“The people will be protected with rifles”

The region is immersed in a spiral of violence. Far from being diluted, the altercations have led to the resurgence of a legendary group originating from the Vietnam War era.

These are the Black Panthersthe movement that in the 60s fought against racism and racial discrimination in the United States. Now, it’s back with a facelift. The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense – as it calls itself now – gains visibility in the main arteries of the city of Philadelphia.

And all this due to the increase in immigration agents present on the streets and under the guidelines of the White House guest, Donald Trump. “If ICE thinks they can come and brutalize the people while we Black Panthers are here, come and find out. We must protect the people with assault rifles and shotguns“We must face them with the same strength, all the power to the people!” declared a member of the Black Panther.

Equipped with weapons

The group affirms, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, be a resurgence of those panthers of the 60s, that these new members have been trained by surviving members of the original party. Many of them were seen last Thursday in front of the Philadelphia City Hallcarrying weapons in protest against ICE agents.

Los panthers They claim to be legally authorized to carry firearms and appear as a “response to violence” by the Trump Administration.

The leader of the panthers es Paul Birdsonga 39-year-old man from West Philadelphia. Birdsong claims to have distributed free food weekly to the needy in different neighborhoods of the state for years.

The leader of the Black Panthers attended, in the company of his comrades, the massive protest in Philadelphia called the day after the death of Good, 37, called on January 8. “That wouldn’t have happened if we had been there.”Birdsong commented. “Not a single person would have been touched,” he added. Their main goal is to see ICE abolished and Trump’s cabinet “held accountable.”

Solidarity actions

The resurgence of the group stems from the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Police in 2020. Birdsong He explained that he was recruited by the panthers after this event that shocked the country and the entire world.

The leader of the Black Panther affirms that in the area of Philadelphia There are at least a hundred of its members. A group of people with whom they carry out a free food program for those most in need.

Last Friday night, Birdsong and other members of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense set up a temporary food pantry outside the Church of the Defender, located north of the city. They made all kinds of fruit such as bananas, grapes or apples available to people. And they did not forget to provide hygiene products or preserves.

Birdsong indicated that the money to buy the food comes from members’ own paychecksas well as donations from people in the community. “It’s a big help,” said Dawn Henkins, 60, a man who lives near the area. This citizen added that these types of initiatives are “especially useful” for older people who live without a fixed income.

Origins of the ‘panthers’

He Black Panther Party The original was founded by Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in Oakland, California, back in 1966 and remained active nationally until the early 1980s.

The group’s goals were “fight police brutality” and “promote social changes”, among which prison reform and access to basic services such as education or medical care stand out, as detailed by the American National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Former FBI Director John Edgar Hoover became the verdugo of the Black Panthers. The former criminal investigation command put the group in the spotlight with the aim of “discredit, disrupt and destroy” their movementaccording to a document from the University of Berkeley Library (California).

There was so much harassment that the panthers that two of its members, Fred Hampton and Mark Clark, were shot dead in a police raid. It was later revealed that the device had been coordinated by the FBI.

Use of weapons

Birdsongthe leader pantera, He carries an MP5, one of the most used submachine guns in the world. There is some controversy in the images of the Black Panthers, which is a pacifist movement, in which they appear using weapons.

However, taking into account the current legislation of the state, in Philadelphia Possession of a weapon is allowed, as long as you have a license to prove it.

“We feel safe”said Birdsong in reference to carrying weapons on one’s person. “There are no police or drug traffickers here to do anything to us,” he added.