Ken Camell ll
Feb 23 2020
Eng 5
Professor Sabir
Writing Assignment 7
Depending on who you ask Hitler was a hero and Martin Luther King Jr was an instigator (villain) ,so of course Huey P Newton will not be perceived as a hero in the eyes of Uncle Sam (The U.S Government).
Yes Marvel Comics Black Panther movie is an amazing film and drew some inspiration from two revolutionary Oaklanders Dr Huey P Newton and Bobby Seale. Huey and Bobby are socio-economic heroes who organized food programs for impoverished children, policed corrupt Oakland Police officers and also galvanized melanated people to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights (right to bear arms). Black men with guns who were not either in the U.S military or in a police uniform made uncle Sam (U.S government) extremely uncomfortable.
Before Huey Newton became an anti hero (enemy of the state) he was a young melanated man living in Oakland ,Ca. Upon graduating high school in 1959 Huey was barely literate yet he studied and persevered and earned his PhD in 1980 from U.C Santa Cruz. Like most humans Huey was without fault and between 1967 and 1987 he was arrested several times with the charges ranging from drug possession to murder.
Huey Newton and the Black Panther Party For Self-Defense provided an example of how people become stronger than the Government once they unite for one common cause. This example served as a template which advanced the socio economic concerns of various Melanated communities such as The Brown Berets and The Young Lords. The Oakland Museum of Art presented an exhibit dedicated to the radical legacy of The Black Panther Party For Self Defense in 2018 however The Blsck Panthers are more deserving of several permanent landmarks dedicated to their contributions to the fight against social inequities.
In 1967 a few Black Panthers participated in a gun bill demonstration in Sacramento Ca and this alerted the federal authorities. This event marked the beginning of the FBI's intense investigation and war against The Black Panther Party For Self-defense in which Huey was the co founder and the Minister of Defense .Considering the FBI named the Black Panther Party was perceived as the most dangerous threat to U.S society is proof of how much of a hero Huey Newton is. Plus the FBI 's war against the Panthers via cointelpro aka counter intelligence program which included government informants,entrapment, witness intimidation, evidence tampering etc. Plus the shootout with police, then escaping to Cuba , to return back to the U.S and be dismissed of murder charges. After the trial Huey resided in the penthouse overlooking the courthouse
How does a person transcend from being ordinary to being a hero (revolutionary) ? Most extraordinary people are reluctantly called to greatness, emerging from tribulations destined to sketch their names in the pages of time. They resist authority ,go against the grain ,challenge the status quo while living the strenuous lives of a villain often redeemed as a hero in old age or death.
It's imperative to acknowledge all revolutionaries are both heroes and villains. Huey newton just so happened to be a hero as the common woman and and man while simultaneously becoming a villain in the eyes of the U.S federal government. Before you decide on whether Huey is a hero, a villain or both take into account his contributions and his mistakes then you will see all humans are multifaceted.
Rogerian Model Flowchart
1. Huey Newton is an undervalued champion (hero) of civil rights.
2. Heroes reside in the eye of the beholder.
3. Those who oppose (right wing conservatives) what the Black Panther Party represent might agree that the Confederate Army were viewed as rebels for rebelling against the Federal Government similarly to the Panthers although not to the same magnitude.
4. It's challenging to have an open discussion regarding any group who challenges the U.S Government's capitalist socio-economic agenda especially since a lot of blood was shed during the civil rights movements of the 20th century.
5. I strived to focus on the human rights Huey fought for so reader's can concentrate on similarities which will reduce the limitations of challenging views.
6. At times I added my own poetry to make the subject matter more palpable and accessible. Plus I observed over the last 20 years how Huey Newton has become less controversial therefore the mainstream doesn't view him as they did in the 20th century which often portrayed him and his fellow Black Panthers as domestic terrorists.
7. Since Martin Luther king Jr was viewed as a rebel (anti hero) than Huey Newton was viewed as the ultimate rebel ! And in the 21st century where xenophobia and hatred is becoming popular by the minute, then the world needs more Huey Newtons today.
8. If Huey Newton isn't a hero, I guess the Ku Klux Klan is not a terrorist group and I can also guess that there are 6 days in a week as well.
Initial Planning Sheet
1.Dr Huey Percy Newton is the subject of my essay.
2. I chose Huey to provoke thoughts and present an example of how to organize your community with the objectives of challenging institutionalized racism and I also wanted to prove what defines a hero.
3. My audience is anyone who agrees or denies the impact of the Black Panther Party.
4. Who and what defines a hero ?
5. I attempted to display an unbiased argument proving that Huey Newton's positive contributions to society outweighs his negative mistakes.
Writing Assignment 6
Assault weapons hinders civil progress.Not only do assault weapons need to be banned they need to be destroyed. How many Bear,Bison and Deer do U.S hunters plan on killing or are the assault weapons manufacturer for the sole purpose of hunting people(war). How many mass shootings are carried out with assault weapons ? In 2015 , Dylan Roof went to a Baptist Church located in South Carolina and killed 9 church goers . How many human lives do assault rifles eliminate ? According to 2019 study by Senate Judiciary Committeelooked at mass shooting data for 1981 to 2017 and found that assault rifles accounted for 430 or 85.8% of the total 501 mass-shooting fatalities reported in 44 mass-shooting incidents, and that mass-shooting fatalities were 70% less likely to occur during the federal ban period.
Not necessarily assault weapons, however handguns can preserve the lives of innocent victims. In a recent shooting in a church an armed guard shot and killed a domestic terrorist who had unleashed a barrage of bullets on Sunday service parishioners killing 3 church goers. Fortunately an armed guard retrieved his service pistol and mortally wounded the shooter. Now even though the guard had a pistol service rifles can thwart mass shootings as well. When a responsible adult uses a handgun properly i.e. at the shooting range or as a means to protect lives , and I'm not referring to John Zimmerman !
Work Cited
Huey P. Newton Story.” Huey P. Newton Story, A, Jan. 2007, doi:10.5040/9781580814584.01.
The mainstream media portrays Huey as a villain while the public access portrays Huey as a Hero. This article sheds light on the many facets of Huey Newton, from being charged in the killing of police officers to becoming an international revolutionary.
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