A State of Self Defense: Dallas Black Panthers Educate Community about their Gun Rights to Counteract Police Murder of Black & Brown People
Monday, January 5, 2015 at 07:00PM Former Army Rangers and other citizens have donned their military attire and assault-rifles in response to police brutality.
The Black panthers have organized a paramilitary group in Dallas which states its goal of “going into our communities and educating our people on federal, state, and local gun laws. We want to stop fratricide, genocide—all the ‘cides.”
“A knife changes the whole game,” one of the ‘drill sergeants tells Vice.com as ‘troops’ are training how to perform slash and stab maneuvers.
The group is structured and behaves like a military outfit, only their cadences are slightly different.
“I used to salute the fucking flag!” the cadets chant. “Now I use it for a rag!” as they run with weight bags and simulate knife fights with dull machetes.
Their vegan co-founder, Charles Goodson, 31, united five different local black and brown paramilitary organizations to form the Huey P. Newton Gun Club.
The group has been more active in the recent months in response to the high profile police killings from around the nation.
According to the report by Vice.com the group is adamant about asserting their rights.
“This is perfectly legal!” the leader bellowed. “Justice for Michael Brown! Justice for Eric Garner!” came the hoarse cries from the formation. “No longer will we let the pigs slaughter our brothers and sisters and not say a damn thing about it,” the leader answered back. “Black power! Black power! Black power! Black power!”
This is hardly a ragtag group, they have been receiving donations from all across the county. Russell Wilson, the Dallas County District Attorney’s Bureau Chief has even expressed his support for the group.
“They have an absolute right to do what they do,” he told Vice.com. He believes they may be “restoring some people’s confidence and saying, ‘We’re not going to keep getting pushed around here.'”
Aptly named after the co-founder of the Black Panther Party, The Huey P. Newton Gun Club was founded to advocate gun rights and bring an end to violence against communities of color.
Their mission is clear.
In the past twelve years, the Dallas Police have shot and killed over seventy unarmed individuals. Those victims are primarily Black and Hispanic, as indicated by research released last week, with 2014 shootings on track to reach a record high. The Dallas Police who perpetrated these crimes against the people have sailed through a white-washed Internal Affairs and Grand Jury process, designed specifically to maintain the status quo: the murder of individuals based on race.
This deeply unjust process has resulted in zero indictments against police officers for the murder of unarmed individuals since 1973. These violent crimes will continue to occur unless the culture of violence against communities of color is ended.
Vice.com reports that the club was also formed partially as a response to the grass roots gun-advocacy group, Open Carry Texas. Since Texas is one of only six states which bans the open carrying of handguns, they are working to change this, and actually are.
Legislation is currently being proposed in the Texas House, that could allow for the open carrying of hand guns.
This type of militant reaction to government violence is hardly a new concept. The militia stems back to the founding of America. Ever hear of the “minute men”?
Reaction to state violence is simply self-defense. The Huey P. Newton Gun Club is not initiating unprovoked violence, nor are they attacking anyone. They are simply exercising the right from which all other rights are derived, self-defense.
As John Locke stated, self-defense is the first law of nature. Each person owns his or her own life and no other person has a right to take that life.
If the government is fearful or threatened by this reaction from its citizens, they should stop taking so many lives.
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