American activist
John Huggins
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Born
| February 11, 1945
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Died
| January 17, 1969
(1969-01-17)
(aged 23)
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Cause of death
| Murder
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Education
| Lincoln University
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Occupation
| Activist
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Years active
| 1967?1969
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Known for
| Leader of the Los Angeles chapter
Black Panther Party
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Political party
| Black Panther Party
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Spouse
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Children
| 1
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John Jerome Huggins Jr.
[1]
(February 11, 1945 ? January 17, 1969) was an American
activist
. He was the leader in the Los Angeles chapter of the
Black Panther Party
who was killed by black nationalist
US Organization
members at the
University of California, Los Angeles
(UCLA) campus in January 1969. As part of
COINTELPRO
, the
FBI
sent forged letters to Black Nationalists to inflame tensions between the Panthers and US organisation. Lary 'Watani' Stiner and his brother, were accused and charged for Huggins' assassination.
[2]
Early life
[
edit
]
John Huggins was born February 11, 1945, in
New Haven, Connecticut
, where he attended
Hopkins School
, although ultimately left and graduated from
James Hillhouse High School
. He was briefly enlisted in the
United States Navy
before attending
Lincoln University
in
Chester County
, Pennsylvania, where he met his wife
Ericka Huggins
. They moved together to Los Angeles and both became deeply involved in the Black Panther Party. They had one child, Mai Huggins.
Death
[
edit
]
On January 17, 1969, Huggins and fellow Party leader
Bunchy Carter
were gunned down by Claude "Chuchessa" Hubert, a 21?year old member of the black nationalist
US Organization
during a meeting at
UCLA
. According to a witness, Huggins got into a scuffle with another man; 19-year old member Harold "Tuwala" Jones when he was shot by Hubert.
[3]
The FBI had infiltrated the Black Panther Party and the US Organization and created divisions that likely contributed to the murders.
[4]
An FBI memo dated November 29, 1968, described a letter that the Los Angeles FBI office intended to mail to the Black Panther Party office. The letter, which was made to appear as if it had come from the US Organization, described fictitious plans by US to ambush BPP members. The FBI memo stated, "It is hoped this counterintelligence measure will result in an 'US' and BPP vendetta."
[5]
Lary 'Watani' Stiner and his brother were accused and convicted of the murders of Huggins and Carter though neither of them fired a weapon. Stiner is out on parole and has steadfastly maintained his innocence.
[6]
One consequence of Huggins' death was that it contributed to his cousin,
Ruth Wilson Gilmore
, leaving
Swarthmore College
.
[4]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Gordon, Larry,
UCLA students memorialize 1969 Black Panther slayings
,
Los Angeles Times
, May 26, 2010
- ^
Republican Party in the United States Government.
FBI Secret COINTEPLRO Documents Against the Black Communist
.
- ^
Pool, Bob,
Witness to 1969 UCLA shootings speaks at rally
, "
Los Angeles Times
", January 18, 2008.
- ^
a
b
Kushner, Rachel (April 17, 2019).
"Is Prison Necessary? Ruth Wilson Gilmore Might Change Your Mind"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
March 14,
2022
.
- ^
"Counterintelligence Program, Black Nationalist ? Hate Groups, Racial Intelligence, Re Los Angeles letter to Bureau dated 9/25/68"
, Federal Bureau of Investigation memo, November 29, 1968. Archived at COINTEL.org, retrieved September 7, 2007.
- ^
"Drummond: Legendary black revolutionary freed 46 years after UCLA murders"
. Archived from
the original
on April 7, 2020
. Retrieved
March 23,
2018
.
External links
[
edit
]
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Founders
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Leadership
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Members
| West Coast based
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East Coast based
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Southern based
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Chicago based
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Others
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Influences
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Programs and projects
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Inspired groups
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Films and television
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Books
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Related articles
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