Fred Hampton was only 21 when he was shot and killed by Chicago police in 1969 while asleep in his bed next to his wife, who was nine months pregnant at the time. Although only 21, he was a brilliant mind and an extraordinary public speaker with a prodigious understanding of Black America’s struggle and the need for social and economic justice. He was considered a threat and was probably targeted by the FBI under Richard Nixon. First truly high profile case of police brutality …
Early in the morning of December 4th, 1969, Chicago police raided the home of a man named Fred Hampton and fatally shot him while he slept beside his girlfriend, Deborah, who was then nine months pregnant with their son. Only 21 at the time, Hampton had already been named the chairman of the Illinois Black Panthers and deputy chairman of the national party.
He was an extraordinary public speaker, with a prodigious understanding of the forces that oppress black Americans, and was committed to cooperating with other groups to bring about systemic social change. To the FBI under President Nixon, he was deemed a “radical threat.” Even before he became president, Nixon launched a campaign to vilify black Americans and justify raiding their homes unprovoked, incarcerating them in mass numbers, and even killing them under the pretense of “protecting the public.”.………READ MORE
