RBG Blakademics

March, 2011

The Republic of New Africa vs. the US Government

HTML Source Page of Text

Dissent and Repression in the Republic of New Africa,

1968-1973
Background Information
Wikipedia entry for Republic of
New Afrika
Map of Detroit
Political Context - Jerome
Cavanaugh and the 1967 Riot by Prof.
Boyle
Information about the Detroit Riot
of 1967
Informants, Surveillance and
Other Sources of Information
The Republic of New Afrikas
Webpage
The Black Declaration of
Independence
The Mississippi Freedom
Movement - Archival material
Black Nationalism Course Material

Dissent and Repression in the Republic of New Africa, 1968-1973

Page 1

RBG Blakademics

March, 2011

Secession and Suppression

HTML Source Page

Nearly 8 years ago, I attempted to systematically examine the political behavior of the Republic
of New Afrika (RNA) and the political repression that was directed against the organization from
1967 to 1974. This effort was facilitated by the provision of the RNAs Red Squad file, a
composite of different documents emerging from local police, federal bureau of investigation,
and various courts within the United States. The work was funded by the National Science
Foundation.
As designed, the Red Squad file was used to compile two databases. Each is discussed briefly
below.
Raw Government Records. The first database is composed of all the raw files. Here, several
thousand pages of documents have been scanned (e.g., police documents, informant reports,
arrest records, and information regarding activities observed during physical or electronic
surveillance). This information is categorized by year and then sorted by government agency:
for example, Detroit Police Department (DPD) Special Investigation Division, DPD Intelligence
Unit, DPD Homicide Division, and so forth.
To date, I have only scanned some of these documents. Over the next year, I will be scanning
more. Check back every month or so to see additions.
Coded Events. The second database is composed of information that I coded from the raw files.
My particular interest was with identifying all meetings (when they took place, where they took
place, how long they lasted, who showed up, and what was talked about), protest events (e.g.,
petitions, marches, rallies, fundraising, demonstrations, and speeches), miscellaneous group
behavior (e.g., conferences, trips, elections, publications of materials, recruitments, and training
sessions) and instances of political repression (physical as well as electronic surveillance,
infiltration by informant, arrests, warrants, questioning of members, raids, searches, distribution
of false letters, and suspicion of infiltration/informants within the group) all of this information
is available within the raw data; I merely decided to represent the data in spreadsheet form so
that one van better identify and examine patterns across variables (e.g., is meeting attendance
influenced by repressive activity, is surveillance activity responsive to inter-group activity or is it
merely following the pattern of who was previously under surveillance, how far back in the past
do group members talk about overtime, and are particular geographic locations more likely to be
selected for protest or repression).
Additionally, I have connected with a geographer and he is assisting me with the development of
mapping software. As the police paid attention to geographically where things took place, we
are able to map all activity over time. This allows one to gauge spatial patterns in membership,
repressive activity, and protest identifying where things took place, what happened and how
responsive different factors were to each other. In a sense, we will have RNA movies of
meetings, membership, protest and repression.

Dissent and Repression in the Republic of New Africa, 1968-1973

Page 2

RBG Blakademics

March, 2011

Sample Raw Documents from RNA Red Squad (all are PDF Documents)
Special Investigation Bureau, Criminal Investigation Division 1966, March-June
Special Investigation Bureau, Detective Division 1968, January-March
Special Investigation Bureau, Detective Division 1968, April-June
Special Investigation Bureau, Detective Division 1968, July-September
Special Investigation Bureau, Detective Division 1968, October-December
Special Investigation Bureau, Detective Division 1969, January-March
Special Investigation Bureau, Detective Division 1969, April-June
Special Investigation Bureau, Detective Division 1969, July-September
Special Investigation Bureau, Detective Division 1969, October-December
Special Investigation Bureau, Detective Division 1970, January-July
Special Investigation Unit 1970, March-October
Special Investigation Unit 1971, January-August
RNA Memos - 1
RNA Memos - 2
RNA Flyer - The Black Mississippian
RNA Flyer - We ask for your steady support
Obituary for Milton Henry (co-founder of RNA)
Data
Codebook

Background Information
Wikipedia entry for Republic of New Afrika
Map of Detroit
Political Context - Jerome Cavanaugh and the 1967 Riot by Prof. Boyle
Information about the Detroit Riot of 1967
Informants, Surveillance and Other Sources of Information
The Republic of New Afrikas Webpage
The Black Declaration of Independence
The Mississippi Freedom Movement - Archival material
Black Nationalism Course Material
Related Publications

Dissent and Repression in the Republic of New Africa, 1968-1973

Page 3

RBG Blakademics

March, 2011

Killing the Afro: Dissent and the Puzzle of Repressive Persistence

Understanding Covert Repressive Action: The Case of the U.S. Government Against
the Republic of New Afrika - The Journal of Conflict Resolution 2005

Proposed territory of the Republic of New Africa within the United States

This editors add-on:

Dr. Mutulu Shakur describes the "New Bethel Incident" of March 29, 1969 during a Republic of

New Africa conference.

View the video

Dissent and Repression in the Republic of New Africa, 1968-1973
Page 4

RBG Blakademics

March, 2011

At the first anniversary gathering of the RNA held at New Bethel Baptist Church on March 29,
1969, two white Detroit police officers were shot, one fatally, outside the building on Linwood
Avenue on Detroits west side. This area had been the epicenter of the 1967 rebellion.

Reports on the incident would indicate that several armed guards from the RNA, known as the
Black Legionaires, were escorting Obadele out of the church after the meeting was over when
the police driving in a squad car attempted to approach and question the group. The officers
were fired on which shortly prompted a massive police raid on the church where hundreds of
rounds were discharged and nearly 150 people were arrested.
Soon afterwards, Rev. C.L. Franklin, State Representative James Del Rio and Recorders Court
Judge George Crockett, Jr. went to the police station where the RNA members and supporters
were being held. Judge Crockett set up court at the detention facility and released all of the
RNA members and supporters jailed stating that the arrests were a violation of the fourth
amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibiting illegal search and seizure.
The release of the participants at the RNA meeting held in the New Bethel Baptist Church
sparked outrage by the police and the white establishment in Detroit. The police demanded the
recall of Judge Crockett and he was forced to travel for several months with a bodyguard.
Nonetheless, the so-called New Bethel Incident would galvanize the African-American
community politically. The first Black United Front was formed and Judge Crockett was
defended by a broad section of the African-American community in the city.

Three people who were charged in the shooting of the police officers were acquitted and the
coalition which developed in the aftermath of the shooting would lay the groundwork for the
eventual election of the citys first African-American mayor, State Senator Coleman A. Young in
1973. Young had been a veteran labor organizer and leftist with close ties with the Communist
Party USA
From: Pan-African News Wire
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Detroit Tribute to Dr. Imari Obadele, Co-Founder of the RNA and Leader in the Modern
Reparations Movement

Dissent and Repression in the Republic of New Africa, 1968-1973

Page 5