The East Community Guide - Gainesville, FL Jan 2019 the east take 4 | Page 5

9. The party had enemies in high places, including former FBI
Director J. Edgar Hoover who launched COINTELPRO.
Former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover feared the rise of the Black
Panther Party so he created COINTELPRO, a secret operation, to
discredit black nationalists groups. The Counterintelligence
Program’s purpose was to “expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit or
otherwise neutralize” black nationalists’ activities.
Harassed, phones were tapped, Families were harassed, Hoover regularly sent police
officers letters encouraging them to come up with new ways to cripple the Black
Panther Party. Though COINTELPRO didn’t make the party their only targets, 245 out
of 290 of their actions were directed at the Black Panthers.
10. Hoover feared the “rising of a black
messiah.”
Hoover feared any growth of the movement and
especially feared young white allies who united
with black activists to support the movement.
Through COINTELPRO, Hoover found ways to
track, stalk and dig up information on the party,
including planting FBI Informants throughout
the party. One of whom happened to be William
O’Neal, who was the bodyguard for prominent Black Panther member Fred Hampton.
11. Party members moved in together into “Panther Pads.”
In response to COINTELPRO, members created community hubs called “Panther
Pads.” Some members stopped going home to protect their families, so they stayed
with each other instead. The “Panther Pads” had to have round-the-clock security and a
list of rotating responsibilities and, in turn, it helped to create a stronger sense of
community.
12. Black women spoke out, gained more recognition and helped to power the
movement.
The Black Panthers are often associated
with its male members, but women also
played a pivotal role in the party. By the
early 1970s, most of the Panthers were
women. Women such as Kathleen Cleaver
(photographed here), Assata Shakur,
Elaine Browne and Angela Davis took on
leadership roles and had a huge influence
on the direction of the party.
13. The Black Panthers helped to sustain the party by selling a party newspaper, which
boasted impressive artwork.
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