On May 14, Rodney Hinton Jr. pleaded insanity for killing a Cincinnati police officer one day after an officer killed his son. Thirty minutes north of Cincinnati, the Lincoln Heights Safety and Watch program patrols the streets — armed.
On February 7, a neo-Nazi group marched into the oldest Black, self-governed community north of the Mason-Dixon Line, brandishing swastikas and shouting slurs. Black residents seized and burned their fascist flags. Police didn’t record identifying information or make arrests, prioritizing “de-escalation.” So, the Safety and Watch program emerged.
Armed patrollers start their days ensuring local children get to school safely. Supportive yard signs have appeared around town. One mom says she feels more “secure,” trusting the patrols more than the police.
In the 60s, the Black Panthers were on patrol — following police around Oakland. They’d watch and draw loaded shotguns when cops stopped for potential arrests. Even police admitted their presence was “intimidating.” When confronted directly, Panthers recited their legal rights. When refused them, they had guns. But as California restricted gun rights and cops continued both extrajudicial and judicial violence, they realized the “law” and resistance clashed. The Panthers had to become a vanguard party. A revolution.
Today, Black America stands at the same crossroads. Police roam at will as armed supercitizens. Black self-defense, legal and illegal, risks criminalization. But here’s what we know: they feared our collective power in the ’60s. They fear it now.