The White Panther Party in front of 1520 Hill St.The White Panthers were a far left, anti-racist, white-American political collective founded in 1968 by Lawrence (Pun) Plamondon and Leni and John Sinclair.
The White Panther Statement
In November 1968, Fifth Estate published the "White Panther State/meant". This manifesto, in emulation of the Black Panthers, ended with a ten-point program:
- Full endorsement and support of Black Panther Party's 10-Point Program
- Total assault on the culture by any means necessary including sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll and f***ing in the streets
- Free exchange of energy and materials
- Free food, clothes, housing, dope, music, heroin, bodies, medical care
- Free access to information media
- Free time and space for all humans
- Free all schools and all structures from corporate rule
- Free all prisoners everywhere
- Free all soldiers at once
- Free the people from their "leaders"
More information
- White Panther Party on Wikipedia, from which some of this text is shamefully lifted
- John and Leni Sinclair papers, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan
- THE WHITE PANTHERS' "TOTAL ASSAULT ON THE CULTURE", Jeff Hale Ph.D, published on the MC5 Gateway.
- FREE! The Political Economy of the White Panthers, Mike Mosher for Bad Subjects, 1999
"The White Panther State/meant," written by Minister of Information John Sinclair first appeared in the Fifth Estate newspaper in Detroit, in the issue dated November 14-27, 1968. It was also distributed later on mimeographed flyers decorated by graphic designer Gary Grimshaw, and ultimately reprinted in Guitar Army (Douglas Books, New York, 1972). In a weird political campaign that backfired, a conservative lawyer with mayoral ambitions named Jack J. Garris gave it a boost in 1969 when he reprinted it along with other inflammatory writings by Sinclair and mailed them to every registered voter in Ann Arbor. Garris' Concerned Citizens group mounted a recall campaign against Mayor Bob Harris and Democratic members of the City Council who permitted such "red" hooliganism and other perversions like rock concerts in city parks where the MC5 exhorted the crowd to "Kick out the jams, mother[redacted]."
