DTF-Extremist Group

DTF – Extremist Group
Author’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Introduction – (purpose of paper, relevance of organization assessed)
Terrorism is one of the major menace of the last decade as different terror groups, both domestic and foreign, come up with certain and brutal strategies of executing their ill objectives. Usually, these groups are characterized by brutal killings and catastrophic attacks and target certain governments or groups of people within certain geographical areas of interest. Some of the terror groups currently in existence are motivated by various interests and might be categorized into separatists, ethnocentric, nationalistic, revolutionary, political, religious, social, international or domestic. Domestic terrorism refers to the acts of violence practiced by either the citizens of a country or its permanent residents and are directed towards the destruction of the country’s general public or property. Domestic violence is usually an approach to instilling fear so as to achieve political, social or ideological objectives. Mostly, domestic violence is attributed to extremist groups whose values, ideals and beliefs contravene normal expectations from the society. This threat assessment paper is centered on an analysis of an extremist group specifically focused on executing domestic terrorism. Additionally, the paper entails an in-depth evaluation of the group’s origin, ideologies, nature of the operation, and the nature of the kinetic threat posed by this group.

Additionally, this research essay also offers the viable courses of action and more importantly, the recommended strategies that could be designed to offer a viable mitigation solution to the operations of this group. The Black Liberation Army (BLA) is the extremist group discussed in this essay. The underground black nationalists’ militant organization is also referred to as Afro-American Liberation Army.
Historical Significance – (origins, ideology, prior instances of direct action)
The Black Liberation Army (BLA) is a home grown Black Nationalist militant organization formed and ran within the America from 1970 to 1981. Formation of this militant organization was initiated by Assata Shakur and Eldridge Cleaver. This domestic terror group largely comprised of BPP members who mobilized themselves for an armed struggle with their ideology being taking up arms so as to steer up the liberation and equal treatment of the US black race to the native whites as they instilled self-determination in the black minority group. BLA main strategy for black people liberation in the US majorly involved execution of a series of spectacular attacks such as bombings and prison breaks. Participants of the BLA termed their mode of actions as expropriations (Fredrickson, 1996). Below is one of the flags used by the BLA members. The picture was created considering all aspects of the party and its objectives. For instance, the aggressiveness of the black lion can be related to that of an oppressed by determined person who struggles against all odds.

Figure 1: A sample BLA flag in the 1970’s.
However, following reduced membership of individuals in the BPP, the BLA became stronger and more aggressive towards the achievement of its objective. Some of the major incidences and reasons that triggered the group’s aggression towards its objective were infiltration and sectarianism. Above ground, terror organizations received much oppression from COINTELPRO that included the local police officers, officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and those from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Additionally, the group staunchly opposed the lengthy prison sentences imposed on blacks in the US as well as the deaths of their key members, amongst them being the merciless death of Fred Hampton under police custodian. This, therefore, triggered the underground existence of the group as they focused on a new era that would comprise of violent repression. The main belief of the BLA members that facilitated their uprise and unity was that only through covert means would bring their organization to an above-ground existence. This, however, would involve both violent and non-violent acts. However, the BLA did not entirely centralized and therefore did not operate and a defined leadership neither did it have a defined chain of command. Instead, the group comprised of various organizations that existed and operated collectively and simultaneously via an independent nature. The BLA was driven by the notion that reformism would entirely be centered on non-principled class collaboration thus were guided by certain principles that included the notion that the group was anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist and anti-racist. Additionally, the group believed that their operations and intentions were not sexist in any way. Black Nationalism, Black separatism, and socialism were also other aspects of the BLA ideology. Another principle behind the BLA operation was that the fight for the abolishment of the biased systems was out of necessity and the need to ensure socialistic relationships that would see Black people achieve ultimate control of their lives. Thirdly, the BLA was also guided by the principle that so as to effectively do away with the existing oppressive systems, there was the need to use and develop the science of class struggle that directly related to the country’s national condition.
The BLA was involved in several instances of direct action as it strived to achieve their fundamental objective of abolishing the then oppressive political and social systems. According to a report written by the US Department of Justice, the BLA was a notorious domestic extremist group that played a major role in more than approximately 70 incidences of violence. Most of the violence took place between 1970 and 1976. Also, the BLA is claimed to be the custodian of murdering 13 police officers within the United States. Also, the BLA is claimed to be responsible for planting a bomb in a US church that held the funeral of Harold Hamilton, a US police officer. This was following his death in the line of duty during a brutal bank robbery in San Francisco. This took place in October 1970. However, the bomb was detonated before it could cause serious injuries to those inside the church. On May 1971, approximately five male members of the BLA were involved in the brutal killing of two NY police officers. Some members of the organization were however arrested later and tried in the US law courts. The suspected BLA members were Anthony Bottom, Francisco Torres, and Herman Bell. Other members arrested with them were Albert Washington and Gabriel Torres. The black nationalists’ militant group continued to gain grounds as it consistently continued to engage in more brutal spectacular attacks, most of which were successful. On August 1971, a 51-year-old San Francisco police sergeant was also attacked and killed by three seriously armed BLA members. The sergeant named John Victor Young was said to be guarding a police station following a previous bank attack that had occurred from a nearby place. Two days later, the Black Liberation Army claimed responsibility of the attack via a letter they had signed and addressed to the San Francisco Chronicle (Joseph, 2001).
These attacks and catastrophic bombings did not, however, hinder the BLA members from continually stressing on the need for self-determination for the sake of Black liberation, but led to them acquiring more control, courage, and popularity. On January 1971, the BLA was involved in a brutal assassination of two US police officers. This incidence took place around 174 Avenue B in NYC, with Rocco Laurie and Gregory Foster falling victims. BLA further claimed responsibility for the assassinations by sending a note to the relevant US authorities and claimed the killings to be a payback following prisoner deaths. The lives of the prisoners were claimed during 1971 Attica prison riot. Luckily enough, none of the BLA members were arrested for the same. However, in January 2007, eight men were arrested and charged for the murder of John Young. The charging and prosecution was done collaboratively by the state and federal tasks. The men branded themselves the San Francisco 8. The men, who were defendants for the case, are however said to be BLA members. However, Herman Bell accepted responsibility of being intentionally involved in killing John Young (Umoja, 2006).
In November 1971, an Atlanta Police Department officer was shot inside his patrol van as he stopped in a gas station. Furthermore, the responsible killers confiscated his wallet, badge and weapons with and two men were suspected for the shooting. One of the suspects –Twymon Meyers, was allegedly shot by police two years later. The second suspect, locally known as Kamau Sadiki, was arrested in NY and held for a different charge, though evaded. In July 1972, the Delta Air Lines Flight 841 was hijacked as it flew to Miami from Detroit. The hijacking was executed by five armed individuals who diverted the plane as they demanded a $1 million ransom. The passengers were however released and moved to Algeria. Later on, four of the attackers were arrested in Paris, France. However, George Wright, was not arrested and remained a fugitive but later captured in Portugal.
Literature Review – (synopsis of relevant literature on each organization)
Extremists’ terrorism has been highly reviewed by various individuals and organizations due to its sensitivity to governments, the public and property within a country. Several reviews of this topic are majorly aimed at sensitizing the public and the world at large on the need to mitigate terrorism activities. For instance, according to the U.S Department of State, it is highly important to ensure social cohesion so as to minimize chances of the desperation conditions that prompt individuals to join extremist groups. Additionally, the US government should lias with international organizations, NGOs and other relevant authorities so as to secure funding and increase security personnel needed to eradicate this menace. According to the book A Practitioner’s Way Forward: Terrorism Analysis, it can be deduced that extremist terrorist activities are not only executed by Muslims, but is an all-round affair that might involve anybody regardless of their ethnic or religious background (Brannan, Darken, & Strindberg, 2016). Therefore, the perception that only Muslims are obsessed with terrorism activities is biased and void. Assata Shakur, one of the BLA pioneers, also explains the course of their BLA as an extremist militant terror group. She also explains their hard course through their fight with the government (Assatashakur.org, 2016). Assata Shakur is currently living as a fugitive and is on demand by the FBI.
Analysis – (applying unbiased critical thought to the research in order to identify the nature of the kinetic threat each organization poses).
The BLA, a home-grown extremist group, whose ideology was to instill self-determination for the sole objective of liberating the Black sin the US from oppression and treatment as a minority group. The group was highly relevant for its fight for black people’s rights, though the approach used to put their grievances forth was inhuman and wrong. For instance, using an armed approach characterized by catastrophic attacks of both the police and the public was an uninformed, brutal, illegal, and contrary to the expectations of both the public and the government. As a result, the organization, previously operating above ground, was forced to use an underground approach as the government was on the hunt. This, however, heightened the conflict between the government and the organization, prompting more brutal retaliation between the BLA and the government. This resulted into police officers being murdered by the BLA as an approach of signaling their message, while the government, through the police, engaged in a direct exchange of fire. Some of the BLA members such as Herman Bell were detained, some shot dead, while others had to live as fugitives.
Courses of Action – (three recommended strategies designed to mitigate the threats identified)
Following the BLA catastrophic attacks within the US, tension and fear increased as both the public and the government were wary of future brutal attacks and strengthening of the Black nationalists’ militant group. This necessitated the need to come up with counter-terrorism measures to culminate actions of the militant organization before it turned into a national disaster. As a result, the US government through its law enforcement bodies had to come up with viable strategies to mitigate the actions of the rapidly uprising militant group. For instance, the government embarked on a serious use of its law enforcement officers, both local and advanced ones such as the CIA and FBI (Lum, Kennedy, & Sherley, 2006). Merciless attacks on any member or affiliate of the extremist group was to be imposed. The FBI and CIA would expertly investigate members of this group, as well as the areas they attacked so as to ensure effective culmination of the group. Some of the BLA members were killed while others would be detained. For instance, Herman Bell, one of the men responsible for the death of Young, was detained after accepting responsibility of involvement in the murder. As of 2006, some of the BLA members were still in detention under the US government and include William Turk, Nathaniel Burns, Grailing Brown, Freddie Hilton, Arthur Lee Washing ton and Russel Shoatz. However, one of the most wanted members of the organization, Assata Shakur, is still a fugitive and still under investigation by the FBI. Additionally, Twymon Meyers was also shot by the police after their involvement in shooting an Atlanta Police Department Officer. Some of the main contributors of the organization such as Jalil Muntaqim were captured and detained by the US government. The picture below is an illustration of how these BLA members were being hunted and captured by the government.

Figure 2: The Capture of BLA’s Jalil Muntaqim
Empowerment of local and national leaders so as to put them in better capacities to mitigate terrorism is a major strategy towards the culmination of the BLA (ICSR, 2016) The leaders should be empowered to challenge extremist views and this can be achieved via well-designed programs, training and funding. Also, the public should appreciate and recognize the need of partnering with NGOs and other international organizations so as to ensure sufficient funding and personnel to handle the BLA menace. Another viable strategy to mitigate the BLA organization is ensuring that the trade-off that otherwise existed between security and human rights, as well as the rule of law is no more (Muntaqim, 2002). This strategy would ensure that the recruitment of terrorists into the extremist groups is prevented as the local dynamics would decrease popular disaffection. Also, this strategy would ensure that the previously created conditions that prompted individuals to join the militant groups is no more. The government can also ensure equal treatment of all its people irrespective of ethnic background thus the main ideology behind this extremist group would have been sufficiently handled (US Department of State, 2016).
Next Steps
The BLA proved itself to be a major threat to both the public and the government. The black nationalists’ extremist group was forced to go underground following its conflict with the government. However, following the initial collapse of this US based extremist group, some of its original members such as Ashanti Alston and Ojore Lutalo did not give up on voicing their anti-social opinions. Instead, these individuals transformed to loud and aggressive proponents of anarchism. Alston, however in prison, is still an outspoken proponent within the prison as well as outside in other activist circles. However, regardless of the fall of this militant organization, the US government in collaboration with other governments, NGOs and the general public still engage very actively in counterterrorism strategies so as to ensure would peace and democracy. Therefore, the future of militant organizations and other terror groups is very dull as everybody everywhere is towards mitigation of the inhuman and development-incapacitating terrorism activities (Corrections Florida, 2016).
References
Assatashakur.org, (2016). What is the Black Liberation Army (BLA). Retrieved 22 November 2016, from http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/rbg-street-scholars-think-tank/23010-what-black-liberation-army-bla.html
Brannan, D., Darken, K., & Strindberg, A. (2016). Book Review: A Practitioner’s Way Forward: Terrorism Analysis by David Brannan, Kristin Darken, and Anders Strindberg (Salinas, CA: Agile Press, 2014) – HOMELAND SECURITY AFFAIRS. HOMELAND SECURITY AFFAIRS. Retrieved 22 November 2016, from https://www.hsaj.org/articles/6317
Corrections Florida. (2016). Prison Gangs (continued) — Gangs and Security Threat Group Awareness. Dc.state.fl.us. Retrieved 22 November 2016, from http://www.dc.state.fl.us/pub/gangs/prison2.html
Fredrickson, G. M. (1996). Black Liberation: A comparative history of Black ideologies in the United States and South Africa. Oxford University Press.
ICSR. (2016). The Black Liberation Army and Homegrown Terrorism in 1970s America / ICSR. Retrieved 22 November 2016, from http://icsr.info/2012/04/the-black-liberation-army-and-homegrown-terrorism-in-1970s-america/
Joseph, P. E. (2001). Black liberation without apology: Reconceptualizing the Black Power movement. The Black Scholar, 31(3-4), 2-19.
Lum, C., Kennedy, L. W., & Sherley, A. (2006). Are counter-terrorism strategies effective? The results of the Campbell systematic review on counter-terrorism evaluation research. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 2(4), 489-516.
Muntaqim, J. (2002). On the Black liberation army. Abraham Guillen Press & Arm the Spirit.
Umoja, A. O. (2006). The Black liberation army and the radical legacy of the Black Panther Party. Black Power in the Belly of the Beast, 224-51.
US Department of State. (2016). Preventing Terrorism: Strategies and Policies To Prevent and Combat Transnational Threats. Retrieved 22 November 2016, from http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/rm/2010/150068.htm