„« young black men and women donning black berets, shiny boots and guns might be the way many remember the Black Panther Party.
             „« But behind the militant image and revolutionary language stood a group of individuals frustrated with police brutality, intent on uniting their communities and fighting racism in all forms.
             „« The Black Panther Party and its ideas appealed to many blacks
             „« The Panthers began programs that included tutoring children, sickle cell anemia testing, breakfast programs and free medical care clinics, Abdulhaqq said.
             „« One of the more controversial parts of their approach were the guns Panthers strapped themselves with
             „« They were trying to police the police
             „« Although the Panthers had the right to bear arms, the guns along with Panther revolutionary plans quickly obtained the attention of the FBI.
             „« Then FBI director J. Edgar Hoover called the Black Panther Party Public Enemy No. 1 and the most active and dangerous black extremist group in the United States.
             „« The Panthers began to dissolve as police raids, gun battles, IRS investigations, trials and prison terms decimated their ranks
             „« With many Party leaders in jail or exiled in the late 1970's, the Party disintegrate in the late 1970s.
             „« The BPP advocated black self-defense and restructuring American society to make it more politically, economically, and socially equal
             „« Both Newton and Seale were influenced by the black Muslim leader, Malcolm X
             „« Panther leaders saw themselves as revolutionary nationalists, who wanted all revolutionaries, regardless of race, to unite. They disparaged Karenga as a cultural nationalist who placed too much emphasis on racial unity. The escalating verbal battles between the two groups culminated in a gun battle in January 1969 at the University of Californi...