Ties To Criminal Activity
Huey Newton Mugshot Source: Liberator Magazine
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Quite a bit of controversy surrounds the Black Panther Party and their crime studded legacy. Three of their most vital leaders had ties to incredibly heinous crimes with troubling evidence.
Eldridge Cleaver wrote a book entitled Soul on Ice in which he goes into explicit detail about the many rapes he committed and how he "practiced" on black girls in his neighborhood before "moving up" to white women. He brags about these acts yet now claims those days are behind. Despite that he also declares no remorse. Next up is Huey Newton, charged with several different murders as well as his co-founder Bobby Seale who was charged with at least two separate murders. Both men were eventually acquitted for the crimes but the tainted reputation on their party remains. One could argue however that in the end, Newton's crimes were the true end to the Party as he was found to have been embezzling money from the school the Panthers formed to support his drug habit. This new information led to high tensions amongst members and slowly that tension bubbled over into disbandment. |