Black panthers to march at Duke Univeristy

Newsobserver ^

[JaggedEdge]

DURHAM - The national chairman of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense says his group intends to march at Duke University on Monday to "deal directly" with lacrosse players about charges of rape of an escort service dancer at a team party.

Duke's campus police are coordinating with the Durham Police Department to prepare for the black-separatist group, which has a reputation for coming to its protests armed.

Malik Zulu Shabazz, a Washington lawyer who is the leader of the New Panthers, said he will be in Durham to rally with local black leaders and monitor progress of the criminal case against Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann, the two students charged with raping and kidnapping the dancer.

"We are conducting an independent investigation, and we intend to enter the campus and interview lacrosse players," Shabazz said Thursday. "We seek to ensure an adequate, strong and vigorous prosecution."

Duke is a private institution, and its campus is private property. Shabazz said he has not sought permission to enter but that his group has "received no word that we are not welcome."

John Burness, Duke's vice president for public affairs and community relations, said Thursday that the university will allow a controlled march on campus, as long as the New Black Panthers follow specific rules.

"As an institution we support free speech, and we will treat them like any other group," Burness said. "But we do not permit weapons. We will take necessary steps to keep the campus safe."

One of the key tenets of the New Black Panthers is owning firearms and knowing how to use them, according to the Anti-Defamation League, a national Jewish group that has monitored Shabazz and his followers for years.

"They are a racist and anti-Semitic group," said Myrna Shinbaum, a spokesperson for the New York-based league. "These guys come armed. They carry shotguns to demonstrations. The authorities down there should know this."

Asked whether his followers will be armed when they come to Duke, Shabazz chuckled and said, "I don't know if I can comment on that."

A flier distributed by the group this week displays photos of Finnerty and Seligmann and calls for those who have "had enough of disrespect and racism from Duke" to assemble at the front gates of the university's West Campus at 10 a.m.

"We as black men cannot sit idly by and allow white men to rape black women, regardless of what our sister (who by nature is a queen and a divine black woman) was doing," Shabazz is quoted as saying in a media release announcing the event.

In a telephone interview Thursday, Shabazz said he and several local black leaders will meet with Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong about the case Monday. Nifong did not return a message late Thursday seeking to confirm that a meeting is planned.

A "town hall" meeting is also planned at 6 p.m. Monday at St. Joseph's African Methodist Episcopal Church on Fayetteville Street. Shabazz is set to be the keynote speaker. The Rev. Philip R. Cousin Jr., the minister of the church and a Durham County commissioner, did not return calls about the event. Representatives of the NAACP and the Nation of Islam are also expected to attend.

New Panthers' origin

The New Black Panthers is listed as a racist hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization more often cited for its efforts to monitor the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis and other white supremacists. The Panthers is also disavowed by the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, named for the activist who helped found the original Black Panther Party in 1966.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, the New Panthers are a black separatist militia founded in 1990 by Khallid Muhammad, who was removed from a top leadership post at the Nation of Islam after Louis Farrakhan reportedly found his statements against Jews, Catholics and homosexuals too radical.

Shabazz became the group's leader in 2001, after Muhammad's death. He has drawn media headlines in recent years for claiming that Jews were evacuated from the World Trade Center before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and voicing support for Zacarias Moussaoui, the so-called "20th hijacker" who was found eligible for the death penalty this month for his role in the Sept. 11 plot.

Shabazz, who said the group's current membership numbers in the "low thousands," backed away from claims published in a Durham newspaper Thursday that the New Black Panthers are providing security for the dancer and her family after she received death threats.

The accuser's mother told The News & Observer on Thursday that Panthers came by the family's house Wednesday and offered their protection, but the family decline

[TommyDale]

I wonder why Governor Easley doesn't hold a press conference and offer the NC National Guard to protect the lacrosse team and the student body at Duke.

[Lewite]

Well good those black panthers will certainly straighten out that bunch of white southern trash at Duke. If anyone has great morals and convitions it is a bunch of dope ingesting gun toting black males.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

"We as black men cannot sit idly by and allow white men to rape black women, regardless of what our sister (who by nature is a queen and a divine black woman) was doing,"

[popdonnelly]

I don't know what happened at this party, but I do know that this woman once filed a complaint against three black men for raping her, and then did nothing further to follow up on it. So maybe she just likes to make accusations.

[TexKat]

FOXNews Video - Will Duke accuser's 1996 rape claim affect the case?

[Repub4bush]

Placemark for home

[Repub4bush]

Placemark for home

[maineman]

IMO the Black Panthers are there in Durham to intimidate the players, and try and get them to confess to something they did not do.



Um..I'd take the players in that fight. Have you ever seen lacrosse?

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

We as black men cannot sit idly by and allow white men to rape black women, regardless of what our sister (who by nature is a queen and a divine black woman) was doing," Shabazz is quoted as saying in a media release announcing the event."

If I may take some liberties here:

We as white men cannot sit idly by and allow black men to rape white women, regardless of what our sister (who by nature is a lady and a wonderful white woman) ) was doing," Mr.Whitesheet is quoted as saying in a media release announcing the event."
_____________________________

As far as I am concerned both statements above are equally revolting, repulsive and racist. Shabazz is the pot calling the kettle black (good pun! high-five myself!)

If it were not for the fact that students could get hurt, I would pay to see Mr Witesheet show up to challenge Shabazz. They could cancel each other out.

[F.J. Mitchell]

The only difference between the black panther gang and the KKK is skin pigmentation and how they are treated by the media.

The panther gang will most certainly be treated with more courtesy and dignity, during their thwart justice and intimidate prospective future jurors for the case march, than the KKK would receive in a similar march at NCCU, were they suicidal enough to make such a march.

If the administrators at Duke wish to retain even a minute appearance of credibility, they will protect their students, all of them by denying these thugs access to the Campus by whatever force is necessary.

[Enterprise]

" "We seek to ensure an adequate, strong and vigorous prosecution."

Uh, be careful for what you wish nimrod.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

Remembering what happened in Greensboro-I do not want to see violence. My suggestion reflects my disgust for race baiters across the country.

[F.J. Mitchell]

Anybody ever before now, recall a black dude refer to a female regardless of her status in life, by any other word except, (Well sort of a word) 'ho'?

Oops I forgot b*tch.

[SauronOfMordor]

The Black-whatever-their-latest-name-for-themselves-might-be can't do it on their own, but with the media, the Democratic Party and the U.N. among others focused above all else on bringing to fruition the destruction of conservatism-defined as the principles on which this nation was founded- and our own MSM leading world opinion against the United States, along with Islamofascism, and the blurring of what it means to be American through rampant illegal immigration of Latinos, we are on a path that will, in 20 years, result in there no longer being a United States of America.

I see the Black Panthers, Al Sharptons, Jesse Jacksons, etc, as the "thug enforcer" component of the Leftist grand scheme. In order to rule, you must have people who are willing and able to stomp on anybody who might challange you.

"Political Correctness" is part of this enforcement mechanism, with ostracism being enforced against any who dare openly voice ideas contrary to what the Left wants. But PC critique doesn't work, you need somebody to bust heads or burn out the opposition

[SauronOfMordor]

Um..I'd take the players in that fight. Have you ever seen lacrosse?

The players have their lacross sticks, The Panthers show up with guns. Who do you think wins?

The NC state law banning possession of firearms on campus by students needs to be repealed

[JLS]

Initially, I felt angry toward the white men in these incidents, but I soon realized that the real culprits are the performers and purveyors of hip-hop music, who have legitimized and popularized the degradation of black women.
_________________________________________________

Exactly, I think this whole incident began to go wrong when the kids started repeating some of the language of the music they grew up with.

The most offensive part, more offensive than calling someone a name is having words African-Americans are allowed to say, to sell on CDs to whites, but no one else dare say in public. Durham police were willing to send out a patrol car on the basis of such words being shooted at Kim "walking by." Think how outrageous that is. Because she claimed someone called her a "racial" name, they sent the police out.

[blueminnesota]

Hyper-reaction? Please....

I'm not going to waste my time trading comments with you, Mr. PC.

[Lurking in Kansas]

...we intend to enter the campus and interview lacrosse players...

Bwhaahahaha!! This enough to be good for a laugh.

[Alia]

I would pay to see Mr Witesheet show up to challenge Shabazz. They could cancel each other out.

Actually, they wouldn't. The very one thing racialist groups KKK and NBP have in common -- their hatred of Jews. They are in perfect accord on this.

Thanks for the ping, Howlin.

[Neverforget01]

If it were not for the fact that students could get hurt, I would pay to see Mr Witesheet show up to challenge Shabazz. They could cancel each other out

Exactly, we have to remember these are kids trying to finish final exams...not some racist thugs of any persuasion trying to start trouble. I'm sure Duke will go to all extremes to keep its kids safe. First smart move is to send the players home. No reason to enter the campus if players aren't there. Thankfully the immigration marches tomorrow will keep the cameras elsewhere..leave the kids alone.