How To Start a Race War
Where Charles Manson and Dylann Roof Failed
Charles Manson tried to start a race war in 1969 and failed. He made up his plan as he went along, between drug binges and orgies. Nobody ever said it was a good plan, but it was his goal none the same. It first came to him when he shot a Black man, Bernard Crowe, and left him for dead in a drug deal gone awry. Crowe survived, but when Manson heard the following day the body of a Black Panther had been discovered, he believed that man was Crowe.
Days later, Manson’s followers held musician Gary Hinman hostage because they believed he had $20,000 he could give them. Hinson often allowed cult members to stay at his home. After Hinman was tortured for two days, it became clear no money was coming. Manson gave the order to kill him, and his followers wrote “Political Piggy” on the wall and drew a panther paw to implicate the Black Panthers in Manson’s quest to begin a race war.
After seeing the nationwide riots
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to William F. Spivey's History Channel to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.