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Fred Hampton was Born
Fred Hampton was born in Summit Argo, Illinois. HIs parents came from Louisiana during the Great Migration. His family was acquainted with the family of Emmett Till. Emmett Till was lynched in 1955 during a visit to Mississippi. -
Fred Hampton graduates high school
Fred Hampton attended Proviso East High School and graduated with honors. During his high school years he led walkouts to protest black exclusion from the Homecoming Queen competition. He also called from officials to hire more black educators and administrators. He organized a student section of the NAACP and stayed with the organization after he graduated. -
Fred Hampton Joins the Black Panther Party
In 1968 Hamptons left the NAACP and helped found the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party. He felt as though the NAACP was too "by the book". -
Chairman
In November of 1968 Fred Hampton became chairman of the Illinois chapter. He formed the Rainbow Coalition which helped to reach treaties between gangs. He also helped organize medical, transportation and food programs for the black community. -
William O' Neal makes an agreement with the FBI
Facing felony charges, William O'Neal was offered a deal from the FBI for exchange for his freedom. He was to infiltrate the Black Panthers and provide information for their COINTELPRO operation. This operation began in 1950 and meant to surveil and disrupt political organizations that the FBI deemed threatening. The FBI had been watching Hampton and the BPP. The government, including President Hoover, were concerned. -
FBI Investigation
The FBI opens a file on Hampton. They placed him on the "Agitator Index" and they wire tapped Hampton's mothers phone line, hoping to gain information on the BPP's meetings. -
O'Neal joins BPP
O'Neal joins the Black Panther Party and becomes the Director of Chapter Security and Hampton's bodyguard. Behind the scenes, he was working with the FBI to dismantle the BPP breakfast program and create rifts between the Panthers and other political organizations in the area like the Blackstone Rangers. -
Women in the BPP
Fred Hampton has a meeting about sexism. He condemns it and calls in "counter-revolutionary". This results in an increase of women who join the BPP -
Hampton goes to prison
In 1968 Fred was accused of theft and assault. He was convicted and served time in prison. Many considered this as an attempt by the FBI to stop Hamptons political movement -
Speech of 1969
Fred Hampton delivers a powerful speech about revolution, racism and equality. A key quote from this speech, "You can murder a liberator but you can't murder liberation" -
Assassination
The FBI and the Chicago Police Department organize a raid of Hampton's apartment. During this raid, they fired over 100 bullets resulted in the deaths of Hampton and Mark Clark, a fellow Black Panther. William O'Neal, the paid informant provided the FBI with floor plans of Hamptons apartments and details of the Black Panthers meetings. -
1970 Civil Rights Lawsuit
The relatives of Hampton and Clark filed a civil suit states that their civil rights were violated by the FBI and they were seeking 47 million in damages. In judge dismissed the suit and it was appealed in 1979. The court found that the government had withheld documents and obstructed the judicial process. In 1982 a settlement was reached for 1.85 million.