2014/04/08/Lil' Bobby Hutton
- when: 2014/04/08 (2014/04/08)
- author: Bobby Seale
- source: Google+
- topics: Lil' Bobby Hutton protest Mulford Act police brutality Black Panther Party 1967/05/02 1968/04/06 US/CA/Sacramento
- keywords Oakland Police
- link: https://plus.google.com/117669798335407722550/posts/VND1KGBrw72
- title: Lil' Bobby Hutton
- summary: «April 6, 1968, Lil' Bobby Hutton was killed by Oakland Police officers. The police shot an unarmed Lil' Bobby more than a dozen times when he had surrendered, after a shoot out between the Panthers and the Oakland police at a house in West Oakland.»
Excerpt
On May 2, 1967, Lil' Bobby Hutton was one of thirty Panthers who traveled to the California state capitol in Sacramento to demonstrate against the Mulford Act, a bill that would prohibit carrying loaded firearms in public. The group walked in to the state assembly armed as a protest to the Mulford Act. Lil' Bobby Hutton, Bobby Seale and several of the Panthers were arrested.
April 6, 1968, Lil' Bobby Hutton was killed by Oakland Police officers. The police shot an unarmed Lil' Bobby more than a dozen times when he had surrendered, after a shoot out between the Panthers and the Oakland police at a house in West Oakland. One Oakland police officer who witnessed the shooting later told a member of the Black Panther Party that, "What they did was first degree murder." Lil' Bobby Hutton's death at the hands of the Oakland police was yet another example of police brutality committed against the Oakland community and the Black Panther Party.
Hutton's funeral was held on April 12 at the Ephesians Church of God in Berkeley, California. About 1,500 people attended the funeral and a rally held afterwards in West Oakland was attended by over 2,000 people.
DeFremery Park in West Oakland, California was unofficially named after Lil' Bobby Hutton not long after his death. "Lil' Bobby Hutton Day" has been held annually at the park since April 1998. Organized by family members and former and former Black Panther Party members, the memorial event features speakers, performers, and art works commemorating Hutton's black consciousness and dedication to the party.