The Black Panther Party was founded in Oakland, California by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale on October 15, 1966. BPP membership reached a peak of 10,000 by early 1969, acquiring 90% support from Black people in major cities in America. The organization is well known for advocating self-defense against police brutality. The Panthers also organized dozens of community programs such as free breakfast for children, health clinics and shoes for children.
J. Edgar Hoover called the BPP “the greatest threat to the internal security of the country,” and he supervised an extensive program called “COINTELPRO” that used surveillance, infiltration, raids, perjury, police harassment and many other tactics designed to undermine Panther leadership, incriminate party members and drain the organization of resources and manpower.
Hoover has also been quoted as saying that it was not the guns that were the greatest threat but the Party's Free Children's Breakfast Program that was the "…greatest threat to the internal security of the United States of America." An interview with former FBI Agent M. Wesley Swearingen, whose book the "FBI Secrets," will highlight the Bureau's COINTEL-PRO program's covert campaign to neutralize, disrupt, and discredit" The Black Panther Party.
The Black Panther Party, was an "All Power To All The People!” organization, whether you're black, white, blue, green, yellow, or polka dot. We believed in black unity, but only as a catalyst to help humanize the world. The Black Panther Party worked for self-determination and social justice for all people
The FBI's director J. Edgar Hoover became involved in stopping the Black Panther Party as the party began to gain prominence during 1967 & 68. As COINTELPRO had been established in 1956 to police "political radicals" within the United States, focus and pressure now came onto the Black Panther Party. On December 15, 1968, J. Edgar Hoover declared, "the Black Panther Party, without question, represents the "…greatest threat to the internal security of the country" and he supervised an extensive program called “COINTELPRO” that used surveillance, infiltration, raids, perjury, police harassment and many other tactics designed to undermine Panther leadership, incriminate party members and drain the organization of resources and manpower. He pledged that 1969 would be the last year of the Party's existence. Under Hoover's reign, the Party suffered immensely, which resulted in many of its members being assassinated or imprisoned.
Most dramatically, on December 8, the LAPD enacted a warrant and deployed its new SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics, a militarized police unit) teams. Using a battering ram, helicopters, a tank, trucks, dynamite, and 400 police officers, they raided three L.A. BPP facilities including the Oakland headquarters.
On December 4, 1969 in Chicago, two Black Panthers were killed when the Chicago police raided the home of Panther leader Fred Hampton. The raid had been orchestrated by the police in conjunction with the FBI. After the raid, Hampton and Panther guard Mark Clark, lay dead.
In October 1967, Oakland police officer John Frey, along with his backup Hervert Heanes, ambushed Panther leader Huey P. Newton during a traffic stop. During the stop, a gunfight broke out leaving Officer Frey dead and Officer Heanes wounded. Newton was arrested and charged with murder and released three years later after the charges were dismissed.
Under Hoover's reign, the Party suffered immensely, which resulted in many of its members being assassinated or imprisoned. By 1970, Eldridge Cleaver was in exile, key leadership members such as Apprentice Bunchy Carter, John Huggins, and Fred Hampton had been assassinated and Geronimo Pratt, Angela Davis and I were in prison.
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Through BobbySeale.com, LLC {Independent Film Production Division} I am raising development funds to produce “SEIZE THE TIME: The Eighth Defendant,” a feature length film dramatization that chronicles my life experiences as the founding Chairman and national organizer of the Black Panther Party and in turn the true history of the Black Panther Party.
“SEIZE THE TIME: The Eighth Defendant,” will tell the my true 60’s protest movement history and the true history of the Black Panther Party, giving those now and in the future an awareness of our history, as an example of how one should never give up the struggle for true liberation and freedom. Instilling and inspiring in them the hope that change is a possible and that, we the people, must proactively work to preserve our constitutional rights.
We need to get this film, “SEIZE THE TIME: The Eighth Defendant,” made to make sure that our 60’s liberation history told truthfully and honest. Be part of getting this independent feature film produced.
All Power To All The People!
Bobby Seale
Click on link below to purchase books, posters, DVDs and memorabilia from my website and support my efforts get a truthful feature film about my sixties protest movement history and the history of the Black Panther Party produced:
http://bobbyseale.com/html/orderform1.htm All Power To All The People!
Bobby Seale
Posted By: Bobby Seale
Sunday, February 23rd 2014 at 10:29PM
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