The Man Who Armed the Black Panthers

Out of the list the videos that really interested me the most was the one titled ” The Man Who Armed the Panthers “. Now I say this because I did not know how they originally got their hands on weapons. So when watching this 10 minute video it is interesting because right off the bat they tell you that the man who armed the “BPP” was Richard Aoki. It is also key to understand that since this was only around the 1960s most people that knew the “BPP” were still alive because it had only been anywhere from 30 to 40 years. I like that the reporter who was writing about the Panthers brought in an informant that was a former member of the FBI named Burney Threadgill. When the reporter questions Aoki he asks if Aoki remembers Threadgill, and Aoki claims no he didn’t but which is a thing most controversial people do to bury the past. Aoki understood the issues at hand because of another figure who was Malcom X. He provided guns and training which is really good to see because he was a Japanese man and people never thought that this was possible. The FBI used him as an informant but did not black out his name which is an old thing to do unless they considered him low valuable. I overall enjoyed this film because it was able to pack in a lot of information over the 10 minutes. I like the ending where Aoki says that the FBI never paid him and that the whole situation was complex. Overall rating is a 7.8 out of 10.

Edit Film review : Judas and the Black Messiah Now going into this film I had no idea of what to expect for some reason as I’ve never actually seen it when I was taught about the BPP when in high-school. They mostly kept it to books and articles. However during this particular film I enjoyed it all the way through. I really enjoyed when William O’Neale (Bill) started mentally degrading because of all the pressure he is going through while working with the FBI and BPP. Over the course of his character arc he went from being mentally clear to being mentally unstable. It is crazy to think about because when he met another agent that gave him something to make Fred Hampton sleep longer. That same agent after walking away and getting in his car while Bill followed and screamed for an ID hands Bill back his own fake ID. I lost it at that moment like woah. It really was like Bill was being tormented by the FBI as well because they just wouldn’t let him escape. Anyway I give this movie based on character acting , historic accuracy , etc a solid 8.4 out of 10.