As people witness the protests continue across the country, as America is forced to face years of racial injustice, one can’t help but think of how history is somehow repeating itself.
In the turbulent 60’s, young activists demanded the acknowledgement of systemic racism and social injustice and how it put Black and brown people at a disadvantage.
While we hear "Black lives matter" today, back then, we heard chants of "Black power", mostly from the Black Panther Party. An organization who would become heroes to the Black community but a threat to the federal government.
50 years ago the Panthers had a presence in the New Orleans community. More specifically, the Desire Housing Project, which was home to one of America’s largest and poorest communities. Their presence according those who lived in the community at that time, was very welcomed.
But, their reputation of violence against police officers made them a threat to the New Orleans Police Department, leading to a 30-minute shootout in the Desire Projects and a week's long effort to stop the Panthers from gaining a stronghold on the Desire community. What brought those young men and women to the Desire Projects leading to that standoff that began on Piety Street? In "The Story Behind the Standoff" you will hear from some of those involved about what happened in the Desire 50 years ago and implications it has on the city today.
