In the early morning hours of April 2, 1969, the CIA, FBI, U.S. Marshals, and the NY State police orchestrated raids on the Harlem Chapter of the Black Panther Party, resulting in the arrest of 19 men and 2 women associated with the party.
They were charged with 156 counts of conspiracy to blow up subway and police stations, 5 department stores, 6 railroads, and the New York botanical garden. The excessive nature of these charges was intended as a federal tactic to fuel internal divisions within the Panther members, strategically aiming to undermine their unity and weaken the broader black militancy movement. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, declared that “The Black Panther Party, without question, represents the greatest threat to internal security of the country”.
Each member was held on a $100,000 bond. Afeni Shakur was the first panther to be released. Her bond was provided by female supporters in the labor movement and members of churches, who’d raised $66,000 in cash and used church assets as collateral on the remainder. Born Alice Faye Williams in Lumberton, North Carolina, Afeni had joined the Party only one year earlier, in the spring of 1968.
Facing 300 years in prison, against the advice of her Panther colleagues, Afeni chose to be her own attorney. She conducted her own legal research, interviews and cross examinations. She was the only panther who served as their own counsel.
Through the warrantless wiretapping, infiltration, and false framing, the case ended up being the longest in New York State history. On May 12, 1971, after just 45 minutes of deliberation, the jury acquitted all 21 panthers of every single charge.
The following month, Afeni Shakur gave birth to her first child, Tupac Amaru Shakur. Throughout the legal battle, she had carried new life within her, a symbol of strength in the face of adversity.
HELLA INSPIRED.
