New Black Panthers: Polite and 'Pretty Cool,' Watchdog Group Reports
Ben Brink, the former Navy Seal whose conservative watchdog group of retired special forces officers traveled around Philadelphia, Cleveland and other hotspot cities to guard against reports of voter intimidation, shared his final report with The Huffington Post.
Much of the group's attention focused on the appearance of men dressed in New Black Panther garb, something that grabbed headlines on Fox News for much of the day. Kerry Patton, a former U.S. intelligence officer working with Brink, observed the men at several points over the course of the day, culminating in a conversation about "their intent" around 6:00 p.m.
Speaking with a man who identified himself as the group's spokesman, Kerry was told that the men were there "not to intimidate but to ensure that voters were able to vote and that everything went smoothly," Brink reports. "The NBPP members were very polite and, as Kerry said even 'pretty cool.'"
"Despite rumors and concerns, it was a relatively calm Election day, intimidation-wise," Brink concluded.
Read the full report below:
Here is the final report from Philadelphia:
Report from former US Intelligence Officer Kerry Patton at [email redacted].
Kerry observed NBPP activity at the Philadelphia Ward 14, District 4 polling place at 1221 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19123.
We had received rumors of NBPP activity all over Philadelphia but could not find any activity except at the address above.
At about 1730 EST, Kerry Patton drove by the poll and checked in with Ben Brink via phone. He observed one uniformed NBPP member and two gentlemen possibly in their mid-60s dressed in civilian attire. Activity was consistent with the videos taken by the news media all day.
Kerry then drove off.
At about 1800, Kerry came back. After checking with Ben Brink on the phone, Kerry went up to the NBPP and the two gentleman in civilian dress. He told them who he was and that he was observing any intimidation at the polls. He
asked them if they would mind making their intent clear and if he could film the discussion for the record. The NBPP members stated they would prefer not to be photographed but that they would be glad to state their intent.
The spokesman, the civilian dressed gentleman, stated that they were there not to intimidate but to ensure that voters were able to vote and that everything went smoothly. The NBPP members were very polite and, as Kerry said even pretty cool.
Kerry then thanked them and left. He noticed that they were handing out pamphlets as he drove away.
Thats it. Philadelphia is quiet.