1969: Panther 21 Trial and Incarceration

Twenty-one members of the New York chapter of the Black Panthers are arrested and accused of conspiracy to bomb police stations. Exorbitant bail amounts ensure that they remain in jail while on trial. From Rikers, a 17-year-old Party member, Katara, asserts that as detainees, “we must be revoltent rival captives.” He and Jamal Joseph, then just 16 years old, begin holding political education classes at the Adolescent Remand Shelter. Afeni Shakur, Joan Bird, and Sharon Williams stage a hunger strike at the women’s facility in response to targeting by jail officials. After a two-year ordeal, all 21 Panthers are acquitted.