‘Woke up with death every morning.’ Surveillance experiences of black panther party activists.

Abstract

Immediately after the foundation of the Black Panther Party, the FBI began to infiltrate the group with informants. This effort was part of the FBI’s Counter Intelligence Program that aimed to destroy the Party. However, little is known about how infiltration affected the internal fabric of the Panther organization. This chapter seeks to build understanding on that topic by applying an emotional theory concept, which provides a perspective on how Panthers experienced the threat of informers. Personal surveillance generated recurring emotional patterns, both for the subjects and for the objects of surveillance. Analyzing the emotional impact of infiltration, and exploring how the FBI used these emotions for their own end, offers an explanation on the Panthers’ fast demise after 1971.