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Huey P. Newton Gun Club

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Huey P. Newton Gun Club
Co-foundersBabu Omowale
Yafeuh Balogun
Rakem Balogun[1][2]
FoundedAugust 20, 2014
HeadquartersDallas, Texas, United States
IdeologyBlack empowerment
Black nationalism
Gun rights
Anti-capitalism
SloganFreedom
Website
hueypnewtongunclub.org

The Huey P. Newton Gun Club is a group[2] named after Black Panther Party co-founder and Minister of Defense Huey P. Newton.[3]

The group teaches self-defense and has staged armed protests in favor of African American gun rights[2] and against police brutality.[4] The club was founded by Rakem Balogun,[5] Yafeuh Balogun[6] and Babu Omowale.[7][8]

The group garnered national attention in August 2014 for its open carry patrols. Yafeuh Balogun expressed the hope that the club would continue to grow and eventually become a mainstream gun-rights organization.[9]

Activity

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In August 2014, the Huey P. Newton Gun Club staged their first openly armed patrol through a predominantly black neighborhood in South Dallas, where police killed an unarmed black man named James Harper in 2012.[10][11] Since then, Balogun reported that donations to the club have poured in from around the country, and their membership has more than doubled. The club staged another protest in October of the same year.[9]

In 2016, the coalition held a counter-protest at the Muhammad Mosque in South Dallas in response to a demonstration by the anti-Islamic Bureau of American Islamic Relations (BAIR). Both parties were armed and police were present during the protest, which ended shortly without any violence.[12][13][14]

Also in 2016, both Rakem and Yafeuh Balogun distanced themselves from the organisation. Rakem Balogun has cited the growing influence of the New Black Panther Party, whom he deemed a Black Separatist group, over the group as the reason for their departure.[5] However, during a 2019 interview on Klepper, Rakem Balogun is seen leading a demonstration including three participants in Huey P. Newton Gun Club paraphernalia.[15] Due to the disagreement in the direction the club was taking the Huey P. Newton Gun Club Alpha company was formed by Yafeuh Balogun, as a way to adhere to the original socialist and intercommunal ideology of the Black Panther Party, in particular Huey P. Newton.

In May 2019, nine armed members appeared at a demonstration in Dayton, Ohio.[16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "On the ground with America's Black Power soldiers". bbc.co.uk. BBC Online. 18 May 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Subramanian, Courtney (11 July 2016). "Are US black separatist groups on the rise?". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 2016-07-13.
  3. ^ "Police Shootings Highlight Unease Among Black Gun Owners". The New York Times. 9 July 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  4. ^ "Huey P. Newton Gun Club leads open-carry rally in South Dallas". Retrieved 2016-07-06.
  5. ^ a b Simek, Peter (October 2018). "The Right to Bear Arms (And Say Shocking Stuff on Facebook)". D Magazine. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  6. ^ "Dallas Shooter Followed Black Militant Groups". news.sky.com. Sky News. 9 July 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  7. ^ Atkinson, Khorri (9 July 2016). "Black Gun Owners in Texas Decry Racial Bias". texastribune.org. The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  8. ^ Steele, Tom (10 July 2016). "Black militia says Dallas shooter 'shall be celebrated one day'". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  9. ^ a b Smith, Aaron Lake (5 Jan 2015). "Huey P. Newton Gun Club in Dallas Are Responding to Police Brutality with Armed Community Patrols". VICE Media. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
  10. ^ Rajwani, Naheed (20 August 2014). "Huey P. Newton Gun Club leads open-carry rally in South Dallas". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
  11. ^ Chadde, Sky (2014-08-21). "Armed Huey P. Newton Gun Activists and Black Panthers Marched Through Dallas Yesterday". Dallas Observer. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
  12. ^ "Armed clash over black mosque triggers anger in South Dallas". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  13. ^ "Planned Anti-Islamic protest causes confusion". fox4news.com. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  14. ^ "Racial Showdown In Dallas: Black Panther Muslims and White Anti-Mosque Activists Face Off with Guns in Texas". International Business Times. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  15. ^ Klepper, Jordan (June 6, 2019). "This Is My Gun, These Are My Rights". Klepper. Season 1. Episode 6. Event occurs at 11. Comedy Central.
  16. ^ "'This ugly chapter is over': No arrests, no injuries at KKK rally in Ohio". USA TODAY. May 25, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019. Nine members from the Huey P. Newton Gun Club – a group that advocates for African-American gun rights – arrived in full tactical gear with rifles.
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