The latter part of the 1960s gave rise to the fragmentation and militarization of activist groups on both ends of the political spectrum. Organizations such as the Minutemen and the Weather Underground (Weathermen) resorted to bombings and murders to make their point.
Led by Maxwell Stanford, the mostly male student movement spread a black revolutionary philosophy inspired by Maoist and Marxist ideals. Threatened by the FBI’s COINTELPRO program, the organization went underground, operating by forming cells and front organizations and infiltrating larger black organizations.
James Madole, founder of the neo-fascist white supremacist National Renaissance Party, spoke to an audience of about 200. The Board of Education initially denied permission citing the possibility of disorder. But the Corporation Counsel informed the Board that the NRP had a legal right to use the auditorium.