❓WHAT HAPPENED: Black nationalist and Islamist cop-killer Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, formerly H. Rap Brown, died in a federal prison hospital in North Carolina.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, formerly known as H. Rap Brown, and Kristie Breshears of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
📍WHEN & WHERE: He died on Sunday at the Federal Medical Center, Butner, North Carolina.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Violence is necessary. Violence is a part of America’s culture. It is as American as cherry pie.” – Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin
🎯IMPACT: Al-Amin’s life and actions have left a violent legacy, marked by his militancy and later life as a Muslim cleric.
Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, formerly known as H. Rap Brown, has passed away at the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina, at the age of 82. Kristie Breshears, the communications director for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, confirmed his death but did not specify the cause. Reports earlier this year indicated his health was declining due to multiple myeloma.
A convert to Islam, Al-Amin was serving a life sentence without parole for the murder of a sheriff’s deputy in 2000. Nevertheless, The New York Times saw fit to celebrate him as a persuasive and charismatic figure” with a “dexterous mind.”
Before his conversion to Islam, he was a prominent figure in the Black Power movement, known for his fiery rhetoric and leadership in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which he helped to rename by removing “nonviolent” from its title. His speeches were characterized by calls to arms and declarations like “Violence is necessary. Violence is a part of America’s culture. It is as American as cherry pie.” His actions contributed to the enactment of the H. Rap Brown Federal Anti-Riot Act in 1968.
After a period of hiding and a dramatic arrest in 1971, Al-Amin converted to Islam and moved to Atlanta, adopting the persona of a respected Muslim cleric and community leader. However, in 2000, he opened fire on Deputy Sheriff Richard Kinchen and his partner, Aldranon English, as they attempted to serve him with an arrest warrant for missing a court appearance related to a traffic case. He was convicted by a jury including nine black people.
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