Tomás writes: In the influential and time-honored book The Art of War, Sun Tzu instructs that one of the most effective methods used to defeat an enemy is to “cause division among them.” The book further instructs, “Seduce them with the prospects of gain, send interlopers in among them, have rhetoricians use fast talk to ingratiate themselves with their leaders and followers, and divide up their organization and power.” It is when the enemy is divided that it is at its weakest and susceptible to attack and defeat.

For decades, prisoners, regardless of race, had organized loosely to demand an ease to overcrowding, the protection of constitutional rights and humane treatment. However, it was not until 1970 that George Jackson, a California prisoner and BPP member, was able to organize black prisoners under militant revolutionary ideology. Through education, Jackson helped create a climate of political consciousness within California prisons, which in turn enabled many prisoners to understand institutionalized racism and the mechanisms of U.S. oppression. Through his efforts, conciliation and political solidarity was established between prisoners, gangs and racial factions in efforts to demand and create better living and working conditions. The threat of revolutionary insurgency within the California prison system became especially apparent after the Angola Prison Riot that left many prisoners and guards dead. California prison officials set forth covert programs to destroy Jackson and all revolutionary activity. Read More