18 Apr. The organization operated from 1970-1981. Next, the Counterintelligence Program section consists of a memorandum describing the background, development and potential offices of the Counterintelligence Program (COINTELPRO), an FBI program which conducted covert and sometimes illegal activities to neutralize numerous political organizations. The majority of the materials in the Black Liberation Army archive fall under the Thomas "Blood" McCreary series, a member of the BLA. Great post! The Legal series is comprised of two legal cases. The Black Riders Liberation Party (BRLP) is a revolutionary black power organization and hate group based in the United States. ", The BLA Coordinating Committee, Message to the Black Movement: A Political Statement from the Black Underground, CourtTV Crime Library, Ambush: The Brinks Robbery of 1981. The current climate of racial tension and violence closely mirrors the America in which Bell, Washington, and Bottom were convicted. Black Liberation Army Leader Joanne Chesimard (Assata Shakur) was convicted in New Brunswick, N.J., yesterday of eight counts of murder, robbery and … This convinced many former party members of the desirability of an underground existence, including the assumption that a new peri… "Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996," Public Law 104-132 is dated April 24, 1996 and was signed into law after the Oklahoma City bombing. The group claims ideological continuity with the original Black Panther Party for Self-Defense and, according to its official website, organizes gang members to "stop commiting [sic?] I talked about a similar incident with officer James Greene being killed in Atlanta by members of the Black Liberation Army and I could not find any memorialization for him as well. Their deaths have become a small detail in the checkered past of New York race relations, and their lives are not remembered through commemoration or dedication because of the painful and unresolved dynamics that motivated their killers. message to the black movement a political statement from the black - underground season of struggle black liberation army dedicated to all the comrades killed, captured and exled in the struggle to build the armed urban guerilla front, and to Jones was shot four times. N.p., 23 Jan. 2014. The final sub-series is the 30th anniversary of the Black Panther Party, where McCreary served as a committee member. Black Liberation Army Papers (1963-1998). Topical is a series which is separated into 3 sections. Wang, Tabitha. (Lauren Buckman/ AFP/Getty Images). The Legacy: Bell, Washington, and Bottom were all sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. 18 Apr. “Cop’s Widow: Don’t Grant Parole to Killers.” Newsday. Washington died of cancer in prison in 2000, but the other two are still alive and in custody, and have been denied parole several times. “Cuba Still Harbors One of America’s Most Wanted Fugitives. Finally, the New Afrikan Journal section consists of Volume 4, Number 1 edition of the journal. The Black Panther Collective was formed in 1994 with the mission to carry on the legacy of the BPP. The documents in this case include exhibit documents as well as a transcript taken during the deposition of Sekou Odinga, a BLA member. This document is an appeal in a case that involves a man named Salvador Caban who was detained for six day by INS despite being a citizen of the United States. (3 folders), October 20, 1988, Counterintelligence Program, August, 1967, Reconsolidation and Infrastructure, 1996, United African Movement freedom retreat, undated, March for civil rights of Puerto Ricans in the U.S., November 1986, 27th annual African American parade, September 17, 1995, New York Amsterdam News, January 5, 1980, "Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996," Public Law 104-132, April 24, 1996 (4 folders), The New Afrikan Journal, January-February 1998, "The Black Panther Party Foundation," by Afeni Shakur, 1987, Community police patrols (2 folders), 1997. Humanities Washington, n.d. The Fraternal Order of Police blames the organization for the murder of 13 officers between 1970 and 1976. You are scheduling a visit to use this collection in the Special Collections Research Center. The most up-to-date CIA news, press releases, information and more. 18 Apr. Panther , film is a section regarding the 1995 film about the BPP directed by Mario Van Peebles and starring Kadeem Hardison, Courtney Vance and Bokeem Woodbine. The first round was fired from no more than six inches away and struck him in the back of the head, killing him immediately. This should be changed because confronting and analyzing our collective past through sites of memory, especially painful ones, is the best way to learn from and be cautious of violence (Schudson). The southernmost building of the Rangel Ralph Houses looking toward the Macomb’s Dam Bridge where Jones and Piagentini left their car. The chant is a quote from Assata Shakur, a former member of the Black Liberation Army who was convicted of murder in the events of the 1973 shooting of State Trooper Werner Foerster on the New Jersey Turnpike. On April 2, 1969, 21 members of the Black Panther Party were arrested and charged with conspiracy to blow up the New York Botanical Gardens. BP Minister of Defense, Huey Newton, began to renounce political violence after his release from prison and expelled member Eldridge Cleaver and his followers, who did not agree with Newton's new views. Black Panther Party is the final series in the Black Liberation Army archive and consists of six sections: Articles, "The Black Panther Party Foundation" by Afeni Shakur, Panther film, Questionnaire, Photocopies of photographs and Black Panther Collective. “Patrolman Waverly M. Jones.” The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP). McCreary served on the committee to plan the celebration of their acquittal 25 years later. First, the Black Panther section include various articles from the Black Panther publication ranging from their beliefs to collages and poems. The Black Liberation Army gained strength as Black Panther Party membership declined. Web. Web. NY Daily News Instead there were various organizations and collectives working together and simultaneously independent of each other”(Griego). The caller reported a disturbance from Colonial Park Houses on W. 159th St (now called the Rangel Houses), and investigators later determined that the report was a trap intended to lure officers into area to be ambushed. 18 Apr. Web. Radical anti-police violence has occurred recently outside of BLM in the same way the BLA committed acts of violence outside the structure of the Black Panthers. The Site: 155th Street, where Jones and Piagentini parked their car, is considered the northern border of Harlem. He survived long enough to be rushed away in a police car to the Harlem Hospital, but was dead by the time they arrived. Legal is the largest sub-series and is comprised of eight legal cases McCreary was involved in as well as legal documents regarding Tupac Shakur's estate. (1995), 346-378. It is "today" a movement rebirthed by Black thinkers, historians, educators, and organizing facilitators determined to empower and restore Black people to a respectful and honorable position. In 1973, Buck was arrested for running firearms for the Black Liberation Army and sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. Most of these attacks have been perpetrated by individuals who feel that not enough is being done to liberate oppressed people, a sentiment expressed by Micah Xavier Johnson, the shooter who killed five Dallas TX officers last July. 18 Apr. The BLA carried out a series of bombings, killings of police officers and dru… • "That we are anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, anti-racist and anti-sexist. 2017. “3 Men to Argue for New Trial in ’71 Police Killing.” New York Times [New York] 12 Mar. In December, Jalil Abdul Muntaqim, the Black Liberation Army member who was convicted in the killing of two police officers, in 1971, faced the New York parole board for … African Americans -- Politics and government. The Black Liberation Army and the Killers: After four years that included a lengthy manhunt, interrogation and interviews, evidence collection, legal procedures, and a mistrial resulting from a hung jury, Herman Bell, Albert Washington and Anthony Bottom were found guilty of homicide in the first degree of the two police officers on April 10, 1975. Tracy, Thomas. 2017. At the time of their deaths Piagentini was 28 and Jones was 33. WP Company, 20 Dec. 2014. The belief of the BLA was that an armed front was necessary in order to fully liberate African Americans. ASSIST. Dwyer, Jim. The first is Caban v. United States , dated February 7, 1984. . N.p., n.d. Legal documents include affidavits, appeals, correspondence with lawyers, statements from McCreary describing prison conditions and trial errors, and a character reference from Bell Gale Chevigny. The next sub-series is the 25th anniversary of the New York Panther 21 acquittal. . Jones and Piagentini parked their squad car on W 155th street, which is elevated above the riverbank after crossing the Harlem River as the Macombs Dam Bridge. While Cleaver did not lead the BLA, members were loyal to his ideas at the time. 2017. The materials range in date from 1970-1995 and include publicity material, clippings and flyers. She felt increasing solidarity with the Black Liberation movement, and by the early 1970s, Buck was "the chief gunrunner and the only white member of the BLA," per the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation. Web. When they were walking back to the stairs to return to their car, they were ambushed from behind. Black Liberation Army. Eds. The Legal series is comprised of two legal cases. Copyright has not been transferred to the Regents of the University of Michigan. Several armed BLA members The BLA’s stated mission was to “take up arms for the liberation and self-determination of black people in the United States”(TRAC). The New York Amsterdam News section is an ad in support of Assata Shakur. This is one reason that it is not clear what the leadership structure of the BLA looked like, or whether the murders of Jones and Piagentini were organizationally linked to similar killings of NYPD officers during the same time frame. Assata Shakur, a grassroots member of the BLA who was convicted for the 1976 murder of a New Jersey state trooper, wrote in her autobiography, “… the Black Liberation Army was not a centralized, organized group with a common leadership and chain of command. Several armed BLA members The BLA’s stated mission was to “take up arms for the liberation and self-determination of black people in the United States”(TRAC). Thomas McCreary v. John T. Powers, et al. Web. ... Black Liberation Army (-) ... HOS NOT INTENDED SOLELY FOR COLLECTION PER SEC 662 OF FOR. The liberation army aimed to “take up arms for the liberation and self-determination of black people in the United States.” Assata Shakur and two others took up arms in … (Google Earth) The Colonial Park Houses are in the distance, and the stairs are in the lower right of the image. This document is an appeal in a case that involves a man named Salvador Caban who was detained for six days by INS despite being a citizen of the United States. McCreary's resume, contacts and newspaper clippings are also small sub-series'. The BLA’s stated mission was to “take up arms for the liberation and self-determination of black people in the United States”(TRAC). All three were members of the Black Liberation Army, a somewhat nebulous militant offshoot of the Black Panther Party that formed when the BPP began to dissolve in the late 1960s. Badge of the Assassin. Black militant organizations -- United States. 2017 . The Black Liberation Army member Assata Shakur, aka Joanne Chesimard, later sentenced to life plus 65 years. James I. Meyerson correspondence, June 21, 1982, Motion to dismiss transcript, December 13, 1982, Declaration of R. Lindley Devecchio, February 3, 1984, Declaration of Michael J. Henehan, February 6, 1984, James I. Meyerson correspondence, February 10, 1984, Motion for summary judgment, February 16, 1984, Opposition to the motion of the defendant special agents of the FBI and of the United States for summary judgment dismissing the action (2 folders), May 11, 1984, James I. Meyerson correspondence, May 20, 1984, Plaintiff's supplemental memorandum, May 21, 1984, Supplemental discovery requests, May 31, 1984, James I. Meyerson correspondence, July 6, 1984, Reply memorandum in support of defendants' motion for summary judgment, July 12, 1984, James I. Meyerson correspondence, July 17 and 26, 1984, Affirmation of James I. Meyerson, November 9, 1984, Affirmation of Evelyn A. Williams, March 16, 1985, Paralegal generalist certificate, April 5, 1984, Class papers, October-December (3 folders), 1985, Newspaper clippings (5 folders), 1979-1981, Speaker requests, January-February, 1996, 25th anniversary of the New York Panther 21 acquittal, 30th anniversary of the Black Panther Party, Committee meeting minutes, September-November, 1996, Oberia D. Dempsey Center, September 10, 1996, Salvador Cuban v. United States, February 7, 1984, Deposition in Richard Moore v. FBI et al. The archive consists of seven series: Thomas "Blood" McCreary, Correspondence, 1976-1978, Legal, Topical, Newspaper Clippings, 1969-1978, Events, Publications and Black Panther Party. The patrolmen likely parked close to where this picture was taken from, and went down the stairs to respond to the call. The BLA became known for violent acts including robberies and bombings. Newspaper Clippings, 1969-1997 is a series that largely consists of newspaper clippings covering the arrests of BLA members as well as opinion pieces regarding the organization. Hollywood: Blatt/Singer Productions, 1984. Along with former Black Panthers and Black Liberation Army members, they amount to the unfinished business of the black liberation struggle. Fried, Joseph P. “2 POLICEMEN SLAIN BY SHOTS IN BACK 2 MEN ARE SOUGHT.” New York Times [New York] 22 May 1971: 1. The BLA began to deteriorate around the time of the 1981 Brinks robbery which involved several senior BLA members and resulted in the death of one guard and two police officers. Solomont, Elizabeth. Web. This includes several documents regarding ways to reconsolidate the structure of the BLA. A Dallas police officer stands guard after over a dozen of his colleagues were shot by a sniper on July 7, 2016. "The Black Panther Party Foundation" was a brief report written by Afeni Shakur regarding the assembly of the east and west coast Black Panthers in order to preserve the history of the party and conduct formal remembrances of fallen members. N.p., n.d. The Black Liberation Army (BLA) was a Black Nationalist-Marxist organization which largely consisted of former Black Panther Party (BPP) members. I really liked the clear connection you made between the past and present. A Class Project for AMST 384: Myth and History and American Memory, UNC at Chapel Hill. TRAC “Black Liberation Army (BLA) – United States.” Black Liberation Army (BLA) – United States | Terrorist Groups | TRAC. This convinced many former party members of the desirability of an underground existence, including the assumption that a new period of violent repression was at hand. The first is Caban v. United States , dated February 7, 1984. This material includes speaker requests, invitation and flyers. “Officers’ Killer Took Aim at New York City of Today.” The New York Times. 2017. The photography sub-series is comprised of three folders which include a photograph of McCreary's graduation from Adelphi University in 1986, the Panther 21 reunion and miscellaneous photographs. ", • "That in order to abolish our system of oppression we must utilize the science of class struggle, develop this science as it relates to our unique national condition. Roman, Lawrence, and Robert K. Tanenbaum. What Happens to Assata Shakur Now?” The Washington Post. Back row: (L-R) Albert Washington, Gabriel Torres, Anthony Bottom Front row: (L-R) Herman Bell, Francisco Torres before the first trial that ended in a hung jury. Collectives working together and simultaneously independent of each other ” ( Griego.. 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