41st and Central:
The Untold Story of the L.A. Black Panthers
http://uprisingradio.org/home/?p=12820
Published 24 Mar 2010
In the 1940s, the grandchildren of slaves began migrating from
southern states to Los Angeles in search of a refuge from racism,
only to be greeted by more racism. With crosses burning in Inglewood
and Culver city as late as the 1960s, and a militant police force led
by Chief William Parker that drew support from the FBI and recruited
officers from the South, Los Angeles was not the bastion of freedom
African Americans had hoped it would be. Enter the Black Panthers.
41st and Central, a new documentary written, produced, and directed
by Gregory "G. Bone" Everett, himself son of a black panther, traces
the history of the Southern California chapter of the Black Panther
party from its inception to its demise. The film explores the Party's
face-offs with the LAPD and the Us Organization, a rival group, as
well as the UCLA killings of the charismatic Alprentice "Bunchy"
Carter and John Huggins, and the 1969 shootout between the LAPD and
the Black Panthers on 41st Street and Central. The film features new
interviews with former Black Panther Party members including Ericka
Huggins, Ronald Freeman, Wayne Pharr, Jeffrey Everett, Long John
Washington, and Muhammad Mubarak, alongside former LAPD Chief Bernard
Parks, Us member Wesley Kabaila, and UCLA Prof. Scot Brown.These
interviews combined with archival footage, makes "41st and Central" a
compelling picture of the often-overlooked issue of racism in Los
Angeles, and the revolutionary black movement that tried to fight it.
GUESTS: Gregory Everett, Writer, Director and Producer, Gary Walker, Producer
The Pan African Film & Arts Festival Presents
A Limited One Week Engagements Beginning at March 26th
at Culver Plaza Theaters 9919 Washington Blvd. Los Angeles
Special Event Showing on March 27th (4pm Red Carpet / 5 pm Screening)
For more information, visit www.41central.com
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Reopening The Book On A Chapter Of L.A.'s History
http://la.metblogs.com/2010/03/26/reopening-the-book-on-a-chapter-of-l-a-s-history/
By WILL CAMPBELL
March 26th, 2010
A couple years ago while organizing the IAAL•MAF's second "Watts
Happening" bike ride to the Watts Towers and back, I decided to
history things up a bit with stops along the way at places of
significance and interest, such as the childhood home of Nobel Peace
Prize Winner Ralph Bunche, the Central Avenue Jazz District, and the
former site of Wrigley Stadium. Another place we visited was 4115 S.
Central Avenue, the location of what once was the headquarters of the
L.A. chapter of the Black Panthers and the site where an infamous
five-hour shootout took place between the LAPD and members of the
party on December 9, 1969:
The LAPD deployed its new SWAT team, a warrant, a battering ram,
helicopters, a tank, trucks, dynamite, and 400 police officers to
raid three L.A. Black Panther Party facilities including the Central
Avenue headquarters. The raid bore much similarity to the raid
against the Chicago BPP led four days prior by the FBI and Chicago
police. For instance, the government's plan called for the police to
focus gunfire at chapter leader Geronimo Pratt's bed; however, Pratt
was sleeping on the floor at the time. But whereas the Chicago raid
ended with Panthers Fred Hampton and Mark Clark murdered, the L.A.
Panthers, under Geronimo Pratt's leadership, stood their ground. Only
after exchanging fire with the police for five hours did the Panthers
surrender, alive.
Excerpted from the Hartford Web Publishing Archives
It's a violent episode of our city's history of which you don't find
much mention but surprise surprise, while biking to work this morning
through Culver City past the Culver Plaza Movie Theaters on
Washington Boulevard, I happened to look over my shoulder and a title
on the marquee caught my eye: "41st & Central: The Untold Story of
the L.A. Black Panthers." http://41central.com/
As fate and timing would have it the new documentary by Gregory
Everett opens there tonight, and I just wanted to pass along that it
runs through April 1, presented by the Pan African Film & Arts
Festival. If I can't find the time to check it out on the big screen
I'm certainly going to be looking for the film on DVD!
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