Fred Hampton, Sr.

Rise to Power Fred Hampton, Sr. joined the black panther party at the age of 19 He was a remarkable public speaker and his early works included weekly rallies throughout Chicago, a People’s Clinic that taught political education at 6 am every morning along with helping to initiate the black party’s free breakfast program By the age of 20, Hampton became the leader of the Chicago Chapter His work later landed him a position on the party’s national committee that he would never be able to take due to his tragic death.

Federal Investigation During the height of Hampton’s reign the party included some regimes more radical than others. Plots by some groups of panthers to make direct attacks on government institutions and police officials through a “days of rage” rally had come to the attention of the FBI. Though Hampton, his Chicago chapter, and many other party members did not agree to participate in such a rally, the FBI associated them with it due to their political affiliation. Fred’s powerful speeches and organizational skills made him a target for thorough suspicion and investigation.

Federal Investigation The FBI saw Hampton as a threat and felt a need to eliminate him in any way possible. The FBI and the Chicago Police Department allegedly conspired to have an informant spy on the party activities and act as security for the party while gathering intelligence on the chapter’s apartment floor plan and how many member’s lived there. When the FBI gathered the information a raid was authorized by the state attorney and a memo was sent to J. Edgar Hoover stating, “a positive course of action is underway,” (

The Raid William O’Neal, the police informant, and other members return home on the night of Dec. 3, 1969 after one of the many free workshops offered by the party. O’Neal volunteers to cook dinner that night slipping large doses of a sleep-aid in the drinks of other party members. O’Neal leaves the apartment at about 1:30 the morning of Dec. 4, 1969 while everyone is asleep. At around 4:30 am the Chicago Police Department Kicked in the door to the panther apartment and opened fire. The first person killed was Mark Clark who was sleeping in the living room when the police busted in. He managed to get one shot at the police before he died. Police gunfire from the living room went through the wall and entered the bedroom of Hampton, Sr. and his girlfriend who was then carrying Fred Hampton, Jr.

Following the Raid Two Officers then entered Hampton’s bedroom where he was suffering from wounds to the shoulder and shot him at pointblank range, he died instantly. The police then arrested the remaining living, but wounded Panther’s and charged them with attempted murder and aggravated assault. The FBI and the Chicago PD immediately started their cover-up following the arrest and even made up a false investigation as to what happened claiming that the Panther’s attacked them as they entered the home with a warrant. A later investigation done on the party’s behalf concluded that the party members fired no more than four shots from the apartment compared to the more than two-hundred that entered the apartment.