Violence: The Black Panther Party And Violence

The 1960s and early 1970s, violence was rampant in America. Several groups erupted from the violence that both came from and contributed to this violence, an example of which is the Black Panther Party. While many of the groups actions were horrible it was seen as a "just" response to the corrupt political system. The government in relation to this group took action against the Black Panther Party in a way that is reminiscent of how fictional character Kersey's solution to crime. The Black Panther Party was a revolutionary Black Nationalist and socialist organization, originally known as the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. It’s Roots lie with Malcom X and Martin Luther King. Martin Luther rallied the youth against oppression …show more content…
Initially the Black Panther Party formed to protect from the corrupt system. One of the driving motivators for this group’s inception was to use its armed citizens to patrol and monitor the behavior of police officers and challenge police brutality in Oakland, California. In other word to but a check on government body oppressing them. The Party’s extremism and the reason the Black Panther Party grew so rapidly was the government attempts to stop the group. “FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover had surveillance, infiltration, perjury, police harassment, and many other tactics designed to undermine Panther leadership, incriminate party members, discredit and criminalize the Party, and drain the organization of resources and manpower. The program was also accused of using assassination against Black Panther members (Foner).” The killings and the arrests of Panther membership made members of the black community and on the broad political left, embrace the …show more content…
Commented "Death Wish" director Michael Winner: "I talked to people at a New York police station. They told me that what they need is an execution squad (Winner).” This was accurate in regard to the Black Panther Party. The government executed the origination thanks in part to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover methods, despite the initial backfire. The mainstream press, than preceded to vilify the group it is unknown if the government had a role in this, as a result public support for the party waned. The party’s new leadership after assassinations of the some of the original leadership was unstable. In-fighting among Party leadership, or, caused largely by the FBI's infiltrated agents, led to expulsions and defections that decimated the membership. The final nail in the coffin for the organization were reports, possible falsified by the FBI, detailing the group's involvement in illegal activities such as drug dealing and extortion schemes directed against Oakland merchants, Oakland was the main city of the party’s operation. The FBI tactic of the “execution” of the Black Panther Party proved that Kersey's solution was correct as Black Panther related crimes disappeared with the death of their