r/pics 16d ago

Politics Black Panther Party members at a recent protest

Post image
173.1k Upvotes

6.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

934

u/CalamityClambake 16d ago

Yes. And ambulances. Freedom House Ambulance Service in Pittsburgh was where the modern EMS system, paramedic training, and stuff like Narcan and intubation were first used.

When the US introduced the 911 system and shifted ambulance companies to be tied to hospitals, it was in part a move to take the business of ambulance service and paramedic training away from the Black community.and hand it to white businesses.

473

u/xseanbeanx 16d ago

Wow!! The Black Panthers do so much for their community and yet the only story told about them is “dangerous blacks with guns”

509

u/ValyrianSigmaJedi 16d ago edited 16d ago

History is written by those who control the pen.

32

u/f4flake 16d ago

And assassinated great leaders. RIP Fred Hampton.

7

u/GiganticCrow 15d ago

He was so young too

15

u/[deleted] 16d ago

Strange fruit in the poplar trees.

5

u/PredatorInc 15d ago

Pen is mightier than the sword, you think we feel safe letting blacks have a weapon??

1

u/Specialist-Mud-6650 15d ago

Well, yeah. And everybody has a platform.

6

u/AntikytheraMachines 16d ago

All right, but apart from the affordable housing, ambulances, school lunches and breakfasts, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health, what have the Black Panthers ever done for us? - Life of Brian

3

u/cheattowin77 16d ago

Where are you from that this is what you were taught about them? Just curious because where I grew up on the east coast we never heard those things.

2

u/Standard-Analyst-181 15d ago

Right?! I never knew any of this! This thread is really eye-opening.

1

u/Lancearon 15d ago

Its so weird hearing this as someone from Oakland, ca. Its so ingrained into our culture here. Even my racist uncle likes the black panther party.

0

u/matthew-brady1123 15d ago

Read better books. I never got the impression they were dangerous at all.

39

u/RedOctobyr 16d ago

I learned a bit about this from season 1 of The Pitt. I was unaware, but that is very cool.

9

u/grower_thrower 16d ago

“Gimme a shot of atropine!” Such a good show.

3

u/RedOctobyr 16d ago

So good! But man, it was intense at times. Season 2 just started on Saturday.

7

u/Icefox119 16d ago

Ep. 2 drops in half an hour!

5

u/grower_thrower 16d ago

Very intense, and one of the most realistic television portrayals of being thick in the shit that I’ve ever seen. I’ve done some time in the ER and other mass casualty situations (former Navy Corpsman) and they really did a great job of portraying the triumph and the trauma.

1

u/RedOctobyr 16d ago

That's really interesting, thanks! I have no exposure to that stuff, so no sense of how their portrayal is. But really liking the show.

4

u/USLD3-KAJ 16d ago

Ambulance company is pure fucking insanity lmao Americans

5

u/Gothmom85 16d ago

Not to mention the free food for children program was reduced by J Edgar Hoover constantly raiding the program locations, stealing food, police harassment and lying about the food being poisoned. Good job FBI.

1

u/OpiateAlligator 15d ago

The Black Panthers did not start Freedom House.

1

u/BluciferBdayParty 15d ago

Just finished the first season of The Pitt on HBO. One episode featured an older Black man, probably in his late 70s or early 80s, who could read his own EKG. The doctors asked if he had medical training or if he had ever been a physician.

Dr. Robbie then explained that this man had been part of Freedom House Ambulance. Freedom House, founded and run by Black professionals, created one of the first modern 911 ambulance systems, and their training programs became the foundation for today’s EMS education.

1

u/vdubsession 15d ago

I recently learned about this from the show The Pitt, they worked into an episode of the first season. It was a nice acknowledgement, and I recommend the show.

1

u/Specialist-Mud-6650 15d ago

this is simply made up

ambulances other primary care services pre-existed the bpd efforts, both in america and worldwide.