Bobby Hutton
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
|
Related e |
|
Featured: |
Bobby Hutton, or "Lil' Bobby," was the youngest member of the Black Panther Party. He joined soon after the conception of the BPP in 1966 at the age of 16.
On April 6, 1968, he was killed by Oakland Police after a firefight in Oakland, California. Eight Black Panther Party members, including Hutton, Eldridge Cleaver and David Hilliard, were traveling in two cars when they were about to be arrested by the Oakland police. Cleaver and Hutton ran for cover and found themselves in a basement surrounded by police. A 50-man assault force pounded bullets into the house where they hid for ninety minutes. When a tear-gas canister that had been thrown into the basement caught fire, Eldridge and Bobby agreed to surrender. Eldridge was not able to walk because a bullet had hit his leg. He told Bobby to take off his clothes so the police could not accuse him of hiding a weapon, but Bobby only removed his shirt. Then he walked out into the floodlights in front of the house with his hands in the air and was shot 12 times and died instantly. Only the shouts from the crowd drawn by the gunfire saved Eldridge from an immediate death when he crawled out of the basement behind Bobby. Eldridge Cleaver was with him and was wounded. Some events of that night are disputed by the Oakland Police department. Different stories from involved parties can be found here. Of course most of this is speculation.
Actor Marlon Brando attended his funeral.
A park in Oakland, California, has been unofficially named after him.
The 1968 album "Together", by Country Joe and the Fish, was dedicated to Hutton.
He is mentioned by Tupac Shakur in the song "Ghetto Gospel" and the Smif-N-Wessun song "Still Fighting."
