Why Was Fred Hampton Famous?

Fred Hampton was famous as an American activist. He came to prominence in Chicago as a deputy chairman of the national Black Panther Party and Chair of the Illinois chapter.

In 1967, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified Hampton as a radical threat. It tried to subvert his activities in Chicago, sowing disinformation among black progressive groups and placing a counterintelligence operative in the local Panthers organisation.

In early October, Hampton and his girlfriend Deborah Johnson who was pregnant with their child, rented a four-and-a-half-room apartment at 2337 West Monroe Street to be closer to BPP headquarters.

Hampton was very close with Chicago Black Catholic priest, George Clements, who served as his mentor and as a chaplain for the local Panther outfit. Hamptons and the Panthers also used Clements’s parish as a refuge in times of particular surveillance or pursuit from the police.