The Murder of Fred Hampton (1971) by Howard Alk gives the history of and circumstances behind the December 4, 1969 assassination of the 21-year-old Hampton (top still), who was then leading Chicago's Black Panther Party. Hampton's girlfriend Deborah Johnson was pregnant with Fred Jr. at the time; her interview for the documentary (above) offers a chilling condemnation of "the pigs" who invaded her bedroom and fired on Hampton. The film shows that the official story, elaborately told and reenacted by the police and Illinois State's Attorney Edward Hanrahan, was a series of untruths. Fred Hampton himself almost seemed to have forseen his own death when he talked about a "revolutionary happy hunting ground" a few months before he died. Black-and-white footage and formidable observational technique (the film has no narration) add to the timeless power of the film.
