13 13

The Rising Toll Toll Rising The Panthers vs. Politer.` Politer.` vs. Panthers ... second Chicago victim

Assocpiled Press United Press International , Slain Panther leader, addresses October rally with Dr. Spook. ... seized in San Francisco Police carry Hampton's body from Chicago apartment. 1969—much of it in cash. By Peter Osnos sions will heighten Witshinaton Post Staff Writer st' urther in the next few "The police are the armed mo s with two major visions. A. departmental guardians =of the social or- trials involving Penthers spokesman refused yeater- der. The blacks are the chief scheduled to take place. . day' to discuis any Awe** domestic victims of the Fourteen Panthers, includ- the group's work. American social order. A ing , the organi- Other officials at Justice conflict of interest exists zation's imprisoned national and the FBI denied that any therefore between the blacks chairman, have been and police." , coordinated national effort charged with murder and ;is under way to eliminate = in kidnaping in the death last :the -Panthers with the coop- "Soul On Ice." spring of Alex Rachley, 24, eration of loCal and state po- of New York. At 4:45 a.m. last Thursday, An extradition hearing on lice agencies. Chicago policemen armed Edward V. Hanrahan, Chi- Seale will be held on Tues- cago's state's attorney and with a stihmaChinegun, shot- daY' in California, where he the man who' authorized! gung and revolvers arrived is being held. He was re- Thursday's raidp Said in an cell,* given a four-year interview, "If there's a drive at the apertinent of the local tern* for contempt of court Black Panther leader in on like that, I certainly don't arising out of his behavior know anything 'about it." search of illegal weapons- during his trial in Chicago Hanrahan denied that. be Minutes later, after a gun on conspiracy charges. was conducting a war of his The second major trail owit on the Panthers.':"I'in battle in which police said will be in New York where hundreds of shots were fired, trying to protect 'our ,'eom- 22 Panthers have been in- weedy, from people ;Who two Pantile* 14,1 dead and dieted on charges of conspt: have sawed-off. shotguns. Oil four other oecupents, of the racy to bomb various build- "this, occasion they turned apartmedt wounded. 'two ings. Most of the defendants out to be ," are in custody with bail, set lice wera slightly hurt—one around $100,000. he Said. by flying glass. Thursday's raid on the rh an interview last week, apartment of Fred Hemp- The incident was the Crain, the lawyer, said: "My ton, 21, . the Panther's Illi- fourth „page* clash between firm represents many nois chairman, turned up Panthers' ankehicegris clients that are out of favor one' sawectoff shotgun, eight with' the government: the other shotguns, seven pfatols lice in just =fpur months.`'` SDS"and others. But without Counting ' any question at all, the pat- an several hundred rounds ,Thursday's casuiti- of ammunition. ties, 14 policemen have been t, tern of harassment against Hatirahtitt said a ntontan injured, two killed; eight' the Panthers is greatest." There is no doubt about armed with a shotgun fired Panthers have been'hurt the depth of official conceit the first shot after police en- and three are dead. over the Black PantherS. tered the apattinent through front and rear, doors. He Elsewhere around the Congressional and grand said the flare tried three country, the .. toll for this— jury probles have taken times to stop the shooting. year is not es hirodit, per;, place and the organization But , regarded haps, .liit'llte pattern of re- as BarnPton's heir apparent, peatect (*Counters between -told reporters that he had the young black militants evidence the police had and the law enforcement has' been singled out in Statereents by FBI Director come to the apartment with agencies is the seine. - "the ' intention of killing bind, reds of .Panthers—ln- J. Edgar Hoover as a partic- every one there." eluding Most of the, groups ular menace. top leaders, 'Search and Dbstroy' Aave been ar- In a report on "black rested, and many are in jail To one reporter lie com- unable to pest, high bail or extremists" last July, Hoo- mented, "the pigs undertook serving priagiii4eilee for fe- ver said, "of these, the Black a search and destroy mis- aouvretiers. Twenty- , Panther Party without ques- sion ... in their relentless eight Pititlfell'Tive died in tion represents the greatest plan to destroy the Black police shootings since Janu- threat to •the internal secu- Panther Party." The next ry, 1968, according to rily of the country." morning, police raided charlfiltParrYt Erntr,Ftintas, tchooled''as Mandats Rush's apartment, but Rush co attorney and general wasn't there. They seized counsel for the Panthers. "Schooled in the Marxist- " an unregistered pistol and In New York alone, accor- Leninst ideology and,the some ammunition. ding to William Crain, a 'treating of ' the* chrolA Notwithstanding official white lawyer who repre- Communist leader Mao Tse- denials, Rush's belief that a sents Black Panthers and tung," Hoover went on, "its concerted government effort )other radicals, 100 Panthers members have perpetrated is taking place to wipe out have , been arrested * ,the numerous assaults on police the Panthers is shared by pa* y e a r, the majority officers and have engaged in other of the group's national chaiiged with serious crimes. violent confrontations with leaders. police in cities throughout $218-0000 Total Bail Garry, a white lawyer who • ,, the ,country" Los Angeles, according has the full confidence of all Several weeks later it was the Panthers, charged that.. to Masai Hewitt, the Panth- disclosed that the Justice "The Nixon adoinistretien; ers' minister of education 'Department had created a and" one of the highest rank- Attorney General' Mitchell special task force to investi- and others are out to com- in leaders still at large, gate Panther activities and mit genocide on the Black ers were required to see if• they violate federal Panther Party. put ,up $213,000 in bail dur- laws. ing the first six months of Included in the task force were representatives fro nt, Justice's civil rights, carat' nal. and internal security di- Masai Hewitt, the Panther tell don't know." leader, said that none of the Others have estimated the incidents involving police number of Panthers at be- and Panthers are separate tween 1,200 and 5,000. But a .,or isolated. "It's part of an source familiar with Panther activities said they , overall plot ... to keep true could command the support freedom from black people," at rallies, for example, of he said. many times that number. Hewitt is a close associate One of the Panthers purged is alleged by police of David Hilliard, 27, the to have been the murdered Panther chief of staff, who Alex Rackley, who was was arrested in San Fran- found bruised, burned and cisco Wednesday night for bullet:ridden in a shallow allegedly threatening the Connecticut river bed last iife-otiPiaident Nixon in a April 21. Police say Rackley Nov. 15 speech. was suspected of being an According to Hewitt, who informer. spoke in a telephone inter- The search for suspects in view iii. the Panthers' the Rackley case led to a se- BerkeIey,- Calif., headquar- ries of FBI raids over sev- ters, what.,1161iard said was "we will 1 President eral months on Panther Nix headquarters in cities like any (ob- Denver, Washington and sce in the w Salt take City. Fourteen ' ith#!.s the way We talk in • persons, including two juve- the ghetto," —Ileviitt said, niles, were charged. "that is the vernacular, if Pre-trial hearings have we don't talk that. Way oar people won't understand us,- theyvouldn't listen to us." nt History the 4:100) they.were begun, in a heavily guarded According to Crain, a New d in 1101:after a series gide between black New Haven courtroom York judge has refused to the Oakland, where the court has heard lower the bail on the de- 901 p cer the Panthers tape recordings which the fendants being held in the no pretense prosecution contends con- bombing conspiracy case. abotitt adhering to nonvio- tain the voice of Rackley , The lawyer said the same lence. being tortured.. The judge is Eldridge Cleaver, the considering whether four judge had recently cut the Panther's 'sell:exiled minis- female and one male de. bail of three white persons ter of inforMation who fled fendant should be granted charged with actual T bomb- IPIPiliOnnient for a parole bail. violation; once told a maga- ing. zine interviewer, "t don't dig vim . . gunsins are ugly. t here are two forms of Olence: violence reeted of you Ito keep you irt yout Place and violence to defend yourself against that" appression and to win- your freedem,” Lahly;: however, the were accompanied with Panther leadership has "What could be a more made,„, an effort to purge it- clear instance of racial har- helpings of Panther philoso- self a what Hewitt called assment?" he asked. phy.) "undesirable elements." In The pressure on the Panth- Still, Panther supporters all, said the Panther leader, ers has taken its toll on the say the group will carry on. almost 1,000 people have, "They're not scared," said been dropped. group's activities, which were •never a great deal Garry, "because they ex- Garry, the Panthers' law- pected this to happen. They yer, said that "illegal con- more than publishing a newspaper and providing have been put upon for duct, use of drugs, use of al- years and this is just part of Cobol or adventurism" were breakfast for schoolchildren grounds for dismissal from in large cities. (Breakfasts it." the party. "Nye• are not amass organ- ization," Hewitt said, "we're a Vanguard." Hewitt estimated that there are 50 functioning Panther branches in about 30 states. He refused to give a membership figure, quot- ing ,Malcollin X, "those who know don't tell; thoie who