Former Black Panthers Say FBI Still Watches After COINTELPRO

Former member of Black Panther Party have a fight against government harassment and surveillance that is far from over. A legacy of paranoia, betrayal, and systemic racism still follows figures like Cleo Silvers and Malik Rahim, who believe the FBI’s shadow is as large as ever.

According to The Nation, even though COINTELPRO was shut down in 1971, these leaders insist that the agency’s secret war on Black activists lives on.bringing with fresh psychological and physical scars.

It’s crazy how long it’s been…

What is CORTELPRO?

COINTELPRO, short for the Counterintelligence Program, is a covert operation launched by the FBI in 1956. Initially targeting communist groups, the program expanded in the 1960s to focus on civil rights organizations, anti-war movements, and Black liberation groups such as the Black Panthers.

The FBI’s stated goal is to “neutralize” individuals and organizations deemed a threat to national security. In practice, COINTELPRO systematically dismantles social justice movements through illegal and unethical tactics, including:

• Surveillance: Monitoring calls, letters, and public activities of activists.
• Infiltration: The planting of informants and provocateurs in organizations to cause mistrust and conflict.
• Harassment: Spreading false information, creating false letters, and forging documents to damage reputation and spread division.
• Harassment: Targeting people for false arrest, imprisonment, and even murder.

One of his most infamous operations 1969 murder of Fred Hamptonleader of the Chicago Black Panther, during a police raid orchestrated with the involvement of the FBI.

The Nation reports that although COINTELPRO officially ended in 1971 after activists exposed its documents, the damage was lasting. Civil rights icons such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Huey Newton were among his targets, and the effects still resonate with many former Black Panthers today.

Cleo Silvers, a former Black Panther and Young Prince, told the Nation that it continues to follow her.

“It still kills you, psychologically and physically, as you get older,” Silvers said.

Cleo Silvers: A Legacy of Boldness Under Fire

Cleo Silvers has spent her life fighting for social justice. According to The Nation, Silvers has helped in rooms like taking over Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx to organize door-to-door health screenings for tuberculosis and lead poisoning. She is a pioneer in community organizing.

But her activism came at a high cost. According to The Nation, declassified FBI documents repeatedly mention him as a COINTELPRO target. For years, Silvers claims, federal agents harassed him, sabotaged his career, and pressured his employer to fire him.

“They continue to actively target us,” Silvers told The Nation.

She believes her phone is tapped, her apartment is bugged, and the strangers she encounters are potential informants.

“I think they do that to let me know they’re there,” Silvers said.

The psychological toll of surveillance has left its mark. Silvers describes suffering from “surveillance PTSD,” a condition characterized by hypervigilance and anxiety. He even took extreme measures, such as pouring oil on sensitive documents before throwing them away, to protect his privacy.

However, Silvers refused to back down, told the Nation:

“Some of them (activists) lost their minds because of it,” he said. “It’s fear. More than nervous – afraid.

Malik Rahim: Betrayed and Destroyed by the Feds

Malik Rahim, a former Black Panther turned community organizer in New Orleans, is another victim of COINTELPRO’s legacy. According to The Nation, Rahim founded Common Ground after Hurricane Katrina, a non-profit organization that provides shelter to thousands of survivors.

In 2006, documents obtained by The Nation revealed that the New Orleans Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), led by the FBI, opened a “threat assessment” against Rahim and Common Ground. The agency accused the organization of spreading “anti-government propaganda” and speculating about potential terrorist activities.

“I know that they are planning to kill me, or do character assassination,” Rahim told The Nation.

Rahim’s fight with the FBI didn’t end there. A close associate and co-founder of Common Ground, Brandon Darby, was later revealed to be an FBI informant. The betrayal strained Rahim’s relationship with his son, who had reminded him of Darby.

The Nation said the FBI interference sabotaged Rahim’s efforts to secure housing for low-income residents and undermined his 2008 campaign for the Louisiana House of Representatives.

“It’s Like Poison”: Continuing Trauma CORTELPRO

Can you understand the FBI’s involvement in your lifestyle? According to The Nation, the FBI’s surveillance tactics were deliberately designed to induce paranoia, and the effects continue to reverberate. Frederika Newton, widow of Huey P. Newton, explained how constant surveillance has shaped her life.

“Living with it for so long, it’s hard to say how it affects me,” she says. “It’s been normalized.”

Silvers and Rahim share similar fears. Silvers suspects that the strangers are informants, while Rahim believes that the federal agents deliberately ran past him to confirm their existence. The toll, they argue, isn’t just psychological—it’s physical. Silvers attributed his heart problems to years of stress caused by surveillance.

“It’s like microaggressions,” Silvers said. “It hurts in part because they’re both so ubiquitous and so hard to prove.”

Despite decades of harassment, Silvers and Rahim remain committed to their cause. Silvers uses humor to cope, joking about former comrades who are too afraid to stay in touch. Meanwhile, Rahim plans to open a new community center in New Orleans, marking his return to organizing work.

According to The Nation, former Black Panthers like Silvers and Rahim prove that standing strong in the face of oppression is the ultimate act of resistance.

The FBI will continue to see them prove it.