Black History : Here's How The Nation Responded When A Black Militia Group Occupied A Government Building

[Clyde C Coger Jr]

In the Spirit of Sankofa,



Here's How The Nation Responded When A Black Militia Group Occupied A Government Building

Nearly 50 years ago, a group of armed Black Panthers entered the California state Capitol to protest a gun control bill


When armed militants seized a government building in Burns, Oregon, on Saturday, stating their willingness to "kill and be killed" and promising to stay for "years," the official response wascautious and restrained. Many onlookers wondered whether this would still be the case if the militants were people of color instead of white people.

If you're not familiar with the history of protest in the U.S., you might not know that the armed occupation of government buildings hasn't always been just for white guys. In fact, on May 2, 1967, a group of 30 Black Panthers walked into the California state Capitol building, toting rifles and shotguns and quickly garnering national headlines ...


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/black-panthers-california-1967_568accfce4b014efe0db2f40

WALT ZEBOSKI/ASSOCIATED PRESS
A member of the Black Panthers Party stands in the corridor of the California State Capitol Building on May 2, 1967

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[Clyde C Coger Jr]

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When the NRA Opposed Open Carry

In my column last week, I noted that the National Rifle Association had backed away from criticism of the open carry movement in response to objections from Second Amendment activists. Despite differences over tactics, said Chris Cox, the NRA's chief lobbyist, "the National Rifle Association supports open carry…unequivocally." One reason some critics view the NRA as insufficiently zealous in protecting gun rights is that the organization, contrary to its current reputation, has a history of accommodating demands for gun control. Back in 1967, for instance, the NRA supported the Mulford Act, which banned open carrying of loaded firearms in California. The law, a response to the Black Panthers' conspicuous exercise of the right to armed self-defense, also was supported by Gov. Ronald Reagan, whom the NRA endorsed for president in 1980 as a reliable defender of the Second Amendment ...

https://reason.com/blog/2014/06/17/when-the-nra-opposed-open-carry

WALT ZEBOSKI/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Assemblyman Willie L. Brown Jr. (D-San Francisco), center, talks to an armed member of the Black Panther Party in the corridor of the California state Capitol

Mulford's legislation, which became known as the "Panthers Bill," passed with the support of the National Rifle Association, which apparently believed that the whole "good guy with a gun" thing didn't apply to black people. California Gov. Ronald Reagan (R), who would later campaign for president as a steadfast defender of the Second Amendment, signed the bill into law.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/black-panthers-california-1967_568accfce4b014efe0db2f40

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[bientempo]

small difference between occupying a state capital building, and a tourist site that is miles from nowhere, and closed.