BLACK PANTHER PARTY
...he Panthers considered the nationalists reactionary, and the nationalists considered the Panthers no more than junkyard dogs of the white left. One black nationalist anti-Semite described Newton at a rally as 'walking, talking zombie Jew" (Crouch 1). Even though politicians and nationalists spoke out against the Panthers, they were the least of the Panthers worries. Police Officers were the ones that gave the BPP a true threat. Laura Pulido comments on the relationship of the Panthers and the police. "The Panthers' focus on self-defense cannot be understood outside of the black community's relationship to the police and their position in the racial order" (Pulido 774). Maitland Zane, columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, quoted Le Roi Jones when he gave the Panthers a bit of advice. "You'd better get yourself a gun if you want to survive the white man's wrath, said Jones. Those white policemen aren't here to protect you--they're here to kill you" (What did others say about the Black Panther Party? 3). This was proven true on so many occasions. Pulido explains why the police acted in the way they did. "Police did so because one of the jobs of the local state is to ensure the well-being of whites, which requires controlling blacks--a despised racial/ethnic groups--through terror" (Pulido 774). Some people agreed with what the Black Panthers were doing but still had negative things to say. George Draper of the San Francisco Chronicle was able to acquire an interesting quote. "One Negro lawyer told this reporter that he disagreed with the Black Panthers' strategy of violence but that he agreed with the goals" (What did others say about the Black Panther Party? 2). William Patterson of the Communist Viewpoint made statements that I don't know if it was helpful hint or criticism. He said, "More constructive aid must be given to the Black Panther Party" and "But a program of self defense, no matter how militant in and of itself, gets an oppressed people nowhere" (What did others say about the Black Panther Party? 4). Most of the Press was strongly against them. Time magazine editors wrote that "Sometimes there is more menace than reality to the Panthers' bloodthirsty bluster" (What did others say about the Black Panther Party? 2). Everyone had a lot to say about the Black Panther Party but few really knew completely about them. Judson Jeffries makes a statement about this that makes you think. "Some argued that the reason the Black Panther Party would not disclose details about the membership is because the figures were not as impressive as the Panthers would have outsiders believe" (Jeffries 72). Unlike the people in the previous paragraph, many believe that the Black Panther Party was a very revolutionary and evolutionary group of individuals. Linn Washington Jr goes into much detail about the BPP. "Their demands for better employment, educational opportunities and an end to racism in the justice system included in their ten Point Program echoed themes in the Declaration of Principles issued in 1905 by the Niagara Movement, a black rights group organized by Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois, a founding member of the NAACP" (Washington Jr. 25). The methods of the Panthers had been done before but because it gained so much popularity across the world it became a problem. Washington strongly agrees with this in her quote. "The Black Panther Party was not the first black militant organization to use bodacious rhetoric or publicly brandish guns. It was not the first black organization to initiate grass-roots programs or establish linkages with international revolutionaries. But the Panthers were the first black organization to attain a near mythical stature in all sectors of American society" (Washington Jr. 24). The Panthers were not always fighting for rights and rallying. They made time to give back to the community in many ways. Washington Jr. tells about some of the contributions. "While best known for battles with the police, the Black Panther party made significant contributions through other initiatives, such as community health clinics and transportations programs for senior citizens" (Washington Jr. 24). In addition to those contributions they had breakfast programs and many other programs that fed the needy communities. It was said that the food programs was just a way to win kids with Panther propaganda. The Panthers did all they could to draw attention to themselves and the issues they were concerned about. They wanted everyone to know who they were and what they stood for. Washington acknowledged this in one of her quotes. "The Panthers garnered a larger-than-life personal by adroitly generating unprecedented media coverage and publishing their own nationally distributed newspaper" (Washington Jr. 24). The public was often mislead by the police and FBI concerning the Black Panther Party and their name and reputation. The FBI often sabotaged their events and spread horrible rumors. Jeffries explains how the police used the news to their advantage. "Moreover, when news reports told of Panthers being arrested for assaulting a police officer or torturing and murdering a suspected Panther informant, understandable a segment of the public began to view the Panthers as little more than a group of small time gangsters" (Jeffries 87). In doing so government officials made sure they still looked good and kept everything they did confidential. Jeffries explains how the public was affected by it. "However, the public was often not aware of how government officials used negative media campaigns and criminal laws as a pretext to arrest Panthers for the purpose of stymieing organizational activities" (Jeffries 87). Black Panthers had to deal with the consequences of false accusations about them and George Katsiafic...