Founded August 20, 2014 Slogan Freedom | Political position black nationalism | |
Co-Founders Babu OmowaleYafeuh BalogunRakem Balogun Ideology Black empowermentGun rights | ||
The Huey P. Newton Gun Club is a group named after Black Panther Party founder Huey P. Newton. The group teaches self-defense and often stages armed protests in favor of African American gun rights and against police brutality.
The club was founded by Yafeuh Balogun and Babu Omowale. The group garnered national attention in August 2014 for its open carry patrols. Balogun expressed the hope that the club would continue to grow and eventually become a mainstream gun-rights organization.
Activity
In August 2014, the Huey P. Newton Gun Club staged their first openly armed patrol through a predominantly black neighborhood in South Dallas, where police killed an unarmed black youth named James Harper in 2012. Since then, Balogun reported that donations to the club have poured in from around the country, and their membership has more than doubled. The club staged another protest in October of the same year.
In 2016, the coalition held a counter-protest at the Muhammad Mosque in South Dallas in response to a demonstration by the anti-Islamic Bureau of American Islamic Relations (BAIR). BAIR organized the protest against the Nation of Islam, which runs the mosque. Both parties were armed and police were present during the protest which ended shortly without any violence.