--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In its attempt to crush the Black…" description: "\"In its attempt to crush the Black Panthers, the FBI engineered frequent arrests on the flimsiest of pretexts.\" — Alexander Cockburn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/alexander-cockburn-21664_attempt_in-its-attempt-to-crush-the-black-panthe_752470.jpg" --- # In its attempt to crush the Black Panthers, the FBI… ![“In its attempt to crush the Black Panthers, the FBI engineered frequent arrests on the flimsiest of pretexts.” quote by Alexander Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/alexander-cockburn-21664_attempt_in-its-attempt-to-crush-the-black-panthe_752470.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/alexander-cockburn-21664_attempt_in-its-attempt-to-crush-the-black-panthe_752470.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/alexander-cockburn-21664_attempt_in-its-attempt-to-crush-the-black-panthe_752470.jpg) > “In its attempt to crush the Black Panthers, the FBI engineered frequent arrests on the flimsiest of pretexts.” [Alexander Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-cockburn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The FBI used trivial pretexts to arrest Black Panthers, showing a pattern of political repression. **In simple terms:** FBI targeted Panthers with flimsy charges. Key Takeaway Beware of abuse of power. Themes politics law enforcement civil rights Mood critical historical Type political educational When to use this quote - activism - legal reform - historical research Key Concepts state surveillance political oppression Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms enable such repression? - How can societies protect dissent? A Different Perspective The focus on arrests may ignore broader systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black Panthers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-panthers/) [Crush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crush/) [Engineered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineered/) [Panthers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/panthers/) ## Related quotes > [If you use it intelligently, Twitter can be a form of engineered serendipity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-silva/if-you-use-it-intelligently-twitter-can-be-a-form-of-engineered/) [Jason Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-silva/) > [By themselves, genetically engineered crops will not end hunger or improve health or bolster the economies of struggling countries. 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Moran Browse all 516 Attempt quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In its attempt to crush the Black Panthers, the FBI engineered frequent arrests on the flimsiest of pretexts.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alexander Cockburn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-cockburn/in-its-attempt-to-crush-the-black-panthers-the-fbi-engineered/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attempt" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-cockburn/in-its-attempt-to-crush-the-black-panthers-the-fbi-engineered/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/alexander-cockburn-21664_attempt_in-its-attempt-to-crush-the-black-panthe_752470.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/alexander-cockburn-21664_attempt_in-its-attempt-to-crush-the-black-panthe_752470.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/alexander-cockburn-21664_attempt_in-its-attempt-to-crush-the-black-panthe_752470.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In its attempt to crush the Black Panthers, the FBI engineered frequent arrests on the flimsiest of pretexts.” — Alexander Cockburn", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alexander Cockburn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-cockburn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In its attempt to crush the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-cockburn/in-its-attempt-to-crush-the-black-panthers-the-fbi-engineered/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-cockburn/in-its-attempt-to-crush-the-black-panthers-the-fbi-engineered/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```