This month, 54 years ago, the Black Panther Party was created. October 15th, 1966, Huey Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Black Panthers in the virtue of Malcolm X’s assassination, the increase of police brutality, and the Civil Movement in the U.S 
The Black nationalist organization was created to arm Black folks with a sense of self-defence. Banding together, the organization would patrol communities with large Black populations and protect them against police brutality.
In the midst of the civil movement, many White communities and police departments grew hostile to the growing alliance among Black people. With an inherent bias to this led to an increase of unlawful arrests, murders, assaults, rapes, and false accusations towards POC by police
Drawing on Marxist and beliefs, Newton and Seale created a ten point program outlining the standards and proceedings for members of the organization. Honestly, many of the demands from this program have yet to be met all these years later. It’s 2020 and we’re STILL fighting!
1967, when the program was released, the Black Panther Party was demanding freedom, employment, decent housing and shelter, and an education system that exposed the true nature of American history. The collective Black population has little of each of these.
In the wake of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Jonathan Price & many others killed by police we continue to call for the immediate end to police brutality and murder of Black people. #SayTheirNames BPP believed the U.S gov use cops & law to oppress Black folks & they’re not wrong.
Some of the ten point system can be controversial, calling for Black men to be exempt from military services and the freedom of all incarcerated Black men. Yes, Black men were criminalized and falsely accused at high rates, but some did commit the crimes they are punished for.
Even so, this point is justified by another, if a Black person is being tried for a crime it should be done by a jury of peers. This would have protected Black men from being tried by people who have in inherent bias that they are violent criminals that should be locked up
During the peak of the BPP, they exceeded 2,000 members. They launched over 30 Survival Programs, from free school breakfast programs to free health clinics. The organization led marches with large media followings before being declared a communist organization by the FBI
Now an enemy of the U.S gov, the FBI and COINTELPRO worked to weaken the Black Panther Party. The two groups encountered multiple shootouts and raids. In 1967, Huey Newton was convicted of the murder of an officer and sentenced to 15 years. That ruling was reversed.
The FBI’s tactics of intimidation and corruption was not the sole reason the organization dissolved in 1982. Conflicts arose within the BPP stemming from a lack of discipline of some members. The organization failed to provide work for its members while promoting self-reliance.
The BPP is no longer active, but the message still lies. Black people are disproportionately killed by cops. As a community, we are the ones to inflict change. Hopefully, the Black Lives Matter movement can do what the BPP couldn’t. #BLM
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