Survival Pending Revolution: The History of the Black Panther Party

4. Enemies of the People

4 ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE But the simple fact is that neither the Black Panther Party nor any person who is part of it is above or beyond criticism....Those of us who constitute the extreme left wing of the Black Panther Party will continue to criticize whenever criticism is needed to expose counter-revolutionary acts. —Right On!, April 1971 In 1971 the BPP’s leaders startled the rank and file with a public quarrel over ideology and tactics while the organization was struggling with the government for its very life. This extraordinary development tore the Panther Party apart. Ordinary members were called on to declare their loyalty for one side or the other. These agonizing decisions would be based on their reasons for joining the Panthers, whether their expectations had been met, and what they thought the future held for them and the black community. The BPP was changed forever by the 1971 schism that fractured the party. Panthers call this political breakup the “split.” After 1971 the Panthers were no longer a self-proclaimed revolutionary organization advocating the overthrow of the American government. The BPP transitioned to a reform party that provided social services to the black community and worked for change within the existing political system. The story of this transformation is one of pragmatism and miscalculation, sacrifice and opportunism, courage, fratricide, and Machiavellian government operations. Mostly, however, it is a story of how ordinary Panthers endured a situation not of their making. The African American community, the radical wing of American politics, 78 / chapter 4 and an international audience watched as the Panthers engaged in a public battle over the correct way to organize the black community for social change. Party members who had struggled alongside each other for years became bitter enemies in 1971. Dissidents derided as reformist the very community programs that had been the lifeblood of the party. The central committee was attacked for being reactionary , undemocratic, and morally corrupt.1 Blood was spilled on both sides of the divide. It was difficult for observers or participants to know all the facts as events unfolded with breathtaking speed. Many party members were confused as they struggled to make sense of the political and personal calamity that threatened to engulf their lives. Panthers who were underground, jailed, or in exile were in great difficulty. They did not know what would become of their support if they chose the losing side. These men and women had sacrificed their future because they had believed in the party’s political message. Their lives had been “transformed by an idea that had given meaning to their existence.”2 Now that same message was being disputed and fought over by their friends. Many former Panthers still find it difficult to discuss the schism. They are convinced that the party and the black community never recovered from the traumatic events of 1971. The “split” is also a story still searching for the government ’s true role in the proceedings because all the relevant documents may not have been released. Certain facts are not in dispute, however. The schism and the subsequent victory of the Newton loyalists were crucial to determining the future role of the BPP. The Panther Party never again confronted the government as they had from 1966 to 1971. Bobby Seale’s 1973 Oakland mayoral campaign rested firmly on the path chosen in 1971. A Party Torn Apart: 1971–1974 Party life existed on three interrelated levels from 1971 to 1974. The first level was the continued operation of the survival programs by the rank and Community programs exemplified the Panther message of social reform and had to be continued if the BPP was to retain any credibility within the black community. The second level was the tendency to address internal party dis- enemies of the people / 79 putes and contradictions with the community in a violent manner. The third level was the election campaign of Bobby Seale and Elaine Brown. The con- flation of these activities delivered a mixed message to the community as the party endured the full spectrum of change and turmoil. Problems became apparent during the winter of 1970–71 when Huey Newton began to implement ideological changes. The first change was heralded in a newspaper article titled “Survival Pending Revolution.” The article was the official recognition of an obvious fact. The Panther Party’s...