Armed Black Panthers blocked a doorway to a polling location and intimidated voters in Philadelphia, Pa., according to Republican poll observers.
After one of two men wearing Black Panther gear brandished a nightstick to threaten voters, a poll watcher called police. He said he then walked back outside and the man with a night stick told him, "'We're tired of white supremacy' and he starts tapping the nightstick in his hand. At which point I said, 'OK, we're not going to get in a fist fight right here,' and I called the police." A poll watcher with the University of Pennsylvania asked the men who they were with. The man with the nightstick responded, "Uh, security," and asked why he was taking pictures. He told them, "I think it might be a little intimidating that you have a stick in your hand." He continued, "I am a concerned citizen, and I'm just worried that …" "So are we, and that's why we're here," the Black Panther with the nightstick interrupted. Officers escorted the man with the nightstick away from the polling location, but the other person in Black Panther gear is a poll watcher. He was allowed to remain on the premises. Minister Najee Muhammad, national field marshal for the New Black Panther Party, told a crowd Nov. 2 that the Black Panthers would send members to polling sites on Election Day, the Jackson Sun reported. "We will not allow some racists and other angry whites, who are upset over an impending Barack Obama presidential victory, to intimidate blacks at the polls," he said. "Most certainly, we cannot allow these racist forces to slaughter our babies or commit other acts of violence against the black population, nor our black president." Uhuru Shakur, chairman of the Atlanta chapter, said, "We love Barack Obama – he gives our people great hope and light for advancement. Every president America has had has been a white man. Now the black man must be given his time to rule. Obama is a man of justice and a leader who wants to do right." Shakur warned, "We will be at the polls in the cities and counties in many states to ensure that the enemy does not sabotage the black vote, which was won through the blood of the martyrs of our people." --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
