Photo by Juan Miguel Martinez
Milwaukee Black Panthers
Darryl Farmer II, AKA King Rick, stands tall and straight, well over six feet, still an intimidating presence even though he leans on a cane. It is a muggy day when he grants me an interview to talk to him, at the Original Milwaukee Black Panther headquarters on the outskirts of the Harambee neighborhood in Milwaukee. He is always surrounded by Panthers, as there have been a few attempts on his life and they are dedicated to his safety.
Today, there is only one soldier at his side, presumably since I am an ex-Brown Beret and pose no threat, only solidarity and understanding. “I think I remember you,” he says, shaking my hand and leading me past the front door of the neighborhood and into the headquarters. He sits back into a plush red leather chair, under a banner with the image of Haile Selassie and breathes out. Even though he has been in the hospital with health issues, he is still active in the community and seems to welcome this brief moment of respite. We talk for the next hour, and I am made aware of his past, present and future.
Can you pinpoint the moment that made you realize you wanted to be part of the organized struggle?
I was attending the old 12th Street School in Milwaukee, when I was about five or six years old in 1968. I heard the staff talking about the fair housing march coming past the school at noon. The staff was about 99% white and said they didn’t agree with it. They said Blacks and whites need to stay on their own side, talking bad about Father Groppi and Vel Phillips.
I kept asking everyone what time it was because I couldn’t tell time. I got up and walked out of the classroom and out of the school, and right when I opened the door, the march was going past the school. I joined the march right away, and we walked past my house, where my mother was sitting on the porch. She looked at me and said “There’s my baby! Why are you not in school?” I told her there was some bad stuff being said about Black people, so this march was for Black people. She fully encouraged me from then on.
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When did you originally join the Panthers?
I kept asking my mother questions after that march, questions about us as a people. She told me one day “I have something to show you.” She put me in the car and drove me to the headquarters of the Black Panther Party for Self-defense. They were teaching Black history, were serving breakfast and talking to each other with respect.
From then on, I became a Panther cub. When I became older, I joined the Black Panther Militia and in 1990 I became the personal bodyguard for Michael McGee who is also a former alderman. We traveled all around the country and worked with different chapters. We were on the Phil Donahue show, Montell Williams and Jerry Springer. After that, The New Black Panther Party was started by Commander McGee and Aaron Michaels, among others. Then it was decided that the Original Black Panthers were going to have a chapter and it was decided I would be the head here in Milwaukee.
How have you maintained the enthusiasm to keep working in what you do for 40 plus years?
I have always believed that the complete village is our family. If my brothers and sisters are hurting, then so am I. We want to make sure to not look down on anyone, and my belief in the people is what keeps me going. We patrol the community, do giveaways and speak all over the country. We have worked with many Panthers who have been unjustly incarcerated due to being apprehended by programs like COINTELPRO. The system was never designed to work with us or to protect us, so as individuals, we need to come together for the betterment of the people. This is our goal and what keeps me moving.
Has the work changed in any way during the pandemic?
During the pandemic is when our people needed us the most. We fed close to 3,000 people, giving out boxes of food. We drove around and set up shop in our neighborhoods, since the city was doing nothing to help us out. Milwaukee is one of the most hyper-segregated cities in the country, and nobody does anything to help out the impoverished Black and Brown communities. You have Downtown, which is like a Camelot, but to me is more like Tammany Hall. A quarter million dollars was spent during the Bucks championship, and 10 blocks north you have Walnut St, and the neighborhoods that surround it in extreme poverty.
What is a way for real change to take place?
The elected officials need to be chosen by the people. When you have a thriving economy for Black and Brown people, with a school system that works for them and businesses that are owned by them—then it is a proven statistic that it gets better for us. The thing is that Milwaukee won’t do anything like that to help us because Milwaukee makes money off crime.
You’ve gone all over the country doing work for communities of color, what is on the horizon for your coalition work?
I was partly responsible for the Brown Berets coming back to Milwaukee. We also have the Yellow Panthers in Minnesota, which is an Asian alliance. We are planning to start the Brown Panthers here as well, for Latino/a/x folk. We had our Black Panther Summit a few months ago, and I am working with a lot of soldiers to work with the communities so I can step back a little due to my health issues.
How many Original Black Panthers are in Milwaukee?
I don’t give numbers but trust me we have a big membership and will continue to grow.
