Hampton-Clark Deaths
The Hampton-Clark Deaths refer to the tragic killings of Fred Hampton and Mark Clark, two young leaders of the Illinois branch of the Black Panther Party, on December 4, 1969. The incident occurred during a pre-dawn raid conducted by Illinois state police, resulting in heavy gunfire directed at the men in their apartment. Hampton, who was shot multiple times, and Clark, who fired a single shot in defense, were both killed in the attack, which also left several others injured, including Hampton's pregnant girlfriend.
Following this event, there were significant allegations of misconduct, including claims that Hampton had been drugged by an FBI informant prior to the raid, and attempts by authorities to characterize the killings as a shootout. The aftermath of the deaths revealed a broader context of government hostility toward the Black Panther Party, sparking public sympathy and outrage. Various legal actions ensued, including federal and state investigations, yet these largely resulted in no accountability for the officers involved. Ultimately, in 1983, the families of Hampton and Clark settled for $1.85 million, highlighting the enduring legacy of this event in discussions about civil rights and police violence in the United States.
Hampton-Clark Deaths
Date: December 4, 1969
A concerted effort by law enforcement to destroy New Left and African American radical organizations. Black Panther members Fred Hampton and Mark Clark were killed by Illinois state police officers.
Origins and History
Twenty-one-year-old Fred Hampton and twenty-two-year-old Mark Clark were leaders in the Illinois branch of the Black Panther Party, a radical African American organization that had a reputation for militancy and was dedicated to equality between whites and blacks; the group was particularly active in Chicago, where it had a large membership.
The Killings
On December 4, 1969, Clark and Hampton were killed during an early-morning raid on their apartment by members of the Illinois state police. The police fired between eighty-two and one hundred shots through the door at the apartment’s inhabitants. Hampton, chairman of the Illinois branch of the Black Panther Party, was hit four times, twice in the head. Clark, a Panther leader from Peoria, Illinois, fired a single shot at the police (the only shot fired during the incident by those inside) before being killed. Four of the seven other Panthers in the apartment, including Hampton’s pregnant girlfriend, were wounded. Hampton was probably drugged the previous evening by police and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant William O’Neal, who had provided police and members of the FBI with a map of the apartment showing where Clark and Hampton slept.
After the killings, the Panthers opened the apartment for public viewing. Thousands walked through the quarters and saw for themselves the damage the police had done. The Illinois attorney general filed charges of attempted murder against the surviving Panthers. His office supported police attempts to characterize the attack as a shootout in which police acted in self-defense. These attempts included lying to the media about a gun Hampton was said to have fired (paraffin tests later proved Hampton had not fired any weapon) and stating that nail holes in the apartment door were actually bullet holes from weapons fired by the Panthers.
Impact
The Hampton-Clark killings convinced many Americans that the U.S. government meant to eradicate the Panthers and other African American radicals. That police would kill citizens as they slept and execute a concerted coverup dramatized the extremes to which government agencies would go. The overall, eventual effect of the murders was to create sympathy for the Panthers among whites and blacks.
Subsequent Events
A federal grand jury was empaneled in January, 1970, and was subsequently disbanded four months later without indicting anyone. Charges against the Panthers were dropped soon after. A state grand jury was empaneled and in April, 1971, indicted twelve police officers, the state attorney general, and another member of his office for obstruction of justice. The case went to trial in July, 1972. In October, 1972, the judge acquitted the defendants on all charges without requiring them to present their case.
Hampton and Clark’s families sued the state of Illinois, the state attorney general, and the police in 1970, but the case was delayed until all criminal proceedings were through. A third criminal trial began in 1976 and ended in another acquittal by the bench, despite a deadlocked jury. This acquittal was overturned in a federal appeals court in 1979 and was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in June, 1980. Meanwhile, declassified FBI files revealed the existence of a concerted FBI offensive against the Panthers and other African American and left-wing organizations. The civil trial brought by the slain men’s families began in 1976 after a series of government delays. On February 28, 1983, the families of Hampton and Clark received a settlement of $1.85 million.
Additional Information
Journalist Paul Engleman wrote a long article twenty-five years after the raid entitled “Night of the Hunters” for Chicago Magazine (November, 1994).