The Murder of Fred Hampton

The Murder of Fred Hampton is a 1971 American documentary film about the short life and death of Fred Hampton, a young African-American civil rights activist in Chicago and leader of the Illinois Black Panther Party. During the film's production, Hampton was fatally shot on December 4, 1969, in a pre-dawn raid at his apartment by the Chicago Police Department. The raid was revealed to have been organized in cooperation with the FBI. When they learned of Hampton's death, filmmakers Howard Alk and Mike Gray, director and producer, respectively, went to his apartment, which was still unsecured. They took film footage of the crime scene. They later used this to challenge news reports and police testimony about the events. They also conducted investigative reporting into Hampton's death, with related material included in the film. Their conclusion is expressed in the title. In 2021, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Synopsis The documentary is split into two parts: a portrait of Fred Hampton and an investigative report into his death in the police raid. Through re-enactments, evidence from the scene, and interviews, the documentary argues that Hampton was murdered, in an assassination by the Chicago police.