Open Email to Andrea Lewis of KPFA re Peter Richardson's Murder Claim Against the Panthers

KPFA "Sunday Sedition" radio program

http://kpfa.org/archive/id/53951

Earlier emailed-in radio question today, for guest PETER RICHARDSON (on "how Ramparts magazine changed America"), read on Sunday Sedition, and follow-up email to host Andrea Lewis:


To: Sunday [at] kpfa.org
Subject: Question about Betty Van Patter
Date: Sunday, August 23, 2009, 10:46 AM

Your guest said that there's been "a consensus" that the Black Panther bookkeeper, Betty Van Patter, was killed by the Panthers over "bookkeeping irregularities". First of all, what grassroots (and other such) organization doesn't sometimes have "bookkeeping irregularities", because, not being accountants or corporate types, they often just don't pay enough attention to crossing all the t's and dotting all the i's.

[I know of highly respected and widely regarded *white* social justice organizations, who've undeniably done great work, who've been accused of "bookkeeping irregularities" by even the federal governement, because the organization "sometimes didn't keep proper paperwork" -- the organization didn't always keep or organize proper receipts or invoice copies, and promptly and properly enter and date, for example, "food for the homeless (or whomever) event" in the correct accounting journals, ledgers and columns.]

I'm [critically] open [and have no deep emotional investment either way] to the idea that she was [murdered by one or more Black Panther members, although I admit that I would hope that she wasn't], *BUT* I've never heard any convincing evidence [or logically and intellectually compelling arguments] that "the [or any] Panthers" murdered her -- only orchestrated innuendo by David Horowitz, turned rabid anti-Black racist (as primarily evidenced by his vicious anti-Reparations ad that he baited any number of student newspapers into printing, because no regular newspaper or magazine, other than, perhaps, a right-wing one, would print). So, *who's* [specifically] consensus is your guest alluding to?

(That someone would be killed over simply "bookkeeping irregularities" always seemed rather preposterous to me.)

[And if, hypothetically, she were murdered by *a* Panther (or even two), for whatever reason, how would that represent "the Panthers", or "all Panthers", or even a general Panther sentiment? Unless, such a murder were ordered or carried out by higher ups or was a Panther conspiracy.]

Thank you.

Sunday Sedition listener

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To: Sunday [at] kpfa.org
Subject: Your guest still hasn't answered the question -- only propagated further innuendo
Date: Sunday, August 23, 2009, 10:55 AM

Hi Andrea,

I wish you had politely and journalistically pressed your guest more closely about this Van Patter murder thing. For your guest to go from saying that 'some people say that there were irregularities or whatever with the books', to the Panthers _murdered_ Van Patter, in itself, is quite an *IL*-logical leap. So, I wonder whether your guest is saying that -- without any logically compelling material evidence -- and how often has this been done against black men -- to either add a sensationalized chapter to his book or to forward a racially easily believed story about a black militant (as it were) organization.

At any rate, I wish you had questioned him more closely for _material_ or _compelling_ evidence -- other than that a white girl who was with the Panthers turned up murdered, so the Panthers must have done it -- and that's what white girls get for hanging out with a black militant organization (the idea that Horowitz has been pushing ever since, because maybe _he_ had a thing for her back then, but being David Horowitz, didn't know how to pursue in some healthy manner).

Thanks,

Sunday Sedition Listener
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To: Sunday [at] kpfa.org
Subject: *P.P.S* -- Re: P.S. --- Re: Question about Betty Van Patter['s muder "by the Panthers"]
Date: Sunday, August 23, 2009, 11:33 AM

Hi Andrea,

Thank you for reading my question on the air today.

Btw, Andrea, you know that there were and are all sorts of innuendo and questionable claims that have circulated about many of the Panther members, due to either Cointelpro, the mainstream media, undue paranoia, cliques within the Panthers, or any bitter interpersonal feuds within the Panthers. _Some_ people even claim that Elaine Brown was a _CIA_ agent (based solely on the fact that she ended up in Paris in a relationship with some white guy of, apparently, considerable means), but I bet your writer didn't put *that* in his book, as he was using her [and not in a very logical way, whatever she may have actually said regarding the murder] to allegedly buttress his claim that the Panthers murdered Van Patter.

[Some people claimed that Huey Newton was a paid government informant, because he lived in an apartment on the top floor of a Lake Merritt fancy residential highrise after he got out of prison -- but it turns out that, (1) it was for security reasons, and (2) that the rent for it was paid for by some leftist Hollywood actors, etc., types.]

So, I constructively request that in the future you journalistically question, more closely, such facile (and, especially, white and often kneejerk) stereotypical assumptions and propagations about people of color in general and black men (or women) in particular.

[What the guest today, Peter Richardson, represented was _sloppy_ and _racially biased_ journalism. And even as he kept repeating this innuendo, my email question forced him to admit that there is no material or compelling intellectually critical evidence. Even if, hypothetically, any Panthers were guilty, I'd want them to be convicted on _the evidence_ -- and I'd be entirely willing to accept that -- not on sheer speculation and innuendo. Enough of convicting black men on that over the decades and even centuries in America, since even before the U.S. became a country!]

As one *white* Berkeley woman once told me, Horowitz obviously went so emotionally over-the-top over Van Patter's murder that maybe *he* murdered her in some jealous or otherwise emotional rage.

Thanks,

Sunday Sedition listener

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Subsequent email to Sunday Sedition Listener:

"I was horrified at Andrea's initial acceptance of the writer's accusation and am so glad you jumped on it. That's not a piece of history I'm familiar with, but I'll share this with a few folks who know Panther history and will no doubt have ideas as to how to prevent this guy from similarly slandering the Panthers BY INNUENDO [caps added for emphasis] in future interviews.

"BTW, the show is archived at http://kpfa.org/archive/id/53951. I didn't catch every word (need to listen again), but there was no mention of David Horowitz's more recent antics, was there? That would have given people some insight and cause to doubt the writer's claim that there's strong evidence Panthers murdered this woman. He didn't mention any of this copious evidence, did he?"