Samuel L. Jones was in hiding from white supremacists. His friend, Dr. Calvin P. Davis, stationed 25 armed Black men around Jones's home. What made Jones a target?
The Black Panther Party brought the heat to Bill Boyette's storefronts because he refused to donate to the Panthers’ community service programs. Boyette claimed to support the Panthers' programs, but his lip service wasn't enough.
The Black Panthers expected some financial support from local Black-owned businesses. One large "hush-mouth gift" or a bunch of empty words wouldn’t cut it. If a Black business wanted to operate in their neighborhood, they had to put some money into neighborhood programs, periodt.
That's why, from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m on that August day, the Panthers and their supporters picketed outside Bill's Liquor Stores, urging the community to turn their backs on Bill just like he’d turned his on them. The Panthers vowed not to leave until Boyette changed his mind. A year later, Congressman Ronald Dellums brokered a compromise that ended the boycott.
To reach Black liberation, we must commit ourselves to each other. Sometimes, that may mean opposing those standing in the way of Black liberation. Remember, all skinfolk ain't kinfolk.