We had noticed that whenever we staged a large fund raising event, the Oakland police would move, first, to try to prevent it from happening; then, failing that, they would arrest a lot of party members and drain off whatever money was raised because we would then have to bail these party members out of jail and there were legal fees. We became very aware of this.
...the Oakland Police Department and the Berkeley Police Department arrested a total of sixteen members of our party, including the notorious incident in which our Chairman, Bobby Seale, and his wife, Artie, were dragged from their bed in the wee hours of the morning and charged with conspiracy to commit murder.
But what a lot of people don't understand is that it was very expensive to us. Even though the ridiculous charge was dropped, the real purpose of the cops was achieved successfully: to drain away our funds through exorbitant bails and legal fees.
Regina,
ReplyDeleteWhen I read Eldridge Cleaver's account it made by blood boil. I am old enough to remember the original Black Panther Party which began in Oakland by Huey Newton and Bobby Seal in 1966. It was formed as a protection force to protect under-served and abused Blacks in that city. People don't talk about the soup kitchens and day care centers they set up to help poor people. They only talk/write about the groups resistant to and standing up to corrupt public officials and their lackey police departments. Even though I was upset after reading this story, I also know how important is is to hear from the other side.