Editing Huey P. Newton (section)

==="Free Huey!" campaign===
[[File:"Free_Huey,_Seize_the_Time"_political_button.jpg|thumb|A button supporting the campaign to release Huey P. Newton, founder of the [[Black Panther Party]].]]
Newton was arrested on the day of the shooting on October 28, 1967, and pled not guilty to the murder of officer John Frey. The Black Panther Party immediately went to work organizing a coalition to rally behind Newton and champion his release. In December the [[Peace and Freedom Party]], a majority white anti-war political organization, joined with the Black Panther Party in support of Newton.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Bae|first=Aaron Byungjoo|date=November 1, 2017|title="The Struggle for Freedom, Justice, and Equality Transcends Racial and National Boundaries": Anti-Imperialism, Multiracial Alliances, and the Free Huey Movement in the San Francisco Bay Area|journal=Pacific Historical Review|language=en|volume=86|issue=4|pages=691–722|doi=10.1525/phr.2017.86.4.691|issn=0030-8684}}</ref> This alliance served the dual purpose of legitimizing Newton's cause while boosting the credibility of the party within the community of more radical activists.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Street|first=Joe|date=March 29, 2019|title='Free Huey or the Sky's the Limit': The Black Panther Party and the Campaign to Free Huey P. Newton|journal=European Journal of American Studies|language=en|volume=14|issue=14–1|doi=10.4000/ejas.14273|issn=1991-9336|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Under the leadership of the Black Panther Party and the Peace and Freedom Party, 5,000 protesters gathered in Oakland on Newton's birthday, February 17, 1968, in support of Newton. They garnered the attention of international news organizations, raising the profile of the party by astounding measures. The phrase "Free Huey!" was adopted as a rallying cry for the movement, and it was printed on buttons and T-shirts. Prominent Black Panther [[Kathleen Cleaver]] claimed the goal of the Free Huey! campaign was to elevate Newton as a symbol of everything the Black Panther Party stood for, creating something of a living martyr.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Framing the Black Panthers: The Spectacular Rise of a Black Power Icon|last=Rhodes|first=Jane|publisher=University of Illinois|year=2017|pages=118}}</ref> The trial, which began on July 15, quickly ascended beyond the scope of Newton himself, evolving into a racially-charged political movement. Over the two-year course of Newton's original trial and two re-trials, the coalition continued to offer its support until the charges were overturned and Newton was released on August 5, 1970.