1997-10-25 04:00:00 PDT OAKLAND — The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was about politics, as its name implies, not about destruction. This is the cry of David Hilliard, who has taken up the task of reminding the old and teaching the young that the Panthers were idealism in action at a time when Oakland needed it most. Today, Hilliard, the party’s former chief of staff, leads the first- ever bus tour of Panther historical sites in Oakland. The trip, which he hopes to repeat once a month to raise money for the nonprofit Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, will cover a lot of ground in a short time. This is possible because so many landmark Panther actions were compressed into a small section of the city during a period of only two to three years. “The gravity of the situation boggles my mind even yet,” said Hilliard, 55. Panther history is subject to interpretation, and the tour reflects Hilliard’s version of what mattered during his time with the party, from 1966 to 1974. Just one year brackets the most notable extremes. In the spring of 1967, Newton, the party’s founder and role model, came up with the idea of sending… Read full this story
- Trial shows greed, machinations of China's elite
- Hong Kong celebrities flock to show their love for China as the city's anti-Beijing protests intensify
- 28 photos that show where US presidents have lived
- Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden kick off North American tour
- Members of a private club for ‘elite’ millennials want their money back
- Long weekend movies, shows to watch
- The fabulous, beer-filled life of reclusive billionaire party animal Mike Ashley
- Top American Tour de France team says it’ll have to shut down if it doesn’t find $7 million in the next week
- Newly disclosed Facebook ads show Russia's cyber intrusion
- Anti-Marcos groups brave the rain for Black Friday protest
Tour of Black Panther Sites / Former member shows how party grew in Oakland have 304 words, post on www.sfchronicle.com at January 29, 2012. This is cached page on Vietnam Colors. If you want remove this page, please contact us.