridge shootings narrated by actor Robert Redford and directed by Michael Apted.
Robideau later became a painter, concentrating on tribal themes. He led a committee seeking a pardon for Peltier and served as director of the American Indian Movement Museum in Barcelona, which displayed some of his paintings.
He is survived by his wife, Pilar of Barcelona, Spain; and sons, Michael of Portland and Bobby of South Dakota.
The newspaper said that Robideau left for South Dakota in the early 1970s with several family members, including Peltier, to join AIM and its protests against poverty and corruption on tribal reservations.
In June 1975, two FBI agents followed a man wanted in the theft of a pair of cowboy boots onto the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The agents soon came under heavy rifle fire and were killed.
The FBI identified Peltier as a suspect in the shooting and placed him on their most wanted list.
Months later, Robideau was driving Peltier's station wagon through Kansas with other AIM members when ammunition in the car accidentally exploded.
Robideau, who was seriously injured, was arrested and tried for the FBI agent killings, but was acquitted.
Peltier was arrested by Oregon State Police troopers while driving through Oregon and later convicted of the FBI shootings. He is serving two life sentences.
Robideau appeared in "Incident at Oglala," the 1992 documentary about the Pine Ridge shootings narrated by actor Robert Redford and directed by Michael Apted.
Robideau later became a painter, concentrating on tribal themes. He led a committee seeking a pardon for Peltier and served as director of the American Indian Movement Museum in Barcelona, which displayed some of his paintings.
He is survived by his wife, Pilar of Barcelona, Spain; and sons, Michael of Portland and Bobby of South Dakota.
For more information:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/400685...
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