--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: FIVE YEARS OF UNREST AND INCREASINGLY…" description: "\"“FIVE YEARS OF UNREST AND INCREASINGLY MILITARIZED police actions culminated with America’s very first SWAT raid in the final months of the 1960s. The ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df0/radley-balko-16195_black-panther_five-years-of-unrest-and-increasingly-mi_2270781.jpg" --- # FIVE YEARS OF UNREST AND INCREASINGLY MILITARIZED police… ![“FIVE YEARS OF UNREST AND INCREASINGLY MILITARIZED police actions culminated with America’s very first SWAT raid in the final months of the 1960s. The December 1969 raid on the Los Angeles headquarters of the Black Panthers was also about as high-profile a debut for Daryl Gates’s pet project as he…” quote by Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df0/radley-balko-16195_black-panther_five-years-of-unrest-and-increasingly-mi_2270781.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df0/radley-balko-16195_black-panther_five-years-of-unrest-and-increasingly-mi_2270781.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df0/radley-balko-16195_black-panther_five-years-of-unrest-and-increasingly-mi_2270781.jpg) > ““FIVE YEARS OF UNREST AND INCREASINGLY MILITARIZED police actions culminated with America’s very first SWAT raid in the final months of the 1960s. The December 1969 raid on the Los Angeles headquarters of the Black Panthers was also about as high-profile a debut for Daryl Gates’s pet project as he could possibly have imagined. Practically, logistically, and tactically, the raid was an utter disaster.”” [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes the chaotic, militarized police raid on the Black Panthers, highlighting poor planning and execution. **In simple terms:** SWAT raid was a disastrous, militarized police action. Key Takeaway Recognize the costs of unchecked militarization. Themes law enforcement militarization history Mood critical historical Type analytical political When to use this quote - criminal justice reform - public policy analysis - civil liberties advocacy Key Concepts police tactics civil rights government overreach Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards could prevent such disasters? - How can communities hold police accountable? A Different Perspective May overlook positive outcomes of specialized units. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black Panthers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-panthers/) [Los angeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/los-angeles/) ## Related quotes > [“He started America’s first SWAT team.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/he-started-america-s-first-swat-team/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“FBI director J. Edgar Hoover had made the Black Panthers a top priority and, naturally, had publicly “declared war” on them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/fbi-director-j-edgar-hoover-had-made-the-black-panthers-a-top/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“Most people remember COINTELPRO from the days of the Black Panthers, Yippies, and other revolutionary groups who threatened our government during the civil rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-icke/most-people-remember-cointelpro-from-the-days-of-the-black-panthers/) [David Icke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-icke/) > [“The New Year’s Gang, as with many self-styled revolutionary groups to emerge at the tail end of the turbulent ’60s, both foreign and domestic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arntfield/the-new-year-s-gang-as-with-many-self-styled-revolutionary-groups-to/) Michael Arntfield > [We like to think of the '60s as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X and a little bit of friction - no, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/we-like-to-think-of-the-60s-as-martin-luther-king-jr-and-malcolm-x/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [“Being hungry is the hardest thing, & to this day I have prayers of gratitude for the Black Panthers, who made Breakfast for Children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrisse-khan-cullors/being-hungry-is-the-hardest-thing-to-this-day-i-have-prayers-of/) Patrisse Khan-Cullors > [“...and now, in the season of the Radical Chic, the Black Panthers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/and-now-in-the-season-of-the-radical-chic-the-black-panthers/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > [In its attempt to crush the Black Panthers, the FBI engineered frequent arrests on the flimsiest of pretexts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-cockburn/in-its-attempt-to-crush-the-black-panthers-the-fbi-engineered/) [Alexander Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-cockburn/) > [Not since the Black Panthers sailed into their Upper East Side tea party has there been so daffy an exercise in radical chic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/not-since-the-black-panthers-sailed-into-their-upper-east-side-tea/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [“When Hitler failed, his officers were brought to the US, from inside Rockefeller Center, and to the Bahamas and Southern states to build that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-brussell/when-hitler-failed-his-officers-were-brought-to-the-us-from-inside/) [Mae Brussell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-brussell/) > [As I stroll down the same streets so many like me once before were killed on. Steady Mobbin. Thinkin bout the black panthers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupe-fiasco/as-i-stroll-down-the-same-streets-so-many-like-me-once-before-were/) [Lupe Fiasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupe-fiasco/) > [How we stop the black panthers? Ronald Reagan cooked up an answer You hear that? What Gil Scott was hearin When our heroes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/how-we-stop-the-black-panthers-ronald-reagan-cooked-up-an-answer-you/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [ First of all, \[St. Stephen's\] is a radical church. It was one of the first DC churches to have gay ceremonies. A woman said… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mackaye/first-of-all-st-stephen-s-is-a-radical-church-it-was-one-of-the-first/) [Ian MacKaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mackaye/) > [“New Rule: Democrats must get in touch with their inner asshole. I refer to the case of Van Jones, the man the Obama administration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-democrats-must-get-in-touch-with-their-inner-asshole-i-refer/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [I am proud that my daughter believes, as I do, that hungry children should be fed whether they are Black Panthers or White Republicans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-douglas/i-am-proud-that-my-daughter-believes-as-i-do-that-hungry-children/) [Tommy Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-douglas/) ## More by Radley Balko > [“About twenty years later, the Pentagon would begin giving away millions of pieces of military equipment to police departments across the country for everyday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/about-twenty-years-later-the-pentagon-would-begin-giving-away/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“In the summer of 2002, Biden was pushing his RAVE Act, an absurdly broad law that would have made venue and club owners liable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/in-the-summer-of-2002-biden-was-pushing-his-rave-act-an-absurdly/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“Clark wrote that there are common-law exceptions to the knock-and-announce rule known as an “exigent circumstances.” One such exception is if police believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/clark-wrote-that-there-are-common-law-exceptions-to-the-knock-and/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“Number of SWAT teams in the FBI alone in 2013: 56         Unlikely federal agencies that have used SWAT teams: US Fish and Wildlife…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/number-of-swat-teams-in-the-fbi-alone-in-2013-56-unlikely-federal/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“says the thrill of the raid may factor into why narcotics cops just don’t consider less volatile means of serving search warrants. “The thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/says-the-thrill-of-the-raid-may-factor-into-why-narcotics-cops-just/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [Finally, this case should serve as yet another reminder of just how dangerous and volatile these police home invasions really are, and why we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/finally-this-case-should-serve-as-yet-another-reminder-of-just-how/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“In a couple of ways, the Watts riots were the first major incident to nudge the United States toward more militaristic policing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/in-a-couple-of-ways-the-watts-riots-were-the-first-major-incident-to/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“Police officers today are a protected class, one no politician wants to oppose. Law enforcement interests may occasionally come up short on budgetary issues,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/police-officers-today-are-a-protected-class-one-no-politician-wants/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“Using general warrants, British soldiers were allowed to enter private homes, confiscate what they found, and often keep the bounty for themselves. The policy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/using-general-warrants-british-soldiers-were-allowed-to-enter-private/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“When guarding buildings, mark a ‘DEAD’ line and announce clearly that those who cross it will be killed. Be sure to kill the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/when-guarding-buildings-mark-a-dead-line-and-announce-clearly-that/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [We'll all make better choices about diet, exercise, and personal health when someone else isn't paying for the consequences of those choices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/we-ll-all-make-better-choices-about-diet-exercise-and-personal-health/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“Police need not announce themselves if doing so would jeopardize their safety, if they are in the midst of an emergency,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/police-need-not-announce-themselves-if-doing-so-would-jeopardize/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“Detroit, for example, a new police commissioner took over in 1971 and began implementing a more Nixonian approach to illicit drugs. Chief John Nichols…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/detroit-for-example-a-new-police-commissioner-took-over-in-1971-and/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“Law enforcement is just like any other interest group,” Santarelli says. “They’re always after greater power.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/law-enforcement-is-just-like-any-other-interest-group-santarelli-says/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“FBI director J. Edgar Hoover had made the Black Panthers a top priority and, naturally, had publicly “declared war” on them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/fbi-director-j-edgar-hoover-had-made-the-black-panthers-a-top/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) [Explore all 40 Radley Balko quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) ## More Black panther quotes > [When I was writing 'Black Panther,' on one level, I was angry because DC would never let me write 'Batman,' so I was doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-priest/when-i-was-writing-black-panther-on-one-level-i-was-angry-because-dc/) [Christopher Priest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-priest/) > [“A friend once told me a story about a former Black Panther leader in a Midwest community who in the 1960s had his phone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/a-friend-once-told-me-a-story-about-a-former-black-panther-leader-in/) [Luis J. Rodríguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/) > [Fang swerved closer to me, big and supremely graceful, like a black panther with wings. Oh, God. I'm so stupid. Forget I just said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/fang-swerved-closer-to-me-big-and-supremely-graceful-like-a-black/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [I am proud that my daughter believes, as I do, that hungry children should be fed whether they are Black Panthers or White Republicans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-douglas/i-am-proud-that-my-daughter-believes-as-i-do-that-hungry-children/) [Tommy Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-douglas/) > [The great thing about Meg in 'A Wrinkle In Time' and Shuri in 'Black Panther' is that none of them are stereotypes of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-russell/the-great-thing-about-meg-in-a-wrinkle-in-time-and-shuri-in-black/) [Taylor Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-russell/) > [The Black Panther Party was not a gang. They grew out of a young black intelligentsia on college campuses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-seale/the-black-panther-party-was-not-a-gang-they-grew-out-of-a-young-black/) [Bobby Seale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-seale/) > [“New Rule: Democrats must get in touch with their inner asshole. I refer to the case of Van Jones, the man the Obama administration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-democrats-must-get-in-touch-with-their-inner-asshole-i-refer/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [Oddly enough, Black Panther's almost like an analog to Tarzan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-stelfreeze/oddly-enough-black-panther-s-almost-like-an-analog-to-tarzan/) [Brian Stelfreeze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-stelfreeze/) > [Electoral politics was always an objective of the Black Panther party, so Barack Obama is a part of what we dreamed and struggled and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-seale/electoral-politics-was-always-an-objective-of-the-black-panther-party/) [Bobby Seale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-seale/) > [When I was younger, I had these romantic ideas about the Black Panther Party and what it meant to be a part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrisse-cullors/when-i-was-younger-i-had-these-romantic-ideas-about-the-black-panther/) [Patrisse Cullors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrisse-cullors/) > [There is a movement we call Afro-Futurism, where we imagine a black way of life free of white supremacy and bigotry. 'Black Panther,' I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-king/there-is-a-movement-we-call-afro-futurism-where-we-imagine-a-black/) [Shaun King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-king/) > ['Crazy Rich Asians' has been compared to 'Black Panther,' but I feel like that's a false equivalency. The idea that there's only this film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonoya-mizuno/crazy-rich-asians-has-been-compared-to-black-panther-but-i-feel-like/) [Sonoya Mizuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonoya-mizuno/) > [“There,he reminds me of you." Shelby indicated a black panther stretched in a path of sunlight, calmly watching the river of people who passed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/there-he-reminds-me-of-you-shelby-indicated-a-black-panther-stretched/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > ['Black Panther' has made me embrace my natural black hair. The representation of natural black hair in the film has made me reflect on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letitia-wright/black-panther-has-made-me-embrace-my-natural-black-hair-the/) [Letitia Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letitia-wright/) > [ Having gone through the \[Marvel\] writer program, I knew Black Panther was in the pipeline and I knew they were big fans of my… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-robert-cole/having-gone-through-the-marvel-writer-program-i-knew-black-panther/) [Joe Robert Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-robert-cole/) Browse all 145 Black panther quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“FIVE YEARS OF UNREST AND INCREASINGLY MILITARIZED police actions culminated with America’s very first SWAT raid in the final months of the 1960s. The December 1969 raid on the Los Angeles headquarters of the Black Panthers was also about as high-profile a debut for Daryl Gates’s pet project as he could possibly have imagined. Practically, logistically, and tactically, the raid was an utter disaster.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Radley Balko" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/five-years-of-unrest-and-increasingly-militarized-police-actions/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Black panther" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/five-years-of-unrest-and-increasingly-militarized-police-actions/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df0/radley-balko-16195_black-panther_five-years-of-unrest-and-increasingly-mi_2270781.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df0/radley-balko-16195_black-panther_five-years-of-unrest-and-increasingly-mi_2270781.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df0/radley-balko-16195_black-panther_five-years-of-unrest-and-increasingly-mi_2270781.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“FIVE YEARS OF UNREST AND INCREASINGLY MILITARIZED police actions culminated with America’s very first SWAT…” — Radley Balko", "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": "Radley Balko", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“FIVE YEARS OF UNREST AND INCREASINGLY...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/five-years-of-unrest-and-increasingly-militarized-police-actions/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/five-years-of-unrest-and-increasingly-militarized-police-actions/#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 } } ] } ```