Panther 21

The Panther 21 were a group of New York Black Panther Party (BPP) members who were arrested by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) in a pre-dawn raid on April 2, 1969. The 21 arrested Panthers—at first called the "New York 21" but later referred to as the "Panther 21"—were charged with over 200 counts of conspiracy in what was characterized as a BPP terror campaign against the city of New York, including attacking police stations, murdering police officers, and bombing public buildings. By the time the trial began in October 1970, the case had been narrowed to 13 defendants and 156 counts of conspiracy. The trial lasted seven months and was at that time the longest and costliest in New York state history. When it concluded in May 1971, after revelations that undercover police agents in the BPP had played key instigator roles, the jury acquitted all 13 defendants of all charges.