6 chapters across the catalog
The segment focuses on Fred Hampton, the 21-year-old chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, who was assassinated in a 1969 police raid. Hampton is heard criticizing the "Weathermen" and SDS as "custeristic" and "misguided," while advocating for disciplined political education. The hosts highlight Hampton's oratorical style as a precursor to hip-hop and discuss J. Edgar Hoover's fear of a "Black Messiah" who could unite the street youth.
Malik Shabazz of the New Black Panther Party appears in archival footage from Fox News, demanding a guilty verdict for the Duke players. Even after charges were dropped, Shabazz refused to apologize, citing a historical context of sexual violence against Black women in America. He shifted blame to prosecutor Mike Nifong for "botching" the case rather than admitting the players were innocent.
Investigative journalist Seth Rosenfeld's research reveals that Richard Aoki, the man who provided the Black Panther Party with its first firearms and weapons training, was an undercover FBI informant. The hosts argue that the FBI purposefully armed the Panthers to create a public image of "scary" armed black men, which was then used to justify the implementation of stricter gun control laws in California.
The Baltimore chapter of the Black Panther Party is revealed to have been started by an army veteran working for the National Security Agency (NSA) as part of a COINTELPRO operation. After establishing the chapter to monitor the national organization, the agent was "lent" to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to serve as an agent provocateur in Canada. The hosts use this to illustrate the long history of international intelligence agencies manufacturing domestic movements.
A clip from "The Wire" featuring Senator Clay Davis illustrates the intersection of the church, the police, and city politics. This is followed by a historical account of how the FBI and NSA used COINTELPRO tactics to start a Black Panther Party chapter in Baltimore for surveillance purposes. The police department reportedly used this intelligence to undermine Black mayoral candidates in 1971.
The Democratic Party is described as being in a difficult position, balancing its traditional gun control platform with a voting base that is increasingly interested in firearm ownership for self-defense. The hosts note that historical civil rights figures, including Martin Luther King Jr., sought armed protection despite the non-violent narrative.
