The Murder of Fred Hampton

Michael Gray in Person Intending to create an exploration of the newly formed Chicago chapter of the Black Panther party, the filmmakers documented founder Fred Hampton interacting with the black community for nearly a year. The dynamic 21-year-old inspired with his rallying cry, “I am a revolutionary,” but his statement “I believe I will be able to die as a revolutionary” proved to be disturbingly prescient. He was shot dead in his bed during a police raid on December 4, 1969, in which another Panther also died. Using footage of the shot-up apartment and interviews with Black Panthers, Michael Gray and Howard Alk created an incendiary exposé of the Chicago police force’s role in Hampton’s murder, rebutting the arguments of the Illinois State Attorney and the official police version of events. Immediate and urgent, The Murder of Fred Hampton remains an impassioned and powerful political documentary.—Kathy Geritz • (88 mins, 35mm, From Michael Gray) Preceded by: Black Panther (a.k.a. Off the Pig) (Newsreel, U.S., 1968). One of the first films made on the Black Panthers, this includes interviews with Huey P. Newton and Eldridge Cleaver, and a recitation by Bobby Seale of the Panthers’ Ten-Point Platform. (15 mins, B&W, From Canyon Cinema) • (Total running time: 103 mins plus discussion)