Actually, Cook County Sheriffs did the actual shooting because the raid had been assigned away from the Chicago Police. The Sheriffs had a reputation for racism and thugery that exceeded that of the Chicago Police, and were largely a collection of patronage hacks under Mayor Daley and his cronies.
It is imporant to understand how the raid worked. It originated as part of a disruption campaign against the Black Panther Party under the FBI Counterintelligence program, (COINTELPRO). The FBI informer in the Chicago BPP filed a false report with the FBI claiming a large stash of illegal guns. He even drew a map of the apartment showing where Hampton slept with an "X" indicating where his head was. The bullets fired into the apartment from the outside focused on the "X."
Even then, the forensics suggest the lethal shot was fired into Hampton from close range.
No illegal guns were found.
The informer received a bonus from the FBI.
Now AShcroft wants to legalize secret disruption campaigns against "terrorists" defined in such a way as to include all sorts of dissident activists.
See the newly-revised page at: http://www.publiceye.org/liberty/Security_for_Activists.htm
In the Final Report of the Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with respect to Intelligence Activities, COINTELPRO was castigated in no uncertain terms:
"COINTELPRO is the FBI acronym for a series of covert action programs directed against domestic groups. "
"Many of the techniques used would be intolerable in a democratic society even if all of the targets had been involved in violent activity, but COINTELPRO went far beyond that...the Bureau conducted a sophisticated vigilante operation aimed squarely at preventing the exercise of First Amendment rights of speech and association, on the theory that preventing the growth of dangerous groups and the propogation of dangerous ideas would protect the national security and deter violence."
-Chip Berlet
-----Original Message----- From: owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com [mailto:owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com]On Behalf Of Carrol Cox Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2001 11:37 PM To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com Subject: In Memoriam/A Day That Lives in Infamy
On this date - 4 December - in 1969, terrorist Chicago police (under the direction of the Cook County States Attorney) assassinated Black Panther Party members Fred Hampton and Mark Clark as they slept in their beds...
Carrol