In 1963 , Reginald 's maternal step-grandmother was a victim of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham . She survived , but never fully recovered from her wounds . While in high school , Reginald met Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton and with his older brother Sherwin , joined them to patrol neighbourhoods in Richmond , Oakland , Berkeley and San Francisco to monitor the police . They often followed the arrested to the police department , and would frequently pay their bail . The Panthers always ( legally ) displayed their weapons publicly
16th Street Baptist Church bombing
16th Street Baptist Church bombing
Reggie Forte