Who are the Crowns in Judas and the Black Messiah? Get to know the real faces

In an attempt to commemorate the black history and their freedom struggle in the purest form, director Shaka King decided to throw light at the untold story of Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton's assassination. The day of his assassination is said to be one of the darkest days in history and had instigated enormous protests from Black activists around the country, who raised their voice against the government and the federal forces. Many are aware of the freedom struggle of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X but only a few have intel into the underworks of Black liberation. Let's get to know the true events that took place and the real faces behind the characters.

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Who are the Crowns in Judas and the Black Messiah?

There were more than one activist groups fighting for the same cause but with totally different ideologies and tactics in the 60s. Though unified with the goal of Black liberation, they were in fact rivals who took different routes in fighting the same struggle. The Crowns were introduced in one of the film's best scenes that touched upon the assassination of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. In the movie, the Crowns gang is a fictitious combination of a number of contemporary activist groups that joined forces during Hampton's Rainbow Coalition.

Though rivals, in that scene, the Chicago Crowns and the Black Panther seem to find an amicable ground when they both agree that the horrific assassinations of their leaders were still for the people and one could only be so lucky. A true event that shattered BPP's reputation was when the Crowns accused Hampton of disseminating propaganda against them. Throughout the movie, the Crowns are only mentioned in passings even though their COINTELPRO tactic had a greater impact in reality.

Judas and the Black Messiah plunges into the dark chapter in American history when Hampton's driver turned security officer William O'Neal is forced to join hands with the FBI to spy on him, which eventually leads to a public assassination. Watch the trailer here - 

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