7 Things When Asked You Should Know about the Black Panther Party

Unlike today in the 1960s there were no cellphones or social media, so someone had to monitor the activity of the police. Police brutality did not just start; it has always been a problem. Members of the Black Panther Party monitored the police by observing their interactions with the community. The Panthers could freely carry their weapons out in public because California was an open carry state. The Black Panthers made sure Black people were being treated fairly by all people, especially the police. Here are a few facts that you should know about the Black Panther Party.

1. The Black Panther Party was started by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale on October 15, 1966 in Oakland, Calif. Former Merritt College students Newton and Seale were involved in several Black civil rights organizations in the early ’60’s before launching the Panthers. The organization was focusing on the mistreatment of police officers in Oakland, California. It was also formed to monitor the behavior of police officers.

2. The party was active from 1966 until 1982 in the United States. It was also active in Algeria from 1969 to 1972.

3. The core activity of Black Panther Party shifted from the monitoring of the police officers to the community social programs in 1969.

4. In October 1967, Newton was charged with killing Oakland police officer John Frey. At the time there were fewer than 100 members but that would change as nationwide.

5. A “Free Huey” rally was held at the Oakland Auditorium on Newton’s birthday. More than 5,000 supporters attend including Stokely Carmichael, H. Rap Brown, James Forman, Ron Dellums, and Peace and Freedom Party representatives.

6. There were different kinds of community social programs that Black Panther Party proposed such as the community health clinics and the Free Breakfast for Children programs.

7. The support for the Black Panther party was increasing when the government began to oppress it.

source: http://www.itsabouttimebpp.com/Chapter_History/BPP_Pieces_of_History.html