7 minute read
BPM’s Economic Impact
From Then to Now: The Social Impact
A movement centered around an ideology of defense against police brutality and black nationalism. A group started in the context of African Americans continued suffering from economic and social inequality, seen in the poor living conditions and public services of urban centers. Reading these sentences today, the Black Lives Matter movement likely comes to mind. However, I am speaking of the Black Panther movement founded in 1966, which despite it’s forced end continues to have far reaching impacts to this day as the problems it sought to fight have also
Advertisement
Police brutality has been an issue that plagues the African American community since the times of slavery. In the 1960s, resistance against the mistreatment of black people by the police and justice system existed in almost all black activist groups, from Malcolm X to Martin Luther King Jr., to of course, the Black Panthers. One of the 10 demands the Black Panther Party made was “we want an immediate end to police brutality and murder of black people”. The Black Panther’s response to police brutality was policing the police, and they would form their own alternative armed force to follow police and shout legal advice at those being apprehended so as to ensure no rights were being abused. While the modern Defund the Police has gone a different route to fight police brutality, many in the movement have long been advocating for an alternative to the police force in a way similar to the Black Panthers.
Comparing The fight against systemic racism in the justice and police system has roots as far as hundreds of years ago, and parallels between modern day messages on police brutality are startlingly similar to the protests and words of the 1960s. The US justice system has been slow to change, as even now issues of bail and the inhumane treatment of prisoners, often even before they get to trial, has continued to disproportionately affect the African American community. Rikers Island was the jail used to detain the 21 Panthers and Kalief Browder before trial. Luckily, the Panthers has public support and were able to raise enough money to post bail, however they still spent 10 months in solitary confinement. Kalief Browder was a teenager charged with stealing a backpack, thus spent 3 years in Rikers Island with much of that time in solitary confinement. Once he finally was able to stand for trial and was judged not guilty it was too late, and he killed himself after being let out. This failed system of bail means that true justice, where one is innocent till proven guilty, is only the case for the rich and affluent. While police brutality has been getting more attention lately (as it should!), we need to remember that systemic racism and violence goes further than the police, and is present in every corner of our law and justice from the moment of arrest to jails to court and to distribution of resources that keep black communities in poverty.
Twenty-one members of the Black Panther Party, also known as the Panther 21, were accused of a conspiracy to attack and bomb police departments in NYC. The Panthers were eventually acquitted, but were held on Rikers island for 10 months in solitary confinement before they were able to afford bail with the help of celebrities like Leonard Bernstein. Below is a picture of demonstrations outside of the NYC courthouse.
Over been convicted. Most are in jail because
Then Twenty-one members of the Black Panther Party, also known as the Panther 21, were accused of a conspiracy to attack and bomb police departments in NYC. The Panthers were eventually acquitted, but were held on Rikers island for 10 months in solitary confinement before they were able to afford bail with the help of celebrities like Leonard Bernstein. Below is a picture of demonstrations outside of the NYC courthouse. Now In 2010, Kalief Browder was charged with stealing a backpack and he plead not guilty. He wasn’t allowed to post bail (as he was on probation), and ended up spending 3 years on Rikers Island jail before getting to trial, where he was acquitted of all crimes. He spent 2 years in solitary confinement and was assaulted by guards, resulting in deep trauma as he later killed himself after getting out of jail. Kalief Browder was 16 when arrested.
Over 555,000 people locked up haven’t been convicted. Most are in jail because they can’t afford bail.
Black athletes brought awareness to movements like Black Panther and BLM by making a silent statement while the American national anthem plays. In both instances they were faced with backlash, as people were angry at them for “disrespecting” the national anthem. But if this is not an acceptable form of protest then what is? When protests in the street are painted as violent and moments like these are demonized it shows that those who are blind to the racism in our country don’t really care how we protest, they will always be disapproving. The problem was never the method, it was the message that people still refuse to open their eyes to. Then Tommie Smith and John Carlos, gold and bronze medallists in the 200m, protest against racial discrimination of black people by raising their fists to represent black power (the black panther symbol) and by wearing black socks to represent black poverty while the US national anthem played. They are booed at while leaving the podium.
“If I win I am an American, not a black American something bad then they would say 'a Negro'. we are proud of being black.” (Tommie Smith)
Then Tommie Smith and John Carlos, gold and bronze medallists in the 200m, protest against racial discrimination of black people by raising their fists to represent black power (the black panther symbol) and by wearing black socks to represent black poverty while the US national anthem played. They are booed at while leaving the podium. Now Colin Kaepernick, a player in the NFL, sat while the US national anthem played in protest against police brutality and racial injustice. He continued to kneel during the anthem for the rest of the season, and was joined by teammate Eric Reid. This action received wide backlash, with even POTUS Donald Trump condemning his actions. Both Reid and Kaepernick have been unable to get signed to another team, with their protest a likely factor.
not a black American. But if I did something bad then they would say 'a Negro'. We are black and ” (Tommie Smith)
COINTELPRO
There are many theories as to how the party dissolved, primarily including internal issues and destruction within the group, but party co-founder, Bobby Seale, and many more, accounts its downfall to the interference of the “CounterIntelligence program” (COINTELPRO) by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
COINTELPRO
There are many theories as to how the party dissolved, primarily including internal issues and destruction within the group, but party co-founder, Bobby Seale, and many more, accounts its downfall to the interference of the “CounterIntelligence program” (COINTELPRO) by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Between 1956 to 1971, the FBI used the COINTELPRO program to target groups deemed “radical” and a threat to national security, given the political zeitgeist of the Cold War. COINTELPRO’s purpose was “according to one FBI document, was to “expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit or otherwise neutralize the activities of black nationalist hate type organizations and groupings, their leadership, spokesmen, membership and supporters” (“Police kill [...] Party”, 2009)
COINTELPRO operations targeted multiple “radical” political groups, including the Black Panther Party. Among these tactics included wiretapping, surveillance, infiltration, fabricating evidence of crimes, and more, in order to disrupt the social movement.
A specific example of COINTELPRO’s disruption of the BPP was its defamation and active attempts to spread negative news coverage in order to cause a ridge between the party. Here is a document of the FBI authorizing the project:
The document explicitly states “Bureau requested to furnish essence of above data to source national news media. Text should be pitched along line that friction being built up between west and east coast BPP Leadership. East coast BPP Leaders feel they are being used merely as newspaper delivery boys while West coast leaders take in the profits. East coast leadership in NYC are feel national leadership no longer interested in “Panther Twentyone” who remain in
In order to separate the movement, which had already gained support throughout the country, the FBI attempted to split the East and West coast leaderships through exposing feelings of resentment within the party. This infiltration by the FBI took private information within the group, in order to manipulate and broadcast to the mass media, in hopes of ultimately separating the movement.
