Black Panther Party

Black Lives Matter was not the first movement that is against police brutality and fights against any anti-black organization. The Black Panther Party was a very substantial movement for black history. The Black Panther Party was quite different but in many ways were they similar. The Party was a political organization founded by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in 1966. The world of this political party spread so quickly, by that time there were roughly 2,000 members across the country in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia.

It was made up of students attending the Merritt College in Oakland, California. If we were to look at the timeline of momentous events in black history, around the time that the party was founded the assassination of Malcolm X had occurred. Consequently, the murder of an African-American teen by the name of Matthew Johnson by a San Fransisco police officer had also occurred. The rise of police brutality was very stagnant as it always has been.

The party had a Ten-Point Program which was the Marxist ideology for their philosophical views and political opinions. The missions behind the Black Panther Party was to have:

2. Employment for all African Americans

3. Just land and housing for all

4. More African Americans to be elected into political offices, but at the time they were unsuccessful

There were many controversies that arose from all that the party was accomplishing and what they were setting to have done. The party was portrayed as a gang or gang-affiliated. As you can see nothing much has changed. A group of black boys hanging out walking home will instantly be seen as dangerous or criminals, but yet we claim in our constitution that all men are created equal. It doesn't seem that way Mr.Washington. In the 1970s there was a lot of FBI counterintelligence and criminal activities that led to internal conflicts in the party. There were also numerous violent encounters between the Black Panther Party members and police officers.

One of the Co-founders of the Party Huey Newton was convicted of the manslaughter of an Oakland police officer, he was sentenced in an appellate court to 15 years in prison.

(1969) Alex Rackley was also a member of the party and because of the suspicion of him being essentially a ‘mole’, he was tortured then murdered by other party members. It is sad to see that even when we unite as a community we can’t handle things civilly. If we want to be taken seriously, we absolutely cannot lose sight of what we are fighting for. We have to remember, even if we have our differences we will still be judged the same. No matter how we proclaim ourselves to be, we will everlastingly be united by our skin color. Let us not let that be the single thing that sets us back.

(1968) The editor Eldridge Cleaver and treasurer Bobby Hutton were involved in a shootout with police which resulted in Hutton’s death and two police officers injured.

(1974) The bookkeeper for the Black Panther Party, Betty van Patter’s body was found beaten and murdered. To this day her murder case has been left unsolved.

Well Mr.Hoover, I would like to understand why is it that a group of college students that are fighting for their rights is so threatening. If a movement to a better society is so threatening to National Intelligence, there is an issue with the government, not vice versa. I am beginning to sense a pattern the word “threat” seems to always be a correlation to the African-American community. Yes, there are many African-Americans that are in the justice system and are convicted criminals but are these jail cells only occupied by black people? Let me make no mistake that it’d be lying to our country and yourselves to say this country isn't built on crime, but are we ready for that conversation? No, not yet. As if we didn't by force take this very land we claim to call home.

In 1969, the FBI had proclaimed the Black Panther Party to be a dangerous threat of the U.S. Government. Oh, but how it was really a force to be reckoned with. Because of this ‘idea’, the FBI worked day in and day out to weaken the party by exploiting rivalries that were already existent and attempted to undermine or discredit their programs. 1968, Chicago, Illinois, police officers murder Fred Hampton and Mark Clark, as they were asleep in their apartment. As I read this very important factor, I think to myself, was there a warrant, what was your reason. This makes me think of the Loving vs. Virginia case where a similar thing occurred where police break into homes in these black communities. Now if I’m not mistaken since my anti-black folks love the facts, the fourth amendment states there shall be no invasion of privacy — unless probable cause, but these police officers' “probable cause” was because they had a suspicion. In what world does a suspicion lead to breaking and entering?

Malcolm X or Malcolm Little, was a very important and influential individual in Black History and society as it is. Born on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska. His father Earl Little was a well known Baptist minister and a huge supporter of the black nationalist Marcus Garvey. Due to his support of Garvey, many death threats were birthed and thriving well from the white supremacist organization Black Legion. These threats became to be so immense the Little family decided to relocate to Lansing Michigan. A little after their relocation to avoid the Legion’s threats, their Lansing home was burned to the ground. Two years later Earl’s body was found on the town's trolley tracks. Both incidents were claimed as accidents.

Although this really could have been an accident, as I read about Malcolm's life story, I think to myself, “how many things in this day and age do we deem as accidents”. We have become so comfortable in turmoil to the point where it’s like we have set an expectancy for tragedy. Yes there is a time of grief and mourning, but now as I engage in conversation with my peers we’ll hear about a school shooting and there will be a moment of sadness that will wash over us but unanimously we think “There is nothing we can do”. What can we do?

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