Panther is a 1995 film directed by Mario Van Peebles, from a screenplay adapted by his father, Melvin Van Peebles, from his novel of the same name. The film portrays The Original Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, tracing the organization from its founding through its decline in a compressed time frame. Creative license is taken but the general trajectory of the Party and its experiences is factual. The film is notable for its strong cast: including US actors Angela Bassett, Chris Tucker, Bobby Brown and Chris Rock, who later became prominent in film and TV. Critics noted the strong resemblance of Marcus Chong to the historical figure, Huey P. Newton, whom he played. The Black Panther Party or BPP (originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) was a revolutionary black nationalist and socialist organization active in the United States from 1966 until 1982, with its only international chapter operating in Algeria from 1969 until 1972. At its inception on October 15, 1966, the Black Panther Party's core practice was its armed citizens' patrols to monitor the behavior of police officers and challenge police brutality in Oakland, California. In 1969, community social programs became a core activity of party members. The Black Panther Party instituted a variety of community social programs, most extensively the Free Breakfast for Children Programs, and community health clinics. Federal Bureau of Investigation Director J. Edgar Hoover called the party "the greatest threat to the internal security of the country", and he supervised an extensive program (COINTELPRO) of surveillance, infiltration, perjury, police harassment, and many other tactics designed to undermine Panther leadership, incriminate party members, discredit and criminalize the Party, and drain the organization of resources and manpower. The program was also accused of assassinating Black Panther members. Government oppression initially contributed to the growth of the party as killings and arrests of Panthers increased support for the party within the black community and on the broad political left, both of whom valued the Panthers as powerful force opposed to de facto segregation and the military draft. Black Panther Party membership reached a peak in 1970, with offices in 68 cities and thousands of members, then suffered a series of contractions. After being vilified by the mainstream press, public support for the party waned, and the group became more isolated. In-fighting among Party leadership, caused largely by the FBI's COINTELPRO operation, led to expulsions and defections that decimated the membership. Popular support for the Party declined further after reports appeared detailing the group's involvement in illegal activities such as drug dealing and extortion schemes directed against Oakland merchants. By 1972 most Panther activity centered on the national headquarters and a school in Oakland, where the party continued to influence local politics. Party contractions continued throughout the 1970s. By 1980 the Black Panther Party had just 27 members. The history of the Black Panther Party is controversial. Scholars have characterized the Black Panther Party as the most influential black movement organization of the late 1960s, and "the strongest link between the domestic Black Liberation Struggle and global opponents of American imperialism". Ten Point Program: The Black Panther Party first publicized its original Ten-Point program on May 15, 1967, following the Sacramento action, in the second issue of the Black Panther newspaper. The original ten points of "What We Want Now!" follow: #1 - We want freedom. We want power to determine the destiny of our Black Community. #2 - We want full employment for our people. #3 - We want an end to the robbery by the Capitalists of our Black Community. #4 - We want decent housing, fit for shelter of human beings. #5 - We want education for our people that exposes the true nature of this decadent American society. We want education that teaches us our true history and our role in the present day society. #6 - We want all Black men to be exempt from military service. #7 - We want an immediate end to POLICE BRUTALITY and MURDER of Black people. #8 - We want freedom for all Black men held in federal, state, county and city prisons and jails. #9 - We want all Black people when brought to trial to be tried in court by a jury of their peer group or people from their Black Communities, as defined by the Constitution of the United States. #10 - We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice and peace. #RBGzUP Van Guard of the Revolution, Bobby Seale, Eldridge Cleaver, Bobby Hutton, Stokley Carmichael, Fred Hampton, Kathleen Cleaver, H. Rap Brown (Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin), James Foreman, Angela Davis, Elaine Brown, Informant, Pig, Marcus Garvey, Malcom X, SNCC, US Organization, Bunchy Carter, John Huggins, Maulana Karenga, Hakim Jamal, Kwanzaa, Atheist, All Power to the People