On this day, 2 April 1969, multiple members of the socialist Black Panther Party were arrested in predawn raids. 21 members were subsequently charged, and 13 eventually tried for 156 offences ranging from conspiring to bomb department stores to conspiring to murder policman.
After an eight-month trial, the longest and most expensive in the state’s history, on May 13, 1970 it took the chair of the jury 20 minutes to read out 156 consecutive “not guilty” verdicts, after jurors unanimously acquitted the defendants of all charges. The courtroom erupted with applause and cheers of “power to the people!” And “right on!”.
The prosecution case centred on the testimony of three undercover agents who testified that the Panthers were plotting to bomb railway and subway stations, police stations, shops and even the Bronx Botanical Garden. Afeni Shakur, later mother of rapper Tupac Shakur, defended herself, essentially arguing that the undercover agents were lying.
Outside the courts there was a mass campaign in support of those charged, two of whom fled to Algeria, and were expelled from the party as a result. After the verdicts, several of the defendants left the courtroom with their fists raised.
The prosecution was part of an often-violent and criminal state campaign to try to destroy the Black Panther Party.
This book includes the collective autobiographies of the defendants, along with essays tying their legacy to struggles today: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/books/products/look-for-me-in-the-whirlwind-from-the-panther-21-to-21st-century-revolutionshttps://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/1390724001112746/?type=3
Our beloved symbol of exploration will fly once again, just in time to mark the return of human spaceflight on American rockets from American soil. The retired logo is making its comeback on on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket that will take flight later this year when we #LaunchAmerica once again.
The NASA insignia, or “meatball,” seen in our profile image, was quite difficult to reproduce with 1970s technology. In 1975, enter the sleek, simple design you see above! The world knew it as “the worm.” For a period of time we were able to thrive with both the worm and the meatball. However, in 1992, the 1970s brand was retired - except on clothing and other souvenir items - in favor of the original late 1950s graphic.
Image Credit: NASA/SpaceX
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This blog is mostly so I can vent my feelings and share my interests. Other than that, I am nothing special.
If you don't like Left Wing political thought and philosophy, all things related to horror, the supernatural, the grotesque, guns or the strange, then get the fuck out. I just warned you.
