burning in NEWTON looks at some aspects of the rise and fail of the Black Panther Party in the United State.
The Black Panther Party (BPP) was founded in Cakland, Califoruis in 1966 as a responue to the dissatisfaction produced by the civil promised Amenica organised armed patrols of thi and inforined blacks of their fight back against any racist attacks During 1966-68 the Panthers grew at a phenomenal rate — helped partl;
y the media's obsessien with "Blac len with Guts", and partly by certain key EVERES InSO0 HC founder, Huey Newton, was charged with first degree murder of a police officer.
The subsequent defence campaign - the largest around a black activis nauc aH-ae BDLCIECALdI on New demanded or nee eneuey demanded ETEL because it was impossible for him to recerve a 1a.r tratan American courts This struck an obvious response with any black American who had run foul of the courts (i.e. most blacks). So did Newton's stund against the solice. As another Panther leader.
Eldridge Cleaver, noted TuIE hundred years black people have been exacily what Huey Newion did sand up in front of the most deadly tentace of the white ricis powe structure, and to defy that tentacle, and to tell that tentacle tha he will not accept the angresson und the brutality, and that if he & moved CONNECTION Along with this dissatisfection, the Panthers: aiso cople's growing affinity with thr bird Word, In rand successior black people had made the connection between conditions in the Third World, conditions in the ghetto, and American imperialism. The Panthers expressed all this.
They characterised Black America as an internal colony of American and the police as an ocupation force playing the same role as the Gls played And they said that black people bad a right to fight back and demand theit e washe ehettomnenher actite base was lumpen unemployed street blacks who felt the brunt of the crisis of American capitalism and öf the rightist reaction t0 il.
LOCHEC-BETTHRE LBE working class had been bought off by the gains of racism and imperialism WHAT'S LEFT car unmi Dierlae c0 nse rain.
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SOCIALIST ORGANISER: out 22 Sept Speciai 16 Bex 127, 182 Upber St, London N1 TD päp.
and Fae contarasca an AETVE Rul Revision at Contral Landan Pely 50 21 Ocl. Detaila from above address. reiane STEVE party's do lives and Organisationally black important white cupitalism.
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Rin 24. Henrietta Si., ING2 31-2401051 CONATCLONC Onran anS SnulnaI CAITICA - E CAN UME OMIMOCM TO! HUEY P: Newton and Bobby Searle after the funeral of George Jackson.
and had ceased to have revolutionary potential Instead it was the growin dams of the lumpen which woul black. makethe revolution, as they saw their their futsite being xpropriated by the ruling clas the Panthers self-defence with policies of black self-organisation, in the forin of community services (free Drcamass Tor scenarcn. frec medicul services, etc. Jand by building campaigns - Tha community (solidarity with black arisciners against rafing ol black people to ligh The Panthers emphasised, though, that there could be no slands of black self-determination in a sca of If that was all the Panthers ha said, they would have posed a huge enough threat to the American rulin class. But it wass"l. They also sai thal an answer was not a race war of black against white, but a class war of oppressed peoples against their EnC oDIcm Pas nos my TacE0 and imperialism, but the capitalism they grew out of. Their position was "national liberation in the black colony: revolution in the (white)
had proved that black nationalism per se could citber be N20 BND. Te.: 08:-434 7989 SMALL room ISLINGTON Campaignapainst Racism Com 194 Old St London ECt il min Did St Tubel. An chical lunching anc a plar workshope. Creane.
CRITIQUE CONFERENCE on Stalin - DRIInA Londor COmMUTSE TenDEeY. I anMYsKs 1ha bought off or else used to split off black from white allies. But an armed revolutionary group preached unity the FBI were not rong 1o call the BPP the biggest threat to Amenica 's inierna security.
This isn't to say that the Panthers alliances were always of the best. Up to 1969 these had been with New Left aroups which had encouraged tbe BPP to consider itself the 'vanguard of the American revolution -resulted in its progression out of the black community lo become a white leftist cult group.
After 1969 the Panthers bad increasing links with the American Coltmunist Party, because of the Not: their lawner member), and because the CP was the only group to defend the Panthers consistentiy and actively against stale repression This led to a Stalinisation of theit already authoritarian internal struc relationship with other groups.
On top of this, the Panthers were acutely internationahst They least) had solidarity links with other "liberation forces" (notably the NLF and Al Fatahy and believed that the world revolution would start in the Third World.
Influenced by Macist ideas, and the course of the Cuban revolution, they "PUE:
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slowly World became liberated territory. As the "countryside" 'metropolis would isolared and fall itself.
The role of American revolutionary forces was both to throw a spanner in me works ur lne eneuropons ang to occupy as many of the security forces ECCU LOSE LEL BLELEHOEESEUa Poree: niran seeneth.
Panthers
problems. "sell-defence" of the carlier period was transformed into a militarist guerrilla strategy, which led to SUDS LUBOAGE ALAC vanguard, became the army to fight Lor doctano Tor tand snsicdd DE) Ene black masses.
Further,. forcing the state to reveal its most To say that cace and racism is the UNHI- РГАИНОВ DCETCCI slase and master, the oppressed and oppressor, coloniser, is lo be one-sided and suhjective in logical extension of this argument would be that if racism was eliminated ail the oppression and exploitation... would immediutely cease... capitalism is the primary contradiclion.. Capitalism is the disease of mankind that allows five per cent of the people to control 95 per cent of the weatth, Imperlalism is the concer of capitalism that spreads and destross whole countries and whole nations of which people. Greed is the purpose. Racism Is the excuse. DEc of ine lack Panters in San Francisco (April 1969)
repressive side, the massea would be stiited to resistanoe and revolution - which was wrong, Kenression bred solahor for the Panthers, nor black resistance In 1968, the BPP had had at least the passive support of most of thi black community; by 1970 this hac been all but dissipated.
These and acakncises were compounded by the structure of the party. All discussion and decision-making was asolated to the leading circles, CUU3DI WRL Icarning of Mao's Little Red Book This lack of leadership experience was crucial in 1909-70 Panther leadership felt the full force repression muprisonrnent, and exile. ideological and organisat ionat oopreparedness, partration and ding tias, which destroyed extreme state pressore the "guerril trends became classically counter expia na "ter Labour ano prosides a chardn. Tues 3OcL,7.33em. Conway WOMENSSTUDES CEA2 78-79 Tepar 3l, Lande Pune anc belirea s am lite tet)
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ATEIUEIL was liberated, the BPP become more recriminations the parly.
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certainly had Cleaver, the La form of But BPP, the Licaver's boc that. ba More the colonised and the analysis. The PalNin lo see thar of the Black Panthers in San other ideological and political ESTICEULU COHL when the death, thiscombination of Panthers hile and Arcantma. Cos Possibia reduclic one argin, Phone Dare, C1 230 175 CLABS en Mare's -DODnOmiCE •an T IUNEH HAMLEIS SO30IE UE. olding a "meaia lumble sale on a be reco ds Hasd, 18151 CAMPAIGN -an ds a new office worko io ecordi ala tre dompaion's work, rur exper enot evening and weesend meetings Swary With a Etlle help from the FBI, the split apart bitter Newion and Cleaver vying for the lendership o Newton carried most of the organisation, but as a shadow of was replaceu by same old civil rights reforms with a new rhetoric. When Newton had 10 fee the country, the party was carried into the Democratic Pary which it bad once so vehemseitly opposed.
if the organisation bas long since disappeared from most of the black communities of America, DeTLaLe nas Moc. BHCk patrOEs or 40e police are common in many cities still. even if the arns bave gone.
OiL has lelt imprioted on cbe black consclousness the image of black solf-organisation. not seen since Garvey's movement in che 19206, And the imnge of armed hack people standing ip to Tbe Man and winning.
Twelve pages of the liveliest reviews of the latest books in TRIBUNE SOCIAL SCIENCE BOOKS SPECIAL with reviews by Sol Picciotto Jock Young Alan Hunt Tony Bunyan Ken Coates Rodney Barker John Lea and many others On sale Friday, Or order direct, postfree, from TRIBUNE, 24 St John Street, London EC1.
PARTACIST Leap THE Dera cen mene mer Desar calica pubic meeting Hamp and Socialist Chullenge 21 September 1978 Page 7
In 1915-14 11 Ideg Sultan Commun remackable repression of Hez : Tudeh Party, presenr Shah The countr irit of the Valta Todch'a tbe sarial concession USSR. Thus allow cuat Front to rem decras
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