There's far more than two AIM chapters, just so you know; I used to speak regularly to Fern Matthias, who was one of the acting leaders of Los Angeles AIM. (She passed away a couple years ago, though. Shame; she was probably one of the most level-headed and active Indian activists I've ever met.) There's AIM chapters in virtually every major city of the US, not only in two locations. There's quite a few chapters out of the US, too. And for the most part, yes, they're autonomous.
However, the vast majority of them take their cues from the northern plains tribal activities (especially on Pine Ridge - which is just a hotbed of nastiness in a lot of cases), or they focus all of their attention on Leonard Peltier's case or on the mascot issues. A few of the AIM groups do silly things, too - like the California groups, which want to regulate the sale of sage and tobacco because they're sacred. And then there's a couple AIM groups who just want Native folks to overcome their difficulties and find a better way of life.
Leonard Peltier is not a leader of AIM. Many people, due to the Wounded Knee 1973 scenario, respect Peltier and do not want him to be imprisoned. But this doesn't mean that he's considered a leader of any given AIM chapter or AIM organization, regardless of how often his name's bandied about. Heck, his name was on the ballot for the Presidential election last year (at least, here in CA it was)... and he's still in prison. Doesn't sound like he's doing too well at leading.
One other note: not all AIM groups fight with each other, or are made up of ex-cons, terrorists, or drug dealers. Heck, the AIM chapters in Germany (I still get a kick out of the American Indian Movement being active in other countries) tend to be made up of Indian hobbyists who just want Native Americans to have it better than they do now.
The problem with a psuedo organization like AIM - which, by the by, has no official leadership except for whoever's got the biggest mouth (and trust me, after meeting most of the AIM "leadership", I can tell you they've got big mouths and very little to no brains as an average rule) and who can garner the most on-TV or on-radio time. This is why John Trudell's still considered a major AIM activist... he's a musician, so he attracts radio time.
Very few of the thousands of AIM members are goons with guns. You're thinking of the Pine Ridge arguments, which have nothing to do with AIM, but which have everything to do with who supposedly was at Pine Ridge during Wounded Knee 1973. And it's amazing how many hundreds of people claim to have been there, when in actuality there were only 30-40 people who were involved in the standoff.
I used the wrong word when I said chapters. I know they are all over. The Boulder Denver chapter and the Minneapolis people don't recognize each other. So there seem to be two AIM organizations both claiming to be the "one true AIM."
I am sure most people have good motives. I am focusing on some troublesome personalities.
They all claim to be AIM however.
Thanks again. You sound very informed.
Finally, a level-headed post from someone about indians, and AIM... I'm actually shocked.
My grandfather, and his brother, were active AIM in the 70s - They weren't thugs, or criminals, or anything like that, either...