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mett met him, and he already seemed to know that he was going tobe dead when he was twenty-one.

Emmett handed the money oYer to Fred and told him what kind of a deal was going down with the film group. Then they got to talking about how you could really smell the way the money is made in Chicago, from the pungent odor from the back-of-the-yards district where the animals are slaughtered for their meat. The scent is always hovering over the entire city, keeping the people in line and walking the straight and narrow for the wages they earn, but are made to believe they're being given.

Suddenly there was some hollering and a noise that made both men look up just in time to see the door fling open and a giant, bigbosomed, black woman come crashing inside the tiny office. She stopped in front of the desk and without even giving Emmett a glance asked, "Is you Fred Hampton?

"Yes, ma'am . . ."

"Is you chairman o' these here Black ~anthers~

"Yes, I . . ."

"Is you for the people, all the black people?

"Yes'm! "

"Is you ready t' serve the people?"

"Yes'm ! "

"Well, we ain't got no goddamn heat! It-s gonna t)e ten oelow after it's dark, 'n we ain't got no heat 'n no hot water! Now, what I wanna know is, you sittin' there tellin' me you fo' the people, tellin' me you ready t' serve the people! Well, I' one o' the people 'n ain't none o' us gots no steam heat, never mind water in our buildin'! Now, if you all those things you say you is, 'n we the people, what you gonna do 'bout gettin' us some heat, brother? What?"

"What's the address of the building, ma'am?"

"What you gonna do, call the health department ' send an inspector 'round or sumptin'?!"

"No, ma'am, me 'n my brothers are goin' to get you the heat you need t' live through these cold, wintry nights. An' never you mind how, but t'morrow mornin' you gonna hear the steam whistlin' inside your pipes, 'n your radiators is all gonna be sizzlin'. When the people in the buildin' start askin' who done got the heat turned on, you be sure t' tell 'em all, mama, that it was the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther party that done did it! 'Cause we here t' serve the people 'n not just talk 'bout how nice it'd be if we did." [end page 481]