In early 1968, Alprentice Bunchy Carter, established the Southern California Chapter of the Black Panther Party in Los Angeles with John Huggins, who became the chapters Deputy Minister. The Black Panther Party in Los Angeles was unique because it was born out of Los Angeles own intense issues with police brutality, so much so that L.A.s chapter grew to be the largest chapter in the world. The establishment of the Southern California Chapter of the Black Panther Party in Los Angeles created an opportunity to extend the Black Panther Partys Ten Point Platform and Survival Programs to the Los Angeles community. Survival Programs adopted by the Southern California Chapter of the Black Panther Party included community policing of police activities, the giving away of groceries, food, and clothing, educational programs in political education at Black Panther Party liberation schools, criminal justice programs to combat unjustified incarceration; and health programs with health related survival projects which included free health clinics, sickle cell testing, and a free ambulance service. One of the most well known Black Panther Party Survival Programs was the free breakfast program, known as “Free Breakfast For Children,” that provided children in the communities with a free breakfast. The Southern California Chapter of The Black Panther Party began the Free Breakfast for Children program and. modified it to fit the Los Angeles community. J. Edgar Hoover referred to the Black Panther Party as the greatest threat to the internal security of the country and he targeted the Black Panther Party under the FBI COINTELPRO (Counterintelligence Program) operation. According to Senate testimony, the FBI COINTELPRO operations worked with the Los Angeles Police Department to harass and intimidate Black Panther Party members. Numerous false arrests and warrant-less searches were documented, and several members were killed in altercations with the police in 1968 and 1969. Even the Black Panther Party “Free Breakfast for Children” program was effectively shut down by daily arrests of members; however, these charges were most often dropped within a week J. Edgar Hoover wrote in an internal FBI memo in May 1969, The Breakfast for Children Program represents the best and most influential activity going for the Black Panther Party and, as such, is potentially the greatest threat to efforts by authorities to neutralize the Black Panther Party and destroy what it stands for. Later that year, Hoover submitted orders to FBI offices: exploit all avenues of creating dissension within the ranks of the Black Panther Party, and submit imaginative and hard-hitting counterintelligence measures aimed at crippling the Black Panther Party. Masquerading as Black Panther members, or as members of the US Organization (a Black Nationalist group), FBI agents, operating under the FBI’s COINTELPRO, crafted insulting messages & death threats and began sending them between the two groups. Bunchy Carter and fellow Panther, John Huggins, were shot to death during a meeting at UCLA on January 17, 1969 in UCLA’s Campbell Hall by members of the rival black radical group, US Organization. Their deaths were actually set up by the FBI and its COINTELPRO program. Documentation of the FBI COINTELPRO operations came to light in 1971, revealing that the tensions that existed between the Panthers and the US Organization were intentionally created, or at least aggravated by the FBI. In an FBI memo, which was dated November 29, 1968, was a description of a letter which the Los Angeles FBI office intended to mail to the Black Panther Party office. The letter was written to appear as if it had originated in the US Organization and described fictitious plans by US Organization members to ambush Black Panther Party members. This FBI memo declared that it is hoped this counterintelligence measure will result in an US and BPP vendetta.” We must reflect and commemorate the lives and work of Black Panther leaders Bunchy Carter and John Huggins who made the supreme sacrifice in the struggle to end oppression and for the liberation of all humanity. Their spirit lives on today, through our struggle for total justice and freedom for all people. All Power To All The People! Bobby Seale bobbyseale/ === #johnhuggins #bunchycarter #blackpanthers #blackhistory #blackpantherparty #bobbyseale ===
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 03:23:37 +0000
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