Nine Lives of a Black Panther

Book excerpt: In the early morning hours of December 8, 1969, 300 SWAT team officers initiated a violent battle with a handful of Los Angeles-based members of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense (BPP) that lasted for five hours and went through 5,000 rounds of ammunition. From a tactical standpoint, the Los Angeles Police Department considered the encounter a disaster, but it was a victory for the Panthers and the community that supported them. A key reason for that victory was the actions of a 19-year-old “captain” in the Party: Wayne Pharr. Nine Lives of a Black Panther gives a blow-by-blow account of how the BPP prepared for and survived the massive military-style attack. But it also tells Wayne’s riveting life story. Because of his dedication to the black liberation struggle, Wayne was hunted, beaten, and almost killed by the police in four separate events. The Los Angeles branch was the proving ground for some of the most beloved and colorful characters in Panther lore, including Bunchy Carter, Masai Hewitt, Geronimo “Ji-Jaga” Pratt, and Elaine Brown. Nine Lives of a Black Panther relates Wayne’s triumph over police terror, internal warfare, and personal demons, and illuminates the entire history of one of the most dedicated, dynamic, vilified, and targeted chapters of the BPP. Wayne Pharr was a captain of the Los Angeles branch of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense and has traveled throughout the country as a BPP spokesman. He now works as a realtor in Los Angeles.