I'd been looking for this quote!
I will say that it should never be easy for them to destroy us. If you start with Malcolm X and count all of the brothers who have died or been captured since, you will find that not even one of them was really prepared for a fight. No imagination or fighting style was evident in any one of the incidents. But each one that died professed to know the nature of our enemies. It should never be so easy for them. Do you understand what I'm saying? Edward V. Hanrahan, Illinois State Attorney General, sent fifteen pigs to raid the Panther headquarters and murder Hampton and Clark. Do you have any idea what would have happened to those fifteen pigs if they had run into as many Viet Cong as there were Panthers in that building. The VC are all little people with less general education than we have. The argument that they have been doing it longer has no validity at all, because they were doing it just as well when they started as they are now. It's very contradictory for a man to teach about the murder in corporate capitalism, to isolate and expose the murderes behind it, to instruct that these madmen are completely without stops, are licentious, totally depraved — and then not make adquate preparations to defend himself from the madman's attack. Either they don't really believe their own spiel or they harbor some sort of subconscious death wish.
Panthers did have shootouts with cops, but I do agree that nobody ever seems to be quite ready for the violence. I think it is actually some liberalism seeping through. You know the enemy is violent and would kill you if they could, but a little voice in your head says, "but not now, we haven't even escalated yet" or "surely they'll jail us first or give a warning".
Never, ever underestimate liberals' tolerance and even enthusiasm for violence against us, and the licence this gives to pigs. (Over)reaction and no expectation of consequences are the historical trend.
Organize as if your mutual aid group or protest is actually a target of violence and your anonymity has value. Expect and prepare for a greater threat than seems reasonable. Rather than emphasize fear, let preparation give you a sense of security and help build good habits so that when lightning strikes and it's time for action (and reaction), you're 100% ready to go.
Yeah, this is my big takeaway from it and my concern over the western left. For the most part, we're all still a bunch of
not taking things seriously while Social Murder picks us off, let alone armed violence.