Houston Chronicle - Black Panthers standing guard at some gas stations

[Catherine Vincent]

http://blogs.chron.com/hurricanes/2008/09/black_panthers_standing_guard.html

The Black Panther Party says it deployed 17 of its members to area gasoline station convenience stores to protect them from theft in the hours before and after Hurricane Ike makes landfall.

Owners asked the group to provide private security for their property, said Major Kenyha Shabazz, chairman of Peoples Party No. 3, the Houston affiliate of the Black Panther Party.

"These are the places that service our communities with food, water and fuel,'' Shabazz said. "We don't want these places torn up.''

During the daylight hours, Panthers were standing guard at boarded-up convenience stores in the East End, North Houston and Third, Fourth and Fifth wards. They planned to spend the night in the stores and be back out front at dawn.

"We hired these Black Panther people to take care of our two stores, one here on Dowling and the other one on Elgin,'' said Nabi Chowdhury, manager of a Mobil station on Dowling Street.

"We have confidence in them because for a long time we have known them, and their attitude and everything, we like,'' Chowdhury said.

...more

[XemaSab]

1. You can't make this shit up

:o

[RoadRage]

2. Umm.. what is the KKK watching over- the banks & car dealerships?

Sorry.. just not sure what to make of this story.

[Matariki]

10. There is NO comparison.

I'd suggest doing a little research on the Black Panther's history. And not just the sensationalize version.

Here's the first link from Google to get you started: http://www.stanford.edu/group/blackpanthers/programs.shtml

[Marnieworld]

13. Insulting comparison

I really hope that you read the link posted above. The Panthers were/are a community organization. This actually made sense to me when I read the headline.

[blogslut]

3. The Black Panthers?

Huh. I didn't realize they had that much of a presence in Houston. Tell, me, does Houston have Guardian Angels? I had a friend that brought them down to Dallas in the 80's but the effort kind of fizzled out.

[MsTryska]

4. I think that's kinda cool....

policing their own hood for the good of the community.

[bluestateguy]

5. FYI: These people are not the real Black Panthers

The real BPP dissolved in the late 1970's. The old veterans of the BPP (Bobby Seale, Elaine Brown, etc.) do not recognize these fools as the real BPP.

[MadrasT]

7. Why do you characterize them as "fools"?

I'm curious. I don't know anything about the "new" BPP.

[uppityperson]

11. I am curious also, why you call them fools, as I met one in Algiers after Katrina.

He was doing community organizing, setting up patrols, food kitchen, health care clinic. I am curious because I didn't know there were 2 groups of black panthers as you seem to be saying.

Edited for typo

[bluestateguy]

14. In response to you and #7

I have a bad taste in my mouth after the New Black Panthers showed up to Duke University to threaten and intimidate the Duke Lacrosse players, who we now know to have been innocent of the crimes that they were charged with.

That and a series of anti-Semitic statements made by their leaders over the years as well.

Indeed the Panthers of the 1960's and 1970's did do some very good community work, but as I said, that was a different Panther organization, with no connection to the people who call themselves Panthers today.

[uppityperson]

17. Interesting, I can understand feeling that way about those guys.

The one I met was really nice, helpful, trying to help his community. He said he was a former black panther, so maybe one of the older guys (was an older guy also)? Thanks for the info.

[Wiley50]

6. COOL! Glad to see the brothers stiill doing good work

Nixon gave them a bad rep

(for the record: I'm white)

[EFerrari]

9. I grew up believing every single word of the propaganda about

the BPP. It worked.

Good for these guys.

[kestrel91316]

8. Any port in a storm, as they say........

[LSK]

12. they could be saving peoples lives and helping clean up

but no these fucking pathetic poor excuses for human beings are saving some rich fucks insured inventory.

What the fuck happened to this country???

[uppityperson]

15. Um, they can't clean up yet. Patience, grasshopper.

Wait for the hurricane to pass, then they can save lives and clean up. If they tried to clean up now, it would blow/float all over again.

[io-solip]

16. Cui bono...and quid pro quo.

Those old Romans had a way with words, nu?
:D :rofl: