Civil Rights Movement Essay, Research Paper

Most of us, being United States citizens, would like to believe that

everyone in this country is living in conditions of utmost freedom and equality.

Although according to the constitution this is true, anyone who has ever been

the victim of oppression knows not to take equality for granted. Our society has

slowly grown to accept the different types of people that live in our country;

it is now a lot less common to see people?s rights such as freedom and

equality being abused. However, the influences of the past, when the living

conditions were far less then equal for many groups of people, can still be

witnessed today. A fine example of this could be seen through the way in which

housing discrimination led to the colonization of Blacks into their own

neighborhoods and communities, which eventually led to the creation of ghettos

and gangs. Racism, in itself, is a belief that a person holds; it forces another

being to be placed at a lower status within one?s mind and in the society as a

whole. Keeping Blacks and other minorities at a lower level was the principal

state of mind for many of the whites during the early part of the twentieth

century. This kind of mentality exists in our society till this day among

certain groups of people. The cold and harsh manner with which the Blacks were

treated takes us all the way back to slavery. Back in those days the majority of

this country?s population accepted it. The oppressed African Americans

eventually began to become more organized and started to fight for the civil

rights they deserved as citizens of the United States. Despite the attempts of

the Civil Rights Movement, much damage was already done; unfortunately many

minds were already tarnished with negative images of what the Black person was

and could ever be. In spite of the fact that many Black people were working

towards moving up and making a life for themselves, racism continuously kept

them from advancing in the society. In the early part of the twentieth century

racism placed a strong precedent for the way in which Blacks are today. After

the civil war more and more free Blacks began to migrate north. They were

seeking the possibility of ?better social and economic opportunities?

(Abrams 10). The high hopes were soon brought back down, as the Blacks were

welcomed to the cities by the overwhelming mentality of the masters looking down

on their slaves. They encountered landlord after landlord turning them away

because of their unwillingness to rent to Blacks and other newly migrated

minorities. It was this constant refusal to integrate housing that eventually

caused the creation of minority driven neighborhoods. Since the majority of the

whites turned their backs on Blacks and the other minorities, African Americans

were forced into forming the types of communities that contained people of their

race and poor financial state. Many of them came looking to move ahead in their

new lives that they were recently granted by the constitution; but they were

only pushed to join the fairly new neighborhoods, which were slums compared to

those inhabited by the dominating white residences. The reason for this type of

segregation could be explained as another tool of racism for the white man?s

advantage. The effects of these neighborhoods were more damaging then the simple

prevention of Blacks and other minorities from integrating with the whites. By

zoning the individual into compartments determined by color, it excluded the

opportunity for a fusion of interests. By confining children to separate

neighborhood schools and playgrounds, it sharpened the lines of distinction and

developed illusions of superiority?It was in housing that segregation received

its greatest impetus and momentum. Once rooted there the segregation pattern

spread unattested until the Negro ghetto became an accepted part of the American

landscape (Abrams 7). ?Local authorities used every available weapon to keep

the blacks divided; housing was simply the physical expression of this racial

policy? (Rudwick 10). Even if a family was able to afford housing in a

predominantly white neighborhood, they were still not allowed to move in there.

Despite the slow improvement of their economic status Blacks still possessed

??no freedom to move elsewhere. American slums (were) no longer exclusively

the product of a discrepancy between rent and wages? (Abrams 10). After being

forced to confine themselves to such neighborhoods it was only a matter of time

before it was not just the housing that was segregated, it was also an abundant

amount of social segregation as well. Blacks came to larger cities hoping to

find a piece of the pie and a deserving amount of acceptance, but instead they

were given ghetto style housing environments and the same type of racist

attitude they had previously lived with in the south. These people had no choice

but to come together as equals within their own ghetto community where an

abundance of acceptance and support might be felt. The Black Panther Party was

founded in 1966, it was one of the first organized Black ?gangs?. This

organization was created to help in the efforts towards the survival of the

black race (Meier 23). Despite the changes made as a result of the Civil Rights

Movement and all its court cases very little was done to change the way in which

the Blacks were seen. It was therefore up to the Black community to either

continue being oppressed or to come together and help one another to fight back

for equality and their rights. ?Emerging in the Fall of 1966 from the most

depressed sections of the white police-ridden Black ghetto of Oakland,

California, the Black Panther Party for Self-defense (had) in a remarkable short

time been raised by its leadership to be an extremely significant force in the

political battles against the American reaction? (Newton 163). The soon to be

Black Panther Party was formed from the people who were basically given no

choice but to band together using the neighborhood that they were being

restricted to as their only shelter. One big difference between the Black

Panther Party and the gangs of today is that the Panthers originated with

certain survival goals in mind. There were a total of ten points involved in the

program that the Party initially worked for, ranging from freedom, to

employment, to education, to military exemptions, all the way to equality in

housing (Newton 31). In working towards these goals it was essential to pay

close attention to the Panthers? primary job, which was ?to provide

leadership for the people? (Meier 46). Leadership lessons had to be taught to

the followers in order to gain a larger following through study, observation,

and experience (Newton 14). The duties and goals that the Black Panther Party

had sat forth for itself to pursue were overwhelming and ?for a time the Black

panther Party lost its vision and defected from the community? (Newton 45).

Despite the fact that a giant step had been taken away from unity and away from

the movement towards change and integration, the organization was still able to

stay together. The Ten-Point Program was said to be the reason that the group

was able to have survived those times and also ?because it (served) the true

interests of oppressed people and administer(ed) to their needs? (Newton 46).

Another aspect of the Black Panther Party was the fact that it temporarily

separated itself ?from the Black community so that it was a war between the

oppressor and the Black Panther Party, not a war between the oppressor and the

oppressed community? (Newton 51). The Party took hold of one side of the

battle in an attempt to be able to change the way in which ?the oppressor?,

or the white man, was working against the Black community. In a sense, the

organization was a mediator in this fight for change. It was ?originally a

political weapon of self-defense by Black people? (Meier 23). When more and

more Black people began to come together it became easier for them to fight for

the causes that they believed in. It was easier to be noticed as an influential

group and viewed as a possible threat when a large amount of organized

individuals were pulled together to make noise and work towards change. ?We

have drawn a line of demarcation and we will no longer tolerate fascism,

aggression, brutality, and murder of any kind? (Newton 21). The Black Panther

Party in pursuing their goals also chose to be a Marxist-Leninist party; they

chose to use both theory and practice (Meier 37). This approach had not yet been

pirsued within the Civil Rights struggle and succeeded in gaining attention. The

Blacks worked towards what were considered ?real goals: survival, liberation

and freedom? (Newton 189), rather then the often times unrealistic goals set

forth by some other Civil Rights movements. The concepts that the Black Panther

Party worked with were seen as threatening, but at the same time inspiring.

After all, how could success not be reached when a race came together to fight

against those who ridicule them and treat them unfairly. The efforts were many

and they tried to work closely with the powers that could make the desired

changes. Unfortunately not everything could be changed with the officials who

sat in the higher levels of say. Furthermore, the environment that Black

citizens were living in contained just too many economically and sociologically

disadvantaged Blacks. A lot of these people failed to allow a grander and more

permanent change within the ghettos that they called their homes. Today Blacks

are often stereotyped as being useless trouble causing, gang affiliated

nobodies. In some areas of the country the previous statement can be considered

true. In many of the larger cities, such as Los Angeles, there are many gangs

along with and problems associated with the majority of blacks and other

minorities living in certain areas. Although these large cities are considered

diverse, they are more correctly a haven and a melting pot for those people who

have been permanently glued to the ghetto lifestyle. These neighborhoods are

constantly being criticized and looked down upon. The individuals residing in

these ghettos are stereotyped as hoodlums who will get nowhere. The faces that

live within these ghettos and those that are part of the gangs of today can

serve to explain why these stereotypes are so often true. Many of the people

living in the big cities have no other place than the streets to turn to. In the

streets they find other kids, much like themselves, who have formed a gang in

order to survive. Within the gang all the members work together to take care of

one another. In this ghetto city lifestyle support, even if it is in the form of

a gang, is very important. Many city officials, however, are frightened by the

figured that are related to the gangs. New policies are being discussed to

determine what characteristics can be associated with possible gang members, in

order to catch them. All this is done in an effort to reduce the amount of gang

members wandering on the streets. In an extreme tactic it was suggested to close

off entire neighborhoods to Black youths who have done nothing more than dress

in blue or black clothing or associate with others who do so; they would

authorize criminal penalties for ordinary, non-disruptive acts of walking or

driving through a residential neighborhood with a relative or a friend (Shoop,

Gang Warfare 12). Although most of the law officials in the San Jose area, where

this proposal was first suggested are in agreement with this type of strategy,

many activist groups are saying that this type of enforcement will cause

?fairly large restrictions on freedom? (Shoop, Gang Warfare 13). It is not

enough to have the law officials continuously trying to arrest and threaten a

group of unguided kids, whose numbers are continuously growing due to the lack

of community involvement and support. If the government wants to see change it

must work with the cities to turn things around, starting at the bottom, or

rather the beginning of the problem. I don?t know how much can be done to move

these minority groups away from the ghettos, but perhaps with some help

something can be done to right the wrong that began over a hundred years ago (Shoop,

Image of Fear 12). In similar case law enforcement agencies also developed

profiles for youth that may be associated with gangs. Despite all the negative

reactions to this idea, the law enforcement believes that ?it is a logical,

efficient way to identify and mother dangerous youths? (Shoop, Image of fear

12). Civil rights advocates who are against this proposal believe that the

police will be finding and arresting more youth due to the fact that they fit

their profile rather then whether or not they really do associate with a gang.

It is believed that the profiles that these teens share are similar regardless

of whether or not they are involved with a gang. Already teens have been

?thrown out of shopping malls, ejected from amusement parks, and stopped and

searched by police, who may later enter their names and photos into the computer

databases? (Shoop, Image of fear 14). In my opinion this is definitely a

violation of certain civil rights. Police are taking action before they have

proper cause to do so. Although I do agree that much of the gang activity is

becoming quite out of control, I feel that it is necessary to have a crime

committed before going ahead and labeling these teens as gangsters just based on

their appearances. It may appear to be easy for an outsider to suggest that

these people should simply find their way out of these hopeless neighborhoods

and cities and start new lives. Once again, as it was already proven in the

past, this is not as easy as it may seem. The lives that these people are living

are not ones that they were forced to accept and live with. Although the initial

gangs were created as a type of defense, the gangs eventually escalated towards

taking action on hate and tension that they have towards other rival gangs, even

against gangs whose races are both primarily the same. The issue of civil rights

and equality, which were the major factors, involved with the gangs of the

sixties, evolved into the often materialistic issues that today?s gangs fight

and kill for. Territory and mere hate are the principal factors that are

involved in the tensions between gangs today. Even if we were to understand the

cause of what created these gangs, we are not guaranteed that we could find a

solution to put an end to that sub-culture. There are no signs that the end of

gang violence will be reached anytime soon. It is important to see that because

the discriminations Black people had to deal with in the early part of the 20th

century had a very significant effect on the lives of the future generations.

Forced to live in designated neighborhoods, Blacks were never able to break the

cycle of poverty that they lived in and continued to raise families in the same

type of environment. Although gangs are a big issue in the ghetto type cities,

it is important to understand and to realize that gangs were not placed there

because a group of rebellious juvenile delinquents wanted to cause problems.

They were eventually created because of the prejudice that another group felt

towards their race and community.

Bibliography

Books Abrams, Charles.

Race Bias in Housing. Ann Arbor: University Microfilms, Inc., 1964. Meier,

August; Rudwick, Elliot. Black Protest in the Sixties.Chicago:The New York Times

Company, 1970. Newton, Huey P. To Die For the People. New York: Random House,

1972. Rudwick, Elliot; John H. Bracey, Jr and August Meier, eds. The Rise of the

Ghetto. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company Inc., 1971. Journals Shoop, J.G.

?Gang warfare: legal battle pits personal liberty against public safety.?

Trial. V34, n3 (1998):12-16. Shoop, J.G. ?Image of fear: minority teens allege

bias in ?gang profiling.?? Trial. V30, n10 (1994): 12-15

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