Uploaded January 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
amazon.com/Wings-Fly-Jarnell-Stokes/dp/1734245204
Involving charges of conspiracy to commit violent acts, the Panther 21 trial—the longest and most expensive in New York history—revealed the illegal government activities which led to exile, imprisonment on false charges, and the assassination of Black liberation leaders
On April 2, 1969, 21 members of the Harlem Chapter of the Black Panther Party were formally indicted and charged with 156 counts of “conspiracy” to blow up subway and police stations, five local department stores, six railroads, and the Bronx-based New York Botanical Garden.
Afeni Shakur (facing 300 years of prison time) daringly chose to be her own attorney in court, partly because financial resources were already razor-thin. Afeni, however, meticulously conducted her own legal research, her own interviews, as well as in-court cross-examinations — fully realizing that “she would be the one serving, not the lawyers.” She was the only Panther who served as her own counsel.
Here was a small-framed, impoverished Black woman from the backwoods of Lumberton, N.C., staring down a full team of New York state prosecutors — and outwitting a full cast of establishment-owned media outlets. Here was a single mother with no formal degree going legally toe to toe with COINTELPRO.
Despite the odds, after all the surveillance, warrantless wiretapping, infiltration, and frame-ups, not one shred of state’s evidence stood up in court. In their undying efforts to “discredit,” it was revealed during the trial that the FBI had actually planted undercover infiltrators who, under oath, admitted their role as provocateurs.
Though the case of the Panther 21 was the longest trial in New York state history, on her own guts and wit, Afeni Shakur successfully secured her freedom. No money. No attorney. No privilege. Pregnant with her second child, Tupac Amaru Shakur. What Afeni was able to do in that courtroom was nothing short of miraculous. Magical. Mind-blowing.
On May 12, 1971, after two years of legal proceedings, all 21 Panthers were acquitted of the charges. The jury needed a mere 45 minutes to see the truth
amazon.com/Wings-Fly-Jarnell-Stokes/dp/1734245204
Involving charges of conspiracy to commit violent acts, the Panther 21 trial—the longest and most expensive in New York history—revealed the illegal government activities which led to exile, imprisonment on false charges, and the assassination of Black liberation leaders
On April 2, 1969, 21 members of the Harlem Chapter of the Black Panther Party were formally indicted and charged with 156 counts of “conspiracy” to blow up subway and police stations, five local department stores, six railroads, and the Bronx-based New York Botanical Garden.
Afeni Shakur (facing 300 years of prison time) daringly chose to be her own attorney in court, partly because financial resources were already razor-thin. Afeni, however, meticulously conducted her own legal research, her own interviews, as well as in-court cross-examinations — fully realizing that “she would be the one serving, not the lawyers.” She was the only Panther who served as her own counsel.
Here was a small-framed, impoverished Black woman from the backwoods of Lumberton, N.C., staring down a full team of New York state prosecutors — and outwitting a full cast of establishment-owned media outlets. Here was a single mother with no formal degree going legally toe to toe with COINTELPRO.
Despite the odds, after all the surveillance, warrantless wiretapping, infiltration, and frame-ups, not one shred of state’s evidence stood up in court. In their undying efforts to “discredit,” it was revealed during the trial that the FBI had actually planted undercover infiltrators who, under oath, admitted their role as provocateurs.
Though the case of the Panther 21 was the longest trial in New York state history, on her own guts and wit, Afeni Shakur successfully secured her freedom. No money. No attorney. No privilege. Pregnant with her second child, Tupac Amaru Shakur. What Afeni was able to do in that courtroom was nothing short of miraculous. Magical. Mind-blowing.
On May 12, 1971, after two years of legal proceedings, all 21 Panthers were acquitted of the charges. The jury needed a mere 45 minutes to see the truth
