A protest taking place tonight has ruffled quite a few feathers in Santa Ana because the event organizers referred to the site of the protest as “Black Panther Park” instead of Sasscer Park. The reference to the Black Panthers is rooted in history – but most Santa Ana residents probably don’t know why the park is called Sasscer, or what the Black Panthers had to do with Sasscer in the firct place.
Santa Ana police officer Nelson Sasscer was shot while on duty on June 4, in 1969, and eventually died as a result. Sasscer was ambushed by a member of the Santa Ana Chapter of the Black Panthers, a radical group that expressed hatred for police officers and has been accused of being racist against white people. Members and former members of the group were responsible for the murders of at least 15 law enforcement officers and the wounding of dozens more across the nation in the 1960’s and 70’s. Continue reading