steven randall's List: Philadelphia Politics

Involvement with the Black Panthers

In his own writings, Abu-Jamal describes his adolescent experience of being "kicked ... into the Black Panther Party" after suffering a beating from white racists and a policeman for his efforts to disrupt a George Wallace for President rally in 1968.^[17] The following year, at the age of 15, he helped form the Philadelphia branch of the Black Panther Party,^[18] taking appointment, in his own words, as the chapter's "Lieutenant of Information", exercising a responsibility for authoring propaganda and news communications. In one of the interviews he gave at the time he quoted Mao Zedong, saying that "political power grows out of the barrel of a gun".^[19] That same year, he dropped out of Benjamin Franklin High School and took up residence in the branch's headquarters.^[18] He spent late 1969 in New York City and early 1970 in Oakland, living and working with BPP colleagues in those cities.^[20] He was a party member from May 1969 until October 1970 and was subject to Federal Bureau of Investigation COINTELPRO surveillance from then until about 1974.^[21]

Michael Anthony "Mike" Nutter (born June 29, 1957) is the Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is Philadelphia's third African American mayor, and Philadelphia is currently the largest city in the United States with an African American mayor. Elected on November 6, 2007, he was sworn in on January 7, 2008. Nutter is a former councilman of the city's 4th Council District, which includes the neighborhoods of Wynnefield, Overbrook, Roxborough, Manayunk, East Falls and parts of North Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, and West Mount Airy. He has served as the 52nd Ward Democratic Leader since 1990.

He and former mayor John F. Street clashed over policy and reform. On June 27, 2006, Nutter resigned from the council to run for mayor.^[1] Mayor Nutter endorsed Hillary Clinton for president during the 2008 Democratic primary, and often campaigned with the Senator. After Clinton's withdrawal Nutter became a vocal supporter of Democratic nominee Barack Obama.