The uh, party to set up that medical center. My classmate from Fenwick, Richard Doll Avec was overseeing the raid and they friend's apartment. So that was the so that was the divergent powers. That, um, that we took, Um I had actually known gel avec a little bit and high school during my Playboy days he was the ultimate guy. They had a car, so he was very popular. And I haven't read even read this. I even brought this in the article. But he, uh It was a pure politician. In high school, and he was the President the class for three straight years. Is model A was Richard Pal Richard Gel, the People's pal, and But then it's the senior year, the nerds revolted. And elected Bill Sweeney, who was happened about the smartest guy is like glass, so certain certain irony there. Well, let's read that Read the letter. And then we're going to talk a little bit about these discrepancies. You're with Judith in the Black Messiah. You weren't the only one by the way found discrepancies. Yes, keeping this conversation about it because we know Hollywood likes to take its liberty right kinds of score eight. But that's why it's important to have these conversations with people who now and just set the record straight. Right here We are with grads divergent paths. The divergent paths. My classmate from men with 1915. The 89 took was triggered recently by watching the critically acclaimed film Judith and the Black Messiah. It is the story of the betrayal of Fred Hampton, chairperson of the Illinois Black Panther Party, by William O'Neil in 1969, which resulted in Hampton's murder. While watching the film. I had to keep reminding myself that it is not fiction. That it is fiction. Not documentary. Many scenes in the film are not true, at least as I remember the events. They were account, and I was there when they happened. The movie has a great cast. Martin Sheen is dead to Hoover, like she's Stanford as William O'Neil and Daniel Hallelujah as Fred Hampton. Whether true or fictional, it was astounding to me to watch. The FBI agent in the film described the Panthers as the black counterpart to the Cool Klux Klan. The movie tells us that the FBI led the raid on Fred Hampton's apartment, resulting in his death having personal knowledge of the event. I know the raid wasn't led by the FBI. It was carried out by members of the Chicago Police Department. Under the direction of the state's attorney's office. It was Richard Gel avec and assistant Edward Hammer Hand the head of the office who oversaw it. That's Gela back otherwise known as Gel, your pal, At least that was his campaign slogan when he ran for class president all those years ago at Fenway High School. That's me. That's not at the letter. That's okay. I had I had graduated from Fenwick High School with Jelavic 11 years before. The irony is that at the same time that Jelavic author the raid I was helping the Panthers set up a free medical clinic on the West Side, a complement to their free breakfast program set up in various community locations. What divergent paths we had taken by 1969. Although members of the party especially in California, were seen as violent revolutionaries. My recollection is that in Chicago, the Panthers only used revolutionary rhetoric, not violent action against the establishment. I assume that state's attorney's Hanrahan a joke, Jelavic believed they were violent revolutionaries, Hell bent on waging war on the Chicago establishment. On the contrary, I felt that the young men and women from the party I worked with in setting up the clinic where the cream of the crop of the youth on the west side of Chicago, for example, Ronald Doc Satchel at the head of the clinic was a nurse at Cook County Hospital. What a contrast between the members of the party and the Vice Lords gang with whom we had to negotiate for clinic site on its turf. When the bites towards ask what's in it for us, Doc replied. We're funding this our cells to provide free health care to the neighborhood after they realized there was no profit in it. For them. The vice Lords completely lost interest. It is a cruel irony that the momentum for opening the clinic was stifled by the authorities incessant harassment of Fred Hampton. It was only after his murder that the momentum quickened in the clinic open. One more thing that is not true in the movie is that it describes a gun battle between the Panthers and then West. Like office and the FBI. To my knowledge, It never happened. I kept forgetting that the movie was fictional, not a documentary. When it showed the location of the Panthers office. I said to myself that is that the office where I met Fred Hampton. The real office was on the second floor of Hey, Reiner's a Rangers funeral home on West Madison Street. In reality, I don't even know if the building we even still exist. One thing that is not fictional. Is that at the moment in the raid at the moment of the rate in 1969, Richard Jelavic and I had taken very divergent paths. Yeah. That is a nice piece of writing, young man. Keep working on my writing. Yeah, I'm doing the same. So I care. Yes, Yes, yes. And one day you'll see something else else start to roll some things out. But this is really quite interesting. When I think about the liberties that Hollywood took, I think the first one that probably astounded me more than any of the others. Was how they depicted. The doom of O'Neill. Mhm have him committing suicide. He does eventually, but it's not in the movie. Quite a few years later, he commits suicide. I don't know, ending in the movie. Do you remember? Think so? I had to look at up to discover that I may be wrong, but I don't think so. I've got to go at gotta pull up my well, Let's just talk about the ones that you bring up. I'll give my notes and tell you what I can. It's certainly true we did. Well, we know them Hollywood. They're always going to make some choices is what they call dramatic purposes. Right. So, um, I know they show the climax for them is is him to planning an escape from America? And in the movie, they make it seem like he's totally unaware and really not taking very seriously. Um, the fact that the FBI is kind of You know really out to get him Now, you say something that I want to ask you about. Um, you almost kind of give the um uh, the attorney general. And exactly the state's attorney. You get the state's attorney, the benefit of the doubt. You say that you think they actually believe that these people were violent and that that is possibly the reason why, um, they went after them in in hindsight, even looking at what the FBI did with All of their underhanded investigation of Dr King. Yes, I believe that you still believe that they didn't know. You know, I don't know. They certainly bought the stereotype. That's for.