THEN THERE WERE 6...
Before the glory and fame of the Black Panthers, there were only 6 members. Elbert "Big Man" Howie, Huey Newton, Bobby Seale, Sherwin Forte, Reggie Forte and Lil' Bobby Hutton. Hutton was the youngest (17) and had to ask his mother for permission to join. He was murdered by the police not soon after the start.
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1. We want freedom. We want power to determine the destiny of our black community. We believe that black people will not be free until we are able to determine our destiny.
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2. We want full employment for our people. We believe that the federal government is responsible and obligated to give every man employmet or a garunteed income.
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3. We want an end to the robery by the capitalists of our black community. We believe that this racist government has robbed us, and now we are demanding the overdue debt of 40 acres and 2 mules.
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4. We want decent housing fit for the shelter of human beings.
We believe that if the white landlords will not give decent housing to our black community, then the housing and the land should be made into cooperatives so that our community, with government aid, can buil and make decent housing for its people.
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8. We want freedom for all black men held in federal, state, county and city prisons and jails. We believe that all Black people should be released from the many jails and prisons because they have not recieved a fair and impartial judge.
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9. We want want all black pepople when brought to trial to be tried in court by a jury of their peer group or people from their Black communities, as defined by the constitution.
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