Nic

Were the black panthers a benefit to the black community, or something bad?
Please tell me what you think, it's for a school project.



The Black Panther Party (originally called the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) was an African-American organization founded to promote civil rights and self-defense. It was active in the United States from the mid-1960s into the 1970s.

Founded in Oakland, California, by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in October 1966, the organization initially espoused a doctrine calling for armed resistance to societal oppression in the interest of African-American justice. Its objectives and philosophy changed radically during the party's existence. While the organization's leaders passionately espoused socialist doctrine, the party's black nationalist reputation attracted an ideologically diverse membership.[1] Ideological consensus within the party was difficult to achieve. Some members openly disagreed with the views of the leaders.

The group created a Ten-Point Program, a document that called for "Land, Bread, Housing, Education, Clothing, Justice And Peace", as well as exemption from military service for African-American men, among other demands.[2] While firmly grounded in black nationalism and begun as an organization that accepted only African Americans as members, the party changed as it grew to national prominence and became an icon of the counterculture of the 1960s.[3] The Black Panthers ultimately condemned black nationalism as "black racism". They became more focused on socialism without racial exclusivity.[4] They instituted a variety of community programs to alleviate poverty and improve health among communities deemed most needful of aid. While the party retained its all-black membership, it recognized that different minority communities (those it deemed oppressed by the American government) needed to organize around their own set of issues and encouraged alliances with such organizations.

The group's political goals were often overshadowed by their confrontational and even militaristic tactics, and by their suspicions of law enforcement agents. The Black Panthers considered them as oppressors to be overcome by a willingness to take up armed self-defense.[5] After party membership started to decline during Huey Newton's 1968 manslaughter trial, the Black Panther Party collapsed in the early 1970s. Some scholars of the movement have alleged that law enforcement officials went to great lengths to discredit and destroy the organization, including assassination.[6]

Therorys
In 1965, Huey Newton was released from jail. With his friend Bobby Seale from Oakland City College, he joined a black power group called the Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM). RAM had a chapter in Oakland and followed the writings of Robert F. Williams. Originally from North Carolina, Williams published a newsletter called The Crusader from China, where he fled to escape kidnapping charges. RAM was often seen as extremely violent. In 1965, three East Coast RAM members were charged with conspiring to blow up the Statue of Liberty, the Liberty Bell, and the Washington Monument.

The Oakland chapter consisted mainly of students, who were not interested in this extreme form of activism. Newton and Seale's attitudes were more militant. The pair left RAM searching for a group more meaningful to them. [7].

The pair worked at the North Oakland Neighborhood Anti-Poverty Center, where they also served on the advisory board. To combat police brutality, the advisory board obtained five thousand signatures in support of the City Council's setting up a police review board to review complaints. Newton was also taking classes at the City College and at San Francisco Law School. Both institutions were active in the North Oakland Center. Thus the pair had numerous connections with whom they talked about a new organization. Inspired by the success of the Lowndes County Freedom Organization and Stokely Carmichael's, calls for separate black political organizations,[8] they wrote their initial platform statement, the ten-point program and With the help of Huey's brother Melvin, They decided on a uniform of blue shirts, black pants, black leather jackets, black berets, and openly displayed loaded shotguns.[9].

Got off Wikipedia.

Mashed Potato

tl;dr, you copied the article off wikipedia anyways, so I'll read it there 'cause it's easier on the eyes.

Don't know much about the subject, but I dislike nationalism in general. A group promoting racial equality doesn't say much when they only permit black members to join.

But nonetheless I read further on; it seems like an all right organisation after all. I agree with their Ten Point Program. They seem to speak out against police brutality and the upper class... which is probably understandable really =S I'll vote "yes, it was good to the black community" (unless you give me a shit good reason not to).

Didn't read about the Huey Newton incident either.

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Kaine

Nationalism in general isn't the best thing.But my opinion is the same about IRA.With out them things could be worse.I mean using violence against violence is never good.But without Black Panters black people would keep getting more and more violated by the usa goverment,community.They work as a shield to them.So I say it was benefitial.

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DE FUCK YOU GUYS
DE FUCK!

Nic

Ah thanks guys.