On the one hand, the guns were there to help capture the imagination of the people. But more important, since we knew that you couldn’t observe the police without guns, we took our guns with us to let the police know that we have an equalizer.
Meaning of the quote
The quote from American activist Bobby Seale explains that guns were used to grab people's attention and show the police that his group had the same power as them. He says they knew they couldn't watch the police without also having guns, so they brought their own guns to let the police know they had the same ability to use force.
About Bobby Seale
Bobby Seale, an American political activist, co-founded the Black Panther Party and played a key role in the civil rights movement. He faced legal battles, including the Chicago 8 trial and New Haven Black Panther trials, but his legacy as a prominent figure in the fight for racial justice endures.
More quotes from Bobby Seale
They came down on us because we had a grass-roots, real people’s revolution, complete with the programs, complete with the unity, complete with the working coalitions, where we crossed racial lines.
co-founder of the Black Panther Party
The first point was we wanted power to determine our own destiny in our own black community. And what we had done is, we wanted to write a program that was straightforward to the people. We didn’t want to give a long dissertation.
co-founder of the Black Panther Party
On the one hand, the guns were there to help capture the imagination of the people. But more important, since we knew that you couldn’t observe the police without guns, we took our guns with us to let the police know that we have an equalizer.
co-founder of the Black Panther Party
We were like heroes, to stand there and observe the police, and the police were scared to move upon us.
co-founder of the Black Panther Party
You don’t fight racism with racism, the best way to fight racism is with solidarity.
co-founder of the Black Panther Party