Meet the Police Officers Murdered by the Black Panthers

Below are the names and photos of 31 police officers who were murdered by the Black Panthers and the subsequent Black Liberation Army in the 60s, 70s and 80s.

The Black Liberation Army was an organization that grew out of the Black Panther Party, composed of former Black Panther Party members, operating from about 1971-1980.

Another two police officers on the list were murdered by the Weather Underground, a domestic terrorist group with ties to the Black Liberation Army.

Despite this readily available information, today the internet was full of articles criticizing those who were upset by Beyonce’s Super Bowl Halftime performance, and questioning how anyone could be upset over a woman “affirming her blackness.” Their analysis couldn’t have been more off.

We have no issues with someone “affirming their blackness” or any other identity they want to affirm. We do take issue when people pay homage to a group that used terrorism and violence to promote racism and revolutionary socialism – a group that murdered dozens of police officers in cold blood.

As you scroll through the list of officers below, look at their photos and read their stories. Among these officers are black men and white men. Rookies and veterans from across the country. Most were killed in unprovoked attacks and ambushes. They all left behind families….

Perhaps Beyonce, someone from the NFL, and someone representing CBS, could read through this list and tell us if they still stand by their decision to honor the Black Panthers during the Super Bowl. Then perhaps they could explain their answers to the surviving wives and children of these fallen officers….

**Many of the photos of these officers, and the accounts of their murders were collected from the Officer Down Memorial Page, a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring police officers killed in the line of duty. You can pay homage to these officers, and other officers killed in the line of duty at http://www.odmp.org/

Officer John Frey October 28, 1967 Oakland Police Department Officer John Frey was shot and killed after making a traffic stop. During the stop he requested backup. When the backup officer arrived, they removed the two occupants of the vehicle and separated them for questioning. During the questioning the male suspect opened fire, striking both officers. Officer Frey was struck in the chest, stomach, and leg. He succumbed to his injuries while being transported to a local hospital. The other officer was struck in the chest but was able to return fire and wound the suspect, who was later apprehended. The suspect served three years in prison and was later killed in 1989. The two suspects were members of the radical racist group The Black Panthers. Officer Frey was survived by his wife and daughter. Police Officer John F. Frey | Oakland Police Department, California

Officer Thomas Johnson and Officer Charles Thomasson Nashville Police Department January 16, 1968 Officer Thomas Johnson and Officer Charles Thomasson were shot and killed after Officer Johnson stopped a vehicle at 15th Avenue and Herman Street that was wanted in connection with passing false money orders. As Officer Johnson exited his patrol car the five occupants of the vehicle opened fire with a 30-30 rifle and other guns, striking him in the chest. As Officer Thomasson arrived on the scene to backup Officer Johnson he was shot seven times. Officer Thomasson succumbed to his wounds two months later. The ensuing investigation revealed that the five suspects were connected to the radical Black Panther group. Officer Johnson had served with the agency for 10 years and had previously served with the United States Army. He was survived by his four children. Officer Thomasson was a US Air Force veteran and had served with the Metro Nashville Police Department for 6 years. He was survived by his wife, three daughters, and three brothers.

Officer Charles W. Thomasson | Metro Nashville Police Department, Tennessee Officer Thomasson Officer Thomas E. Johnson | Metro Nashville Police Department, Tennessee Officer Johnson

Officer Nelson Sasscer Santa Ana Police Department June 5, 1969 Officer Sasscer was shot and killed when he was ambushed by a member the radical racist group the Black Panthers. He had observed the two suspects hiding in the shadows on a residential street and was shot twice in the abdomen as he approached them. Both suspects were arrested later that night. The shooter was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to five years to life on June 17, 1970. He was paroled in 1977. Officer Sasscer was a Vietnam War veteran and had served with the Santa Ana Police Department for 18 months. He had been awarded Rookie of the Year the previous year. Officer Nelson K. Sasscer | Santa Ana Police Department, California

Patrolman John Gilhooly and Patrolman Frank Rappaport Chicago Police Department November 13, 1969 Officer John J. Gilhooly and Officer Frank G. Rappaport were ambushed by a member of the radical group Black Panthers on a false call of a “man with a gun”. As the officers entered a gangway between two buildings the man opened fire with a shotgun from a porch below, striking Officer Rappaport in the chest and Officer Gilhooly in the face and neck. The suspect then shot Officer Rappaport again as he lay on the ground, killing him. Gilhooly was survived by his father, brother and sister. Patrolman John J. Gilhooly | Chicago Police Department, Illinois Patrolman Gilhooly Patrolman Frank G. Rappaport | Chicago Police Department, Illinois Patrolman Rappaport

Sergeant Brian McDonnell San Francisco Police Department February 18, 1970 Sergeant Brian McDonnell succumbed to wounds sustained two days earlier when a bomb exploded in the Park Police Station. Although Sergeant McDonnell’s murder was never solved, it is believed the bomb was set by members of the domestic terrorist group Weather Underground. Members of the group shot and killed Sergeant Edward O’Grady and Officer Waverly Brown, of the Nyack, New York, Police Department on October 20, 1981. Sergeant McDonnell had served with the San Francisco Police Department for 20 years. He is survived by his son, daughter, parents, brother, and sister. His father was a former San Francisco Police sergeant. Sergeant Brian V. McDonnell | San Francisco Police Department, California

Officer Donald Sager Baltimore Police Department April 24, 1970 Officer Donald Sager was shot and killed and his partner was seriously wounded as they sat in their patrol car writing a report. Three men, members of the radical Black Panthers, walked up behind and on each side of the patrol car and opened fire with automatic handguns. Officer Sager was killed instantly and his partner was hit four times. Officer Sager had served with the agency for 12 years. He was survived by his wife and child. Police Officer Donald W. Sager | Baltimore City Police Department, Maryland

Officer James Sackett May 22, 1970 St. Paul Police Department Officer Sackett was shot and killed by two suspects after responding to an emergency call. When he arrived he was ambushed from across the street by a suspect with a high-powered rifle. Two suspects associated with the Black Panthers were questioned, but no charges were immediately filed due to lack of evidence. The two suspects were finally arrested and charged with Officer Sackett’s murder in January 2005, 35 years after the murder. Both suspects were sentenced to life in prison in 2006. In 2008 one of the suspects had his conviction overturned and was awarded a new trial. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder. Officer Sackett had served with the St. Paul Police Department for 18 months and had previously served for four years with the United States Air Force. He was survived by his wife and four children. Police Officer James T. Sackett, Sr. | St. Paul Police Department, Minnesota

Patrolman William Miscannon Toledo Police Department September 18, 1970 Patrolman Miscannon was shot and killed while sitting in his marked patrol car at the intersection of Dorr and Junction Avenues, outside the headquarters building for the Black Panthers, during race riots. A vehicle pulled up behind Patrolman Miscannon’s patrol car and one of the occupants walked up and shot him at point-blank range. The suspect was charged with Patrolman Miscannon’s murder but acquitted after two hung juries. Patrolman Miscannon had served with the agency for 3 years. He was survived by his wife and four young children. Patrolman William A. Miscannon | Toledo Police Department, Ohio

Officer Harold Hamilton San Francisco Police Department October 9, 1970 Officer Harold Hamilton was shot and killed after responding to a bank robbery call at the Wells Fargo Bank at Seventh Avenue and Clement Street. When Officer Hamilton and his partner arrived, they attempted to enter the bank and Officer Hamilton was shot and killed. Officer Hamilton’s partner was able to return fire, wounding the suspect. At the officer’s funeral, members of the Black Liberation Army planted a time bomb outside of the church. The bomb exploded but did not injure any mourners. Police Officer Harold Hamilton | San Francisco Police Department, California

Officer Glenn Smith Detroit Police Department October 24, 1970 Officer Glenn Smith was shot and killed by a sniper at a party house used by the Black Panther group. After a standoff, all of the occupants of the home surrendered and were eventually all found not guilty. Officer Smith had been a Detroit Police Officer for two years. He is survived by his wife. Police Officer Glenn E. Smith | Detroit Police Department, Michigan

Patrolman Joseph Piagentini and Patrolman Waverly Jones NYPD May 21, 1971 Patrolmen Joseph Piagentini and Waverly Jones were shot and killed while on foot patrol in the Colonial Park Houses public housing complex, at 159th Street and Harlem River Drive. They were ambushed by members of the Black Liberation Army and Black Panthers. As the two patrolmen were returning to their cruiser at approximately 10:00 pm, three suspects snuck up behind them and opened fire. Patrolman Jones was struck in the back of the head and killed instantly. Patrolman Piagentini was shot 13 times and succumbed to his injuries en route to the hospital. One of the suspects stole Patrolman Jones’ weapon which was later recovered in San Francisco, California, after several BLA members opened fire on a San Francisco police officer. Piagentini left behind a wife and child. Jones was survived by his wife and three children. panther25n-4-web

Sergeant John Young San Francisco Police Department August 29, 1971 Sergeant John Young was shot and killed inside the Ingleside District Police Station. While the police station was emptied of officers who had responded to an earlier bombing at another location, two men entered the police station and stuck a 12-gauge shotgun through an opening in the bullet proof glass that separated the waiting area from the rest of the police station. The suspects fired between five and ten shotgun blasts, killing Sergeant Young and wounding a civilian employee of the department. Both gunmen then fled the station house and into a waiting getaway car. The murderers were members of a group of career criminals, most of whom had ties to the Black Panther Party and/or the Black Liberation Army. The crime spree also included the bombing of St. Brendan’s Church on October 22, 1970, and the attempted bombing of Mission Police Station on March 30, 1971. Sergeant John Victor Young | San Francisco Police Department, California

Officer James Greene Atlanta Police Department November 3, 1971 Officer Jim Greene, working a one man unit, was assassinated while on patrol. Officer Greene was taking a break and seated in his police van at a closed gas station when the incident occurred. The suspect, two Black Liberation Army members, approached the unsuspecting officer. While one asked him a question, the other shot him numerous times. They then stole the officer’s service weapon and his badge to prove the deed to other members of the group. Officer James Richard Greene | Atlanta Police Department, Georgia

Lieutenant Ted Elmore Catawaba County Sheriff’s Office April 27, 1983 (incident date: November 11, 1971) Lieutenant Ted Elmore succumbed to wounds sustained 11 years earlier when he was shot while making a traffic stop on Highway 64-70. Unbeknownst to Lieutenant Elmore, he had stopped two members of the radical Black Panthers who had shot and wounded an Atlanta, Georgia, police officer several weeks earlier. As he exited his patrol car the occupants of the vehicle opened fire, striking him in the right arm, disabling it. As he tried to draw his weapon with his left hand he was shot again in the abdomen and fell to the ground. The assailants then shot him a third time, hitting him in the back, severing his spinal cord and causing paralysis. The suspects abandoned their car and fled into a nearby wooded area. After a massive manhunt both were apprehended. Their car was found to contain several rifles, three shotguns, a bazooka, and 14,000 rounds of ammunition. On February 15, 1973, both suspects were convicted of felonious and secret assault. One was sentenced to 23 to 25 years in prison. He was paroled August 3, 1990. The other suspect was sentenced to 5 years. He was paroled September 28, 1975. Lieutenant Elmore remained paralyzed until passing away 11 years later. It was determined that his passing was a direct result of his wounds. Lieutenant Ted Cephus Elmore | Catawba County Sheriff's Office, North Carolina

Officer Rocco Laurie and Officer Gregory Foster NYPD January 27, 1972 Officer Rocco Laurie and Officer Gregory Foster were assassinated by members of the Black Liberation Army while walking their patrol beat on Avenue B and East 11th Street in the 9th Precinct. As they were walking down the street, three or four suspects walked pass them, spun around, and opened fire, shooting them in their backs. After the officers fell, the killers took their handguns and shot them several more times. Foster and Laurie were friends that had fought together in the USMC in Vietnam. When they returned to New York, they asked to be placed on patrol together in the East Village, which was then a high-crime neighborhood. Laurie was survived by his wife. Foster was survived by his wife, two children, parents, and five siblings. Police Officer Rocco W. Laurie | New York City Police Department, New York Officer Rocco Laurie Police Officer Gregory P. Foster | New York City Police Department, New York Officer Gregory Foster

Corrections Sergeant Brent Miller Louisiana Department of Corrections April 17, 1972 Corrections Sergeant Brent Miller stabbed to death at the Angola State Prison by four inmates who were members of the Black Panthers. The inmates had sharpened a lawn mower blade and used it to stab Sergeant Miller 38 times after attacking him in the prison’s Pine 1 dormitory. Three of the subjects were convicted of Sergeant Miller’s murder but have all since been released. Sergeant Miller’s father was also a prison guard at the prison and he grew up on the prison grounds. He had worked as a guard at the prison for less than one year before being murdered. He was survived by his wife of two months, parents, and two siblings. Corrections Sergeant Brent Miller | Louisiana Department of Corrections, Louisiana

Cadet Alfred Harrell, Sergeant Edwin Hosli, Deputy Superintendent Sirgo, Patrolman Philip Coleman, and Patrolman Paul Persigo New Orleans Police Department December 31, 1972 – January 7, 1973 – March 5, 1973 Cadet Alfred Harrell was shot and killed by a sniper at 2255 hours while working the gate at the Central Lockup. The sniper fired a .44 caliber carbine from a field 280 feet away. Cadet Harrell was scheduled to end his shift only five minutes later. Minutes after killing Cadet Harrell, the suspect shot Sergeant Edwin Hosli, who was searching a nearby warehouse after an alarm went off. Sergeant Hosli succumbed to his wounds on March 5, 1973. On January 7, 1973, the suspect also shot and killed Deputy Superintendent Louis Sirgo, Patrolman Paul Persigo, and Patrolman Philip Coleman after setting fires and shooting at civilians in a hotel. The suspect, who was a member of the Black Panthers, was shot and killed by police, who used a Marine helicopter to fly over the hotel and fire at the him. Patrolman Paul A. Persigo | New Orleans Police Department, Louisiana Patrolman Persigo Cadet Alfred E. Harrell | New Orleans Police Department, Louisiana Cadet Harrell Patrolman Philip J. Coleman, Sr. | New Orleans Police Department, Louisiana Patrolman Coleman Deputy Superintendent Louis Joseph Sirgo | New Orleans Police Department, Louisiana Deputy Superintendent Sirgo Sergeant Edwin C. Hosli, Sr. | New Orleans Police Department, Louisiana Sergeant Hosli

Trooper Werner Foerster NJ State Patrol May 2, 1973 Trooper Werner Foerster was shot and killed with his own service weapon after backing up another trooper who had stopped a vehicle containing two men and a woman on New Jersey Turnpike. The subjects started struggling with the troopers and were able to disarm Trooper Foerster. One of the men opened fire, killing Trooper Foerster and wounding the other trooper. Despite the wounds, the other trooper was able to return fire and killed of the subject. The three subjects were members of the Black Liberation Army and Black Panther Party. Trooper Foerster was survived by his wife and two children. One of the suspects later convicted in Werner Foerster’s murder was Joanne Chesimard, aka Assata Shakur. Shakur was later sentenced to life in prison, but escaped in 1979 when three other members of the Black Liberation Army drew pistols they had smuggled into the prison during a visit. The group took two hostages and a prison van in which they made their escape. Shakur lived as a fugitive for years in the United States, as the law enforcement search was hampered by political fears of sparking racial unrest. In 1984, Shakur was granted asylum in Cuba, and lives there to this day. In May 2013, on the 40th anniversary of the murder of Trooper Foerster, Shakur was the first woman to be placed on the FBIs list of most wanted terrorists. Alicia Garza, founder of Black Lives Matter, openly speaks of the admiration she has for Shakur and the influence Shakur’s teachings have had on her and the group. Trooper Werner Foerster | New Jersey State Police, New Jersey http://progunfighter.com/radical-influences-behind-blacklivesmatter/

Officer Sidney Thompson New York City Transit Police June 5, 1973 Police Officer Sidney Thompson was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a fare evader at IRT Station 2 in the Bronx. While attempting to arrest a suspect, the suspect’s companion shot him. Despite being wounded, Officer Thompson was able to return fire and wound the suspect he had originally stopped. He was assigned to Transit District 12. Both suspects were members of the Black Liberation Army and were apprehended several days later. Thompson was survived by his wife, son and daughter. Police Officer Sidney L. Thompson | New York City Transit Police Department, New York

Park Ranger Kenneth Patrick National Park Service August 5, 1973 Park Ranger Kenneth Patrick was shot and killed while making a traffic stop at Point Reyes National Seashore, California. The vehicle that he stopped contained several members of a militant group, known as the Black Panthers. One of the men opened fire on Ranger Patrick with a 9 mm handgun as he approached the car, wounding him. Ranger Patrick was wearing a winter coat and was unable to draw his weapon. The suspects began to drive away but returned and the shooter shot the wounded Ranger Patrick in the head, killing him. The suspect then stole Ranger Patrick’s service revolver and the group fled. Ranger Patrick was survived by his wife and four children. Park Ranger Kenneth Carmel Patrick | United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service, U.S. Government

Officer John Scarangella NYPD May 1, 1981 Police Officer John Scarangella succumbed to gunshot wounds received two weeks earlier when he and his partner were shot by heavily armed gunmen during a traffic stop on 116th Avenue, between 202nd Street and 203rd Street. Officer Scarangella and his partner stopped a van that fit the description of a van wanted in connection with several burglaries in the area. Before the officers could exit their vehicle, the two occupants of the van exited and opened fire with 9 millimeter semi-automatic handguns, firing a total of 30 shots. Officer Scarangella was struck twice in the head and his partner was struck 14 times in the legs and back. The suspects were members of the Black Liberation Army. Officer Scarangella was removed to the hospital where he died two weeks later. His partner was forced to retire in 1982 due to his wounds. He was survived by is wife, four siblings and three children. Police Officer John G. Scarangella | New York City Police Department, New York

Sergeant Edward O’Grady and Officer Waverly Brown Nyack Police Department October 20, 1981 Sergeant Edward O’Grady and Officer Waverly Brown were shot and killed by heavily armed members of a domestic terrorist group, the Weather Underground, who had just robbed a bank and were attempting to escape. The suspects had just murdered an armored car guard and wounded two other guards before loading themselves into the back of a rental truck to be driven away by accomplices. The truck was stopped at a roadblock manned by several Nyack officers. One of the female occupants in the cab of the truck told the officers their guns were making her nervous. Thinking they had stopped the wrong truck, the officers began to holster their weapons. Almost immediately afterwards several of the heavily armed men exited the back of the truck and opened fire with automatic weapons, fatally wounding Officer Brown and Sergeant O’Grady. The Weather Underground was also connected to the Black Liberation Army, which was responsible for the murders of at least one dozen other police officers throughout the country. The Weather Underground is believed responsible for the unsolved bombing murder of San Francisco, California, Police Department. Sergeant O’Grady was a Vietnam War veteran. He is survived by his wife and three children. Sergeant Edward J. O'Grady, Jr. | Nyack Police Department, New York Officer O’Grady Police Officer Waverly L. Brown | Nyack Police Department, New York Officer Brown

Officer Daniel Faulkner Philadelphia Police Department December 9, 1981 Police Officer Daniel J. Faulkner was shot and killed while making a traffic stop. Officer Faulkner stopped the driver of a light blue Volkswagen at the corner of Thirteenth and Locust Streets for driving the wrong way down a one-way street. Officer Faulkner had the driver exit the vehicle. As the officer was speaking with the driver, the driver struck him in the face. Officer Faulkner struck the driver back and attempted to take him into custody. As the officer was attempting to subdue the driver, the driver’s brother came running to the scene from a parking lot across the street. While Officer Faulkner’s back was turned, the brother opened fire, shooting him in the back four times. Officer Faulkner fell to the ground but was able to return fire, hitting the suspect. The wounded suspect was able to fire again as he stood over the fallen officer, shooting him in the face. The suspect attempted to flee but fell to the ground several feet from where he had just shot the officer. When back-up officers arrived, they found Officer Faulkner mortally wounded and the suspect, murder weapon in hand, laying several feet away. The suspect, who was a member of the racist group Black Panthers, was charged with murder. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in two separate trials. In December 2001, a federal judge overturned the death sentence and ordered a new sentencing hearing. In December 2011, the district attorney dropped a request for a new sentencing hearing and Officer Faulkner’s murderer and was subsequently sentenced to life in prison. Faulkner was survived by his wife. Police Officer Daniel J. Faulkner | Philadelphia Police Department, Pennsylvania

Deputy Ricky Kinchen Fulton County Sheriff’s Office March 17, 2000 Deputy Ricky Kinchen died from gunshot wounds he received the night before while he and another deputy were attempting to serve a warrant. The deputy and his partner, went to the suspect’s work place to serve the warrant. After failing to locate anyone at the business, they drove around the block and located a vehicle. While approaching the vehicle, the deputies told an individual standing next to it to show them his hands. At that time, the suspect responded by saying “Here they are,” and opened fire with a .223 caliber rifle, striking both deputies several times. Deputy Kinchen was struck in the abdomen and leg and was transported to a local hospital, where he died the next day. Deputy Kinchen was wearing a vest, however, the round struck him in an area not protected by the vest. The second deputy was struck several times and was admitted to the hospital in critical condition. The killer was originally wanted for several charges, including impersonating a police officer. The killer was a former member of the Black Panthers, a radical, militant group, with a long criminal record, including inciting a riot. He fled the scene after the shooting but was arrested several days later in Alabama. The deputies were unaware of the suspect’s background. On March 9, 2002, the killer was found guilty of 13 charges, including the murder of a police officer, in connection with Deputy Kinchen’s murder. Deputy Sheriff Ricky Leon Kinchen | Fulton County Sheriff's Office, Georgia

If you are aware of any other officers we have have missed, please let us know and we will add their information to this post.

Ptl Frank Buczek, Plainfield NJ PD was shot & killed by BPP in Aug 1971. PO Arthur Plate, NYPD 28 Pct, shot in face April 1971, died 1985.

Radical Chic: That Party at Lenny’s

Leonard Bernstein hosts the Black Panthers

By Tom Wolfe From the June 8, 1970 issue of New York Magazine.
http://nymag.com/news/features/46170/

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. These are nice. Little Roquefort cheese morsels rolled in crushed nuts. Very tasty. Very subtle. It’s the way the dry sackiness of the nuts tiptoes up against the dour savor of the cheese that is so nice, so subtle. Wonder what the Black Panthers eat here on the hors d’oeuvre trail? Do the Panthers like little Roquefort cheese morsels wrapped in crushed nuts this way, and asparagus tips in mayonnaise dabs, and meatballs petites au Coq Hardi, all of which are at this very moment being offered to them on gadrooned silver platters by maids in black uniforms with hand-ironed white aprons . . . The butler will bring them their drinks . . . Deny it if you wish to, but such are the pensées métaphysiques that rush through one’s head on these Radical Chic evenings just now in New York.

For example, does that huge Black Panther there in the hallway, the one shaking hands with Felicia Bernstein herself, the one with the black leather coat and the dark glasses and the absolutely unbelievable Afro, Fuzzy Wuzzy-scale in fact—is he, a Black Panther, going on to pick up a Roquefort cheese morsel rolled in crushed nuts from off the tray, from a maid in uniform, and just pop it down the gullet without so much as missing a beat of Felicia’s perfect Mary Astor voice. . . .

Felicia is remarkable. She is beautiful, with that rare burnished beauty that lasts through the years. Her hair is pale blond and set just so. She has a voice that is “theatrical,” to use a term from her youth. She greets the Black Panthers with the same bend of the wrist, the same tilt of the head, the same perfect Mary Astor voice with which she greets people like Jason, D.D. Adolph, Betty, Gian Carlo, Schuyler, and Goddard, during those après-concert suppers she and Lenny are so famous for. What evenings! She lights the candles over the dining room table, and in the Gotham gloaming the little tremulous tips of flame are reflected in the mirrored surface of the table, a bottomless blackness with a thousand stars, and it is that moment that Lenny loves. There seem to be a thousand stars above and a thousand stars below, a room full of stars, a penthouse duplex full of stars, a Manhattan tower full of stars, with marvelous people drifting through the heavens, Jason Robards, John and D. D. Ryan, Gian Carlo Menotti, Schuyler Chapin, Goddard Lieberson, Mike Nichols, Lillian Hellman, Larry Rivers, Aaron Copland, Richard Avedon, Milton and Amy Greene, Lukas Foss, Jennie Tourel, Samuel Barber, Jerome Robbins, Steve Sondheim, Adolph and Phyllis Green, Betty Comden, and the Patrick O’Neals . . .

. . . and now, in the season of Radical Chic, the Black Panthers. That huge Panther there, the one Felicia is smiling her tango smile at, is Robert Bay, who just 41 hours ago was arrested in an altercation with the police, supposedly over a .38-caliber revolver that someone had, in a parked car in Queens at Northern Boulevard and 104th Street or some such unbelievable place, and taken to jail on a most unusual charge called “criminal facilitation.”

And now he is out on bail and walking into Leonard and Felicia Bernstein’s 13-room penthouse duplex on Park Avenue. Harassment & Hassles, Guns & Pigs, Jail & Bail—they’re real, these Black Panthers. The very idea of them, these real revolutionaries, who actually put their lives on the line, runs through Lenny’s duplex like a rogue hormone. Everyone casts a glance, or stares, or tries a smile, and then sizes up the house for the somehow delicious counterpoint . . . Deny it if you want to! but one does end up making such sweet furtive comparisons in this season of Radical Chic . . .

There’s Otto Preminger in the library and Jean vanden Heuvel in the hall, and Peter and Cheray Duchin in the living room, and Frank and Domna Stanton, Gail Lumet, Sheldon Harnick, Cynthia Phipps, Burton Lane, Mrs. August Heckscher, Roger Wilkins, Barbara Walters, Bob Silvers, Mrs. Richard Avedon, Mrs. Arthur Penn, Julie Belafonte, Harold Taylor, and scores more, including Charlotte Curtis, women’s news editor of the New York Times, America’s foremost chronicler of Society, a lean woman in black, with her notebook out, standing near Felicia and big Robert Bay, and talking to Cheray Duchin.

Cheray tells her: “I’ve never met a Panther—this is a first for me!” . . . never dreaming that within 48 hours her words will be on the desk of the President of the United States . . .

This is a first for me. But she is not alone in her thrill as the Black Panthers come trucking on in, into Lenny’s house, Robert Bay, Don Cox the Panthers’ Field Marshal from Oakland, Henry Miller the Harlem Panther defense captain, the Panther women—Christ, if the Panthers don’t know how to get it all together, as they say, the tight pants, the tight black turtlenecks, the leather coats, Cuban shades, Afros. But real Afros, not the ones that have been shaped and trimmed like a topiary hedge and sprayed until they have a sheen like acrylic wall-to-wall—but like funky, natural, scraggly . . . wild . . .

These are no civil-rights Negroes wearing gray suits three sizes too big—

—no more interminable Urban League banquets in hotel ballrooms where they try to alternate the blacks and whites around the tables as if they were stringing Arapaho beads—

—these are real men!

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