'' Dead Presidents '' is based partly on the real-life experiences of Haywood T. Kirkland ( aka Ari S. Merretazon ) , whose true story was detailed in the book '' Bloods : An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Black Veterans '' by Wallace Terry . Certain characters from the film are based on real acquaintances of Kirkland , who served time in prison after committing robbery in facepaint . The film also is loosely based on several incidents involving the Black Liberation Army notably the Brink 's armored truck robbery
Brink 's armored truck robbery
Brink's robbery (1981)
Dead Presidents