"You can kill a revolutionary, but you can't kill the revolution . . . you can jail a liberator, but you can't jail liberation." - Fred Hampton
Fred Hampton, born August 30th, 1948 in Maywood, Illinois, was an African-American activist and a member of the Black Panther Party. At 17, he was the head of the NAACP youth branch, and at 20, he served as the deputy chairman for the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party. As chairman, Hampton made alliances with other organizations such as the Young Lords, a Puerto Rican street gang that had become political, and the Young Patriots who were hillbillies. They were all fighting for some of the same causes; therefore, they began to work together. Not only this, but also Hampton formed alliances while he was the head of the NAACP youth branch. Therefore, he formed a broad-based-coalition between people from congregations, working class folks, latinos, poor white folks, and poor black folks. President Hoover began to recognize Hampton's strong influence and ability to bring people together. As a result, Hampton was seen as a threat.Here is a 5-minute-clip of a speech from Fred Hampton. When he refers to "pigs" he is talking about the police.
Hampton's Assassination
After building a broad-based coalition and reciting speeches on his beliefs and values, the FBI saw Hampton as the ultimate threat. As a result, on December 4th, 1969, around 5 a.m., the police raided the Chicago apartment where Fred Hampton and other members of the Illinois Black Panther Party resided. The government claimed that the Panthers opened fire on the police; however, later that statement was proven to be false. There was only one bullet found from a Panther member, and they were given no warning that the police were about to raid the apartment. The police claimed they came to search the house for weapons, but their true motive was to murder the threat: Fred Hampton. This plan to assassinate Hampton was planned by the FBI, the Chicago Police Department, and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. The police were successful in murdering both Hampton and Mark Clark, another leader of the Black Panthers.This was the bed of Fred Hampton where he was shot. Also, you can see all the bullets in the wall, which shows their strong motives to ensure Hampton was dead.Even though Hampton's life was shortened, at the age of 21 he made a huge impact on the community. Fred Hampton's leadership, confidence, and ability to bring people together from all different backgrounds continues and will continue to be an inspiration for revolutionaries today.