Home / Full timeline / Government officials report that while the Black Panther Party posed a physical danger to the nation’s law enforcement officers, they were incapable of overthrowing the U.S. government.
Government officials report that while the Black Panther Party posed a physical danger to the nation’s law enforcement officers, they were incapable of overthrowing the U.S. government.
1971 (Aug 23)
The internal security committee of the U.S. House of Representatives issued a report declaring that while the Black Panther Party posed a physical danger to the nation's law enforcement officers, the group was totally incapable of overthrowing the U.S. government by violent means. The four Republican members of the committee, John M. Ashbrook of Ohio, John G. Schmitz of California, Fletcher Thompson of Georgia, and Roger H. Zion of Indiana, objected to the panel's findings, contending that the majority view did not give a clear understanding of the Black Panther Party as a subversive criminal group using the facade of politics as a cover for crimes of violence and extortion.
References:
- • Hornsby, Alton. Chronology of African-American History: Significant Events and People from 1619 to the Present. Detroit: Gale Research, 1995.