New Black Panther Party, Concealed Carry Counterprotesters Face Off in Houston

UPDATE: 7:55 PM EST: The march ended without any major acts of violence. There were tussles, but the Houston Police Department did a great job keeping things from escalating.

At one point there was a disagreement between the New Black Panther Party and fellow marchers from the Occupy movement. One of the Occupy protesters began marching in front of Quanell X, so a few Panthers asked the man to move–to let Quanell lead. The Occupy member said he didn’t see why Quanell X had to be in the front.

At the end of the event, people recognized Breitbart News’ Brandon Darby and asked him to hang himself and directed numerous slurs toward him. The police had to intervene to keep Darby safe from the crowd.

Another journalist asked a question: “Would this be happening if Trayvon were white?” Upon asking the question this journalist was surrounded by many in the “Justice for Trayvon” crowd, who began to chant, “go away KKK.” 

The protesters accosting Darby and the other journalist were members of Occupy, not the New Black Panther Party.

Update: 6:45 PM EST: After what seems to be two miles of marching there are at least 400 people–the majority of whom are black and there are members of anarchy groups in the mix as well. At one point in the march someone standing along the side of the road held up a sign that said people in hoodies weren’t welcome in his neighborhood. 

Quanell X saw the sign but did nothing. Moments later the man was almost captured by others marching with the New black Panther Party before he narrowly escaped behind police lines.  

The Houston Police are doing a great job. The march has been peaceful to his point. 

Update: Police already have two helicopters flying over the area with well over 100 police visible mainly on horses. The people in the pro-Zimmerman march are predominantly white, while the Justice for Trayvon marchers are predominantly black. 

A “Justice for Travyon” rally being held in the River Oaks neighborhood of Houston, TX is headed by radical New Black Panther Party leader Quanell X — and concealed carry counterprotesters are headed in their direction.

Breitbart News’ Brandon Darby is on scene and reports:

This is significant because Quanell X is a former criminal who came across the Nation of Islam in the 1990s and became a prominent speaker for the group. But he was kicked out of the Nation of Islam after he began advocating that black people go and mug rich white people in River Oaks. That is the same neighborhood through which he is marching into today.

He is known to be so radical that black leaders organizing for Al Sharpton events on the July 20 did not want anything to do with him. Many people from River Oaks as well as pro-Zimmerman citizens have come to the rally in River Oaks as a counter protest. At some point in the next two hours, the march of 200-400 New Black Panther Party supporters will collide with the concealed carry counter protesters. 

Houston Police Chief Charles McClelland said he expects “a peaceful protest,” but is “encouraging” citizens to stay away from River Oaks on July 21.