Self Defense: The Black Panthers

The Black Panthers, also known as the Black Panther Party for Self Defense, are a group who’s name is still known today for its efforts in Black Power and politics in the United States. The group can be seen as a very personal movement to those of us here in California due to the group being founded in California, Oakland to be more exact. The group was formed by friends Huey Percy Newton and Bobby Seale. He and Bobby Seale had become friends while attending Merritt College. The two originally worked in anti-poverty center and were also on a council helping to try and stop police brutality. Huey Newton was also attending two colleges, San Francisco Law school and City College. These two became inspired by other groups who had been working
To this day no one is quite sure about how the incident happened however that is not really what mattered. What the most important thing was shooting itself and then Huey Newton’s arrest for a cops death. the question over if the panthers deserved reconnection as a good yet in your face group was gone. Many who had thought the group a symbol of black power no longer did with a cop dead many turned on the Panthers. For the group itself they felt they now had proof of what they had been fighting so hard for in the first place against the police and their white control and all of the excessive violence they had used. As Huey was arrested for the police officer’s death the group turned it into a martyrdom. The group turned this incident and the incarceration into a brilliant show of martyrdom with “free huey” As the trial went on and it became more and more apparent that Newton’s death would add to the martyrdom and possible escalate violence (which members of the black panthers may have been openly hoping for.) Newton did not get the death penalty but got a sentence for severe time. At his followers outrage he reminded people to stay calm and
It would become yet another well-known symbol of Huey's ‘oppression‘ for the black community. Despite so much tragedy in the case the whole situation can be seen as a success in that it helped raise even more awareness of the panthers. Newton name was everywhere, this was not exactly a good thing because of the groups now very well known use violence and guns would cause massive problems. Branches started to pop up all a round the country but its now well known use of guns and anarchic principals led to problems with the police and even FBI infiltrating the group. The Panthers’ now had a very damaging reputation of violence and terrorism across the country, even being blamed for racial violent incidents of people whom were not associated with the group. The Black Panthers faced the future very lost with Huey in jail and the leader who had taken over for him, Eldridge Cleaver had fled the US due to previous convections by violating his parole. Two years after his convection Huey was released. The day of his release was actually the first day that Huey Newton was able to see how popular he actually had become. (he had spent most of the two years in solitary and cut off from most if not all of his