A Brief History
On March 20, 2000, Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin was arrested for shooting 2 police officers, killing one of them.
Digging Deeper
Digging deeper we find Al-Amin the new name for the former Black Panther “Minister of Justice” known as H. Rap Brown. The erstwhile Hubert Gerold Brown was wanted for gunning down 2 Georgia deputy sheriffs that were attempting to arrest him on warrants for receiving stolen property, a traffic offense, and impersonating a police officer.
Al-Amin, or Brown, had led a difficult life, in trouble with the law through much of it. Jailed for a variety of crimes such as robbery, inciting riot, and federal firearms offenses he had been involved in the civil rights movement advocating for the rights of African-Americans.
He was even wounded by the police in a shoot out years before the fatal incident.
Well known for his radical brand of activism, Brown had once preached pacifism, but had made a complete turnaround with statements like, “If America don’t come around, we’re gonna burn it down!” Of course, there was also his assertion that “Violence is American as Cherry Pie.” Brown was not just upset with white people oppressing blacks, but equally angry with African-Americans he felt were “sell outs” (what others have called “Uncle Toms” and worse).
Converting to Islam during his 1971 to 1976 term in prison, Brown changed his name to Al-Amin and became a prayer leader, or Imam, on his release. Al-Amin also started a grocery store in Georgia where he lived.
In March of 2000, Al-Amin was stopped for a traffic offense driving a stolen car and displayed a police badge in an effort to avoid a ticket or arrest. Police later found out Al-Amin was not a policeman and warrants were issued for his arrest. On March 16, 2000 2 deputy sheriffs came to his store looking to arrest him on the warrants, and spotted him driving a black Mercedes-Benz. Stopping Al-Amin, the deputies were surprised by a hail of gunfire from an AR-15 style rifle, and both were wounded. One officer returned fire while the other fell helpless to the ground. Al-Amin walked over and fired 3 pistol shots into the helpless deputy, killing him. A cracked aspect of these shootings? Both victim deputies were African-American!
Having fled to Alabama, Al-Amin was captured on March 20, 2000 in possession of his bullet hole bearing car and both murder weapons. He was found wearing body armor and was thought to have intended to resist, but was foiled by the use of police dogs.
Al-Amin was tried and convicted in 2002 of the murder of the deputy and various other charges and received a sentence of life without parole, plus 35 years for good measure! In 2007 Al-Amin was transferred to a Federal “supermax” prison in Colorado at the request of Georgia officials who felt their prison system could not handle such a celebrity!
Of course, Al-Amin and his supporters maintain his innocence and claim that the entire incident, trial and incarceration is a big government conspiracy to frame him, and for that matter, so were his other arrests and convictions! Enough is written arguing both sides that you can read and make up your own mind!
Question for students (and subscribers): Do you think violence is as American as cherry pie? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Van Peebles, Mario, dir. Panther. Polygram Video, 1998. DVD.
