Ed New Black Panthers threaten RNC

[Dancing David]

Huey Newton, founder

As a teenager, he was arrested several times for minor offenses, and by age 14, had been arrested for gun possession and vandalism.[4] Newton supported himself in college by burglarizing homes in the Oakland and Berkeley Hills areas, and committing other crimes. Newton once said that he studied law to become a better criminal.[5]

Move along, no thugs to be seen here!

I know english may not be your first language, but you have established that the founder had a criminal history. That does not establish that the group was a bunch on thugs.

Overgeneralization, how many members of the Black panthers were thugs?

 

[Dancing David]

1. Motivations are a matter of inference. I will make a few about the accusation of "overwhelming racism and injustice". Must feel great to be so morally superior to 200 million people.
2. Racism exists. Why is a murderous and irrational political ideology a sensible response?

You still have yet to establish how many of Black Panthers engaged in murder, now have you?

I see that you have a problem with the fact that in many parts of the US were racists, do you deny the abuse they meted out, or do you justify it?

What were the behaviors of most of the Black Panthers? Did they commit murders or not?

 

[Dancing David]

I refer to Dancing David's defense of the 1960s era BP party.

I don't recall defending them, I recall characterizing them as agiprop in response to racism. I do not believe I defended them.

You really did not learn english as your primary language to did you?


BTW Who exactly decided not to follow up on the charges against the New Black panthers?

Was it the Obama justice department or the Bush justice department?

Hmmm?

 

[Kthulhut Fhtagn]

Huey Newton, founder

As a teenager, he was arrested several times for minor offenses, and by age 14, had been arrested for gun possession and vandalism.[4] Newton supported himself in college by burglarizing homes in the Oakland and Berkeley Hills areas, and committing other crimes. Newton once said that he studied law to become a better criminal.[5]

Move along, no thugs to be seen here!

You're attempting to discredit one Huey Percy Newton and the worst you can come up with is what amounted to little more than tomfoolery when compared to his far greater crimes?

On August 6, 1974, Kathleen Smith, a 17-year-old Oakland prostitute was shot; she died three months later. According to the prosecutor handling the case and other sources, Newton shot Smith after a casual exchange on the street during which she referred to him as "Baby", a childhood nickname he hated. He was arrested on murder charges, then released for lack of evidence.

Similarly, Newton assaulted his tailor, Preston Callins, after Callins called him "Baby". Newton posted bond after being arrested for pistol-whipping Callins. Then Newton was arrested a second time for the murder of Smith, but he was able to post an additional $80,000 bond, thus securing his release until trial.

Rather than go to trial, Newton and girlfriend Gwen Fountaine fled to Havana, Cuba to avoid prosecution on the two charges, living there until 1977. Elaine Brown took over as chairperson of the Black Panther Party in his absence. Newton returned to the United States in 1977 to stand trial for the murder of Smith and the assault on Callins.

In October 1977 three Black Panthers attempted to assassinate Crystal Gray, one of the prostitutes present the day of Kathleen Smith’s murder and a key prosecution witness in Newton's upcoming trial. Unbeknownst to the assailants, they attacked the wrong house and the occupant returned fire. During the shootout one of the Panthers, Louis Johnson, was killed and the other two assailants escaped. One of the two surviving assassins, Flores Forbes, fled to Las Vegas, Nevada with the help of Panther paramedic Nelson Malloy. Fearing that Malloy would discover the truth behind the botched assassination attempt, Newton allegedly ordered a “house cleaning”, and Malloy was shot and buried alive in the desert. Although permanently paralyzed from the waist down, Malloy recovered from the assault and told police that fellow Panthers Rollin Reid and Allen Lewis were behind his attempted murder. Newton denied any involvement or knowledge and said the events “might have been the result of overzealous party members”.

During Newton's trial for assaulting Preston Callins, Callins changed his testimony several times and eventually told the jury that he did not know who assaulted him. Newton was acquitted of the assault in September 1978, but was convicted on two counts of illegal firearms possession.

After two trials and two deadlocked juries, the prosecution decided not to retry Newton for Smith’s murder.

During later years, in discussion with friend and sociobiologist Robert Trivers, Newton referred to the killing of Kathleen Smith as "my first non-political murder," and admitted he felt some guilt about killing her.

 

[Malcolm Kirkpatrick]

...in many parts of the US were racists, do you deny the abuse they meted out, or do you justify it?¹
What were the behaviors of most of the Black Panthers? Did they commit murders or not?²

1. Neither. I dispute the suggestion that the Black Panthers' socialist pose was a rational response to racial discrimination. I prefer Booker T. Washington's side of the dispute to W.E.B DuBois' side.
2. Most racketeers are not hit men.

 

[Dancing David]

1. Neither. I dispute the suggestion that the Black Panthers' socialist pose was a rational response to racial discrimination. I prefer Booker T. Washington's side of the dispute to W.E.B DuBois' side.
2. Most racketeers are not hit men.

I did not claim that the Black Panthers were rational, I characterized them as agi-prop. I made one comment about maoism and Stillwell, which was an aside.
You still haven't shown that the Black Panthers were a bunch of thugs.

 

[Sam.I.Am]

Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, the two co-founders of the Black Panters, were both known to be violent thugs and were implicated in several beatings and murders. Now you can claim that the organization grew beyond its roots but from the start it was more akin to the Hells Angels (drug sales and violence) than to a couple of community organizers trying to right some wrongs in society. That they kept the name once they supposedly got out of the crime business tells most people all that they need to know about how they feel about their beginnings.

Actions speak louder than words and criminals tend to lie to get out of trouble.

 

[mhaze]

I did not claim that the Black Panthers were rational, I characterized them as agi-prop. I made one comment about maoism and Stillwell, which was an aside.
You still haven't shown that the Black Panthers were a bunch of thugs.

I happen to remember those thugs.