Matl Blunl James F, Keathley

Govenol Colonel, MSHP

Mark S. James Van Godsey

Dhectot. DPS Ditector. MIAC

MIAC Bulletin
Black Separatism
o9-o5-o7

01 a separale slale' or even

Black separatism ln the United States is a movemenl thal seeks the creallon
biack
nulrn, id, nr";"un, of Alrlcan descenl. Based on the history oi slavery and racism in America,
y'
lruti"ua tt ut the only soiution is lor them to be al owed 10 govern themse ves separate
""putufiitt
varied wjdely over time and
Deiaiis on how to accomplish this goal and the iorm that il should take have
;il;;; g;"r;". W hi e many within the movemef t seek a peacef ul means to reach their objective, lhe
hasbeentora
rili*Jotigtorpr,aswellastromsomeindividualsintheblackseparatstmovemenl
*.ng *hut ihey believe to be rrghtfully therrs ll rs this polentia lor vro ence and illegal activity
"iof"ni "i
unOutttanding of the black sepaTatlsl movemenl importanl lor lhe
law enlorcement com-
if.uiru-f,"i
munity.' "n

Developmenl ol Black SeParatism

Following the American civi War, the myriad of problems associaled with.the
integraiion oi millions of
the onty soluiion was
ioimer sLves into nmerican society led many, both black and white, to betieve thai
settling
, ."ountion oi nfa"ts irom whites Early attempts, some even pre-dating the Civil War' led to the Others
.i tl"""t lo curenl-day Liberia, as wel as to lailed plans Jor other African colonies
"i"""i""r"0
in the late 1800s hoped lor separate colonies in the American West

a prinary or secondary goal oJ

Over the years various groups have espoused black separatlsm as either
goals' to in-
tn"n Addilionali, the lengths io which the groups are willing to go io achieve these
clude "lo,f".
violence and crimina activiiy, have also varied, even within the same
group The backgrounds and
prominent organizalions thal have espoused black separalism will
,iii"o goul, ot ."u"rul o1 the more
now be covered.

Nation of lslam

According 10 the FBl, Fard lviuhammad (born Wallace Fard)

iounded ihe Nation oi lslam (NOl) in Detroil in 1 930 lMuhammad
combinecl aspecls oi lslam and other religions and preached io the
c lr''s AllL an ATericals. nls leachlngs i'clJded lhal h"
hi-sel'was
"
lh; embodraenl ol Goo Drio lo dropprng oJl o- sign n lhe lale
J 930's, Fard IVluhammad passed on leadelship
ol the Nation ol ls-
am to Elijah lMuhammad. Elijah Muhammad mainlained thal
blacks were a superjol race, and that the whjle lace was
'cof
or manrluctuud llom the germ of the Black man "3 lhe Na-
"uiueJ
tion 01 lslam grew under [4uhammad's leadership, and il was dul
ing rrrr5 lime
rII this r, curgruw' coincidinge with the Civi Righls [lovement ,
;l growth ruurruvr
rnit Ma colm I ol eo t_e orqani/al o1, oeconrnq ils soo{esna' lo a 'ine D'ol 1o denoJ_clng il n qba

ti was dur no lMa colm X s time wlth the Nalion ol lslam lhal he was heard by a
young Louis Farrakhan.
in 1 975' his son'
f ;;;;;; in tut'i io *ork for lhe organ zalion when Eliiah lMuhammad died
I *rl ii o""""i'""1
rvrnurruJ. o""ur" the tead;r ol the Nallon ol lslam Following a period ol turbulenl re-
the organization's betreis lowards more tradi'
I ;;; ;;o *"r.i"r, tn" v"""q", Iri uhammad transitioned
I i;;"i;;;iltlt, tou",iL"t spllt, wlth Farrakhan assuming control ol whal is now consideled the
,r,"
I
 Nalionollslam5 Hemaintainedconholunhl2006.when,suflernglrom.proslalecancer,hepassedon
'n. respo sioi \ lor lrr oal\ a' al's or l'e NOl o rl_ Boa-d o' Dr'pclo s
"

Ihe Nallon of islam marntalns a program ol goais broken down rnlo 1en parls. These goals rnclude lree_
dom, lustice, and equality ol opporlunity; an end 1o po ice brutalily againsl blacl(s; eq!alily of empl0ymenl
opporiunity; tax exemplion and a separale stale or lerriiory lor blackst ire-.dom Jor a I lvluslims cutrenlly
in
Federal prlsons; separale schools loi blacks and a prohibition ol inlermatriage'

Th€ beliefs oJ the Nation oi lslam diller ir several areas lrom tradltional lslam, mosi nolaby lhal ol lhe
sralus ol Fard Muhammad and oi race. As mentioned above, the Nation of lslam mainlains lhal
Fard
Muhammad was the incarnation ol Allah, whlle iradilionai lslam leaches thal Allah
woulrl never maniJesl
himselfinanymaler]allormAddil]ona]]y,theNalonollslamteacheslhepnmacyandsupremacyoithe
blaok race, whereas lslam makes no overl slalemenls ' The Na|on ol lslam ls represented in
on race
!
H,li...oui in forn Sr. Louis and Kansas Cily

New Black Panther Party

41 a 1 990 press conference a l\/ilwaukee, Wisconsin city al

derman, Michae lMccee, called loi the creation ol a Black
Panther lMiliila, as a res!lt ol iruslration over persislenl in- '
neLcity condilions. Mccee lost reelection in 1 992, bul a mi'
litiachapterwasstarted in lndianapolis. Aaron [4ichaeJs, a
rad o producer in Dallas, lormed the New Black Panther
Party (NBPP) in 1 991, taking inspiration lrom l\lccee s Black
Panthei lvlilitia

The movement grew in the 1 990s, and a lormel nember oj

ihe Nation 01 lslam's leadership, Khailid Abdul l,4uhammad,
came lo prominence. Over the years, [,4uhammad has spo-
ken to numerous groups around the country, uulizing a mix
ol racist, anti-Semitic, and homophobjc argumenls [lu"
hammad's speaking is epitomized by a speech he made in
November 1 993 in New Jersey, which was so widely con-
demreo llal the L.S. Congress cal ed il "oul'ageous hale'
monqerng ol lhe nosl vrcrous aqd vile lino ''

lvluhammad died in 2001, and his closesl lieutenani, l\,4alik zulu shabazz, took over leadership of the New
gir;k punil'", putt),. Continuing fluhammad's legacy of racist, vioient speech, Shabazz also shiited
g""i; t" g ,ore protes'is taking advanta[e of racially divisive issues across the country includ-
irg, after "ig"""il ioo l , calling the United States the 'world's number one Terrorist "
Siplemo-er r 1 ,

BLacl( Panlher Party's "1 0

As a collective declaration ol the group's beliels, shabazz published the New
poinlifnfott.' The p atfolm includes the lollowing goals: Black lreedom and sell-determ nation; iull
l.pfoyt"nt; t* and reparalions; "decent" bousing and free health carei ed!calion thal "ex-
of thts deviIsh and decadenl American society;" cxemption lrom miiilaly service; an
"r*,itplion
ooses lhe true nature
I".l ,. ,"" n"*ttenl and brutalrly, as wel as an end to "cooperation and collaboration wilh the op
""f
ni".roi,;tnureleaseolal biackstiomiailsandprjsonsaialllevels;lrialbyanal backj!ry;anda'sepa-
;ale slale or lerritorv ol ou, own "'o

take advantage
The New Black Panthei Parly continues lo use lactics of ho ding prolests and rallies thal
oi racially charged incidents;nd that capitalize on media atleniion aliendanl 10 such
events The group
streel gangs, as well as holding physical and de{ensive taclics
has conduclediarqeted tecrurtlnq among
f,r"".qbf ,"n*Blacl "a"rl"erpa'ty soeievedrohaveclaolerslocdleo ' lz cilresd'ounolhe
c.t'ied"Slates, h" nea'es' lo MissoJ'i ocrrg I Chicago lll ro s'

Uniied Nuwaubian Nation oJ l\,4oors

Formecl ln the 1 970s by Dwighl York, whal would become the Uniled Nu-
waubian Natlon ol Moors gol its start in New York City lnit ally called the
Ansar! A lah Communlty, the organlzation's members llved an almosl com
munal exislence where new induclees t!rned over all possessions lo lhe
qroup's leaders and worked as streel peddlels' raising lurther lunds Ior the
 group.

Allegations 01 criminal acls led the FBI lo starl an rnvestrgatior into the organizaliof and its leader in the
earlii990s. Aroundthesamelime,Yorkmadeplanslomovehisiollowersloa4T6 acrelraclinrura
Eal;nlon, ceorgia Whal began wlth a small group ol York's loilower' swelled inlo the hundreds as oth-
ers were recruil;d or moved 10 the area. York made an allempl to regisler his gloup as the
"Yamassee
l,,iative American lMoors ol the creek Nallon,' in a bid to b!ild a casino on his property. This atlempl
iailed, ancl issues stemming Irom building permits ior the site led oca author lies to find thal a building
const;ucled under lhe auspices ot a slorage bLrildlng was being run as a nighlclub with numerous building
code violations.

By this lime, York had renamed his group the United Nuwaubian Nation ol lloors, and began a
publicity
cimpaignpainlingcountyoilicialsa;dlawentorcemenlasracisls. Thecampalgn lurnedlolhreatsas
well, in;uding af instance ol an evisceraled dog cut in two in the driveway of the coufty attorney

ln 2000, the Nuwaubjans worked to unseal the county sheritl, af ellorl that iailed i n parl due to the
ex'
ire;es ol the antlgovernmenl publicily campaign, which alienated local blacl(s as well as whites. York
drilled inlo his foll;ers his ideas o1 whiles as devils, and his lollowers became co nJrontational with law
enlorcemenl during traflic slops, claiming to nol be subiect to lhe law. while the g roup's messages be-
came extreme, staiing that the NuwaUbi;ns "smel a Waco in the making.' governmenl investigalors, in-
cluding the FBl, had built a case against York that inciuded numelous charges o1 child molestatjon.

york was aryested withoul violence in May 2002. whiie hundreds have before and since lell the group,
others still remaif on the compound.l3

Other Groups

From time to time, various other black separatisl groups emerge onto the scene but seldom do they
tocally active. lncluded among these groups is ihe lnternailona People's Democlatic
move beyono being"based
uhuru M6vement, m the s1. petersburg/Tampa area tn Floada. ln the past, they have calied ior
the St. petersburg mayor and police.to be executed.14 This group along with others such as the Aban'
naki lndigenous Nation, which operates primarily in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and the United Nu-
waubian"Nation oi lMoors meniioned befor€, have taken on many ol the trappings oi the sovereign
cilizen
movement, creating their own ideniification cards, licenses, and 'diplom.atc papers," as wel as ciaiming
thal law er{orcene;l and judicra otilc,als .ave no aulho';ly over tl-em '"

The Black P Stone Nation, the modern incarnation of a Chicago slreel gang from the 1 960s known as
the
Biackstone Bangers, is another group with separatisl ties lt has incorpoated aspects and
symbols of ls-
lslamic Palace of ihe Rising sun (a reli-
Lr into it" o*nlauniity, and ha;also made ties with the lMelanic
gi;usorg;nizationthaiiLtn,4i"llgunDOCieclassifiedasasecuriiythrealgroup)'fnngegTu.:::ltt,t '
iMoorish"science Temple 01 beliels, and ihe New Black Panther Parly.
America thal espouse separatisl

lmpllcations tor Missouri

entorcement
Black Separatist groups, like many White Separatisl groups, have a history of resisting law
ollicers and in miny ways treating olficers as enemjes. While individual behavior varies, in some
areas
members ol separaiisl ;lganizat;rls have conducied surveillance ol law enforcem en1 officers' while in
lT Additionally'
oir,ur" f.rln"nr t"tbeis have been chargeJ witn assault ol law iliorcemenl olficers
gtorps {such as the lMelani; lslamic Palace ol the Rising Sun) contribule to the growing
"or" "upututi"t
problem o{ ls amic prison radicalizalion n the United Stales. ln prison radicallzation inmales aTe
ex-

fiosed (and sometlmes convelted) 10 a violenl inlerpretation o] lslam thal can serye as a slepping-stone
iotenoiism. Blackseparalists siantonradicaJizationoltenincludeselementsolblacksupremacyasan
eXtensionoJthereligiousindoclrlnation'ltishopedthalolf]cerawarenessolthebelielsolBlackSepara
lisl groups wlll allow betiel response to irlcidents involving lheir members'
'oI
The MIAC requesls leedback on this producl (ema I miac@mshp dps mo gov) as well as suggeslions
on
1op;cs of interest lo the Mlssouri law enloTcemenl communlty thal may be utilized
for luture producis'
Mmssmwsm ffimffiwmmffiffiffi@ffiffi ffimmHwsss @emfier
Division of Drug & Crime ControJ, P. O. Box 568, Jeflerson City, MO 65102-0568
Phone: 573'751-6422 Toll Free: 866-362-6422 Fax: 573'751'9950
M)AC DISCLATNFR: Alt tntomatian conbined in lhk nawsletet should be consldeted LAVI EMABCEMENI SENSE VE Funhet
distilbulion of in'
iomatbl k this nowsbilet h Esttcbd ta hw enlorconanl officeE and agenciu, ildllgilce a&nca, aad tupnmant ol Delense o.ganEalions
Dnless Dtiot ao,rcval ls obtahed non the pubhshed soutE. No REPoBf 0B SEGMENT THEREjF MAv BE BELEASED
Dntv To ANv MEDIA
io'iacts. ctt ana u;nna penathes nay estst iat nisuse, and pegons ot oryanizations
viatatns thh poticy vfl| be rmovod ton ail distlbution
tjsts. The ltarnatjon hercit ;nav nat bc thtAc otjlinated inhltiaene mlass nated lhilelote lhe annotated oilqlnated agencies in the newildtet
should be conlacled lot lhe Eouc6 and relnbiilty al infornailon

rWikipedir,"Biacl(SePar^lisn1,"IbtrPr//ens'jl(ipediaorg/u'ilii/Blacl( sePamlism]'Ma]11,200?'
: Federal Burca! ol lnvesligaLion, "Wallace D Fard," lhilP://tuia lbi.gov/loiaindex/lard htn]. July 2007
I Tlrnela Muhamnrad, "S/hy did we rut Yakub's made devil fiorn the rool ofcirilizalion?"
Ihttp://wwu,.iinalca]1.com/artnat/publish/arlicle 3?l7.sh[nl], July 10,
2007
I Anti Defamalion League, "Whal is tbe Nation ollslam?"
Ihupi//wu,$,.fldl.org/n]ain_Nalior,ol_Islam/whal_is the_nation,ol,islanr.htn?Mulli-page-secljons=sHeadnrg-21,
FebruaD,22, 2007.
i wiliipedia, ' N ati or of Is1 am. " Ih ttp://en. wikiped ia. orglwi ki/N aLi on-oI-Islarn], J u l )' 2007
6
Anti-Defanution League, "What is tl)e Nation oflslam?"
?
Wikipedia, "Natior oiIslan."
I Southern Poverq,Law center, "Active U S Hate Groups in 2006'''
Ihsp://www.splcenter.org/inE]/map/hale.jsP?T=32&m=51' Jul)' 2007.
e
Anti Defamatiol League, 'Neu'Black Panther Part)'for Self-Defense,"
fhr!p://wwu,.adl.org/LearnlBxr_US/Blact_Panther.asp?LEARN_Cat=Exremism&LEARN-SubCal=Exlremism-in-
America&xpicked=3&item=B lack-Pan!he4, 2005
r0
Nev,Black Panther Partl for Self-Defense. "10 Poirn Platforn,''
Ihitp J/wwu,.newb]ackpaother,com/i 0PointPlatform.htmll, 2007
ir,lr;ddial'Buieiu.of,lnvestigarion lDtellicence Bulletjn. "N"-", Black Panlher Pail)' Exploitirg lnflammator)rEvents
ro Promote violeilce.' .1 N4a] 200?
lr Southern Poveffy Law Center. "Active U S. Hate Grcups ir 2006 _ Biack Separatist,"
Ihsp://www.splcenter.org/inlel/map/haleisp?T=32&m=5]' July 2007.
r3
Bob Moser, "'Sariof in a S! ange Land." /il/?lLiSence Rc\ort (FaIl 2002)
rd
Anti DefamaLion Lea.gue. "Exremisnr in Floidal The Dark Side oftl)e Sunshine State' Second EdiLion"
pdfl 2007' p 8
fhttp://wile'.adl.org/learn6xtrmisnFlorjdaINSIDE
i5 ,,Abanoahi hdigenous 'Nation l4embers Arested," IntelLigetlcz ne,rorr (Sunmer
soutb"rn pover0l Lu* Cenrer,
2007) | 7-8.
l('Fe;eralBueauollnvestigAtiotrlnt€iligenceAssessnetrt,"TheBlaclPSLoneNation: IncorporationofReliSion
inLo Gang ldentily," 20 FebruaD'2007, P. E 9
by Local
Joinr R"egional )nreiligence Cenrer. la,nTTAC Officer Safet),Notificalio0, "DocunreDted Tactics Used
r?

BIack SeparaList AffiliaLed GroilPs," Jill)' i l, 2007