Fred Hampton (1948 - 1969)
Mon Aug 30, 1948
Fred Hampton, born on this day in 1948, was a revolutionary socialist and chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, forming a class-based alliance known as the Rainbow Coalition before being assassinated by the Chicago PD.
The "Rainbow Coalition" included groups such as the Black Panther Party, the Young Patriots, the Young Lords, and worked together to organize against capital and broker peace treaties and alliances among Chicago street gangs.
In 1967, Hampton was identified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as a radical threat. The FBI tried to subvert his activities in Chicago, sowing disinformation among these groups and placing a counterintelligence operative in the local Panthers.
In December 1969, Hampton was assassinated during a predawn raid at his Chicago apartment by the Chicago Police Department. During the raid, Panther Mark Clark was also killed.
At a press conference the next day, the police announced the arrest team had been attacked by the "violent" and "extremely vicious" Panthers, and had defended themselves accordingly. In another press conference, police leadership praised the assault team for their "remarkable restraint" and "professional discipline" in not killing all the Panthers present.
Photographic evidence was presented of bullet holes allegedly made by shots fired by the Panthers, but this was soon challenged. Later, it was found that all but one of nearly one hundred shots were fired by the police.
- Date: 1948-08-30
- Learn More: www.blackpast.org, en.wikipedia.org, www.youtube.com.
- Tags: #Birthdays.
- Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org
