Rakem Balogun facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rakem Balogun
|
|
|---|---|
| Born |
Christopher Daniels
|
| Nationality | American |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ |
 United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 2001 - 2004 |
| Battles/wars | Iraq War |
Rakem Balogun, whose legal name is Christopher Daniels, is an American activist. He became widely known because of an event in 2017. This event involved his Facebook posts and became a major news story in the United States.
Rakem Balogun's Background
Balogun joined the US Marines in 2001. He served in the Iraq War in 2003. Balogun has said that his time in the Marines felt difficult for him. He felt this way because of how some white officers behaved and their racial attitudes. He left the Marine Corps after three years. His discharge was called "Other Than Honorable."
After his military service, Balogun helped start new groups. In 2008, he co-founded Guerrilla Mainframe. In 2014, he helped create the Huey P. Newton Gun Club. Both of these groups are based in Dallas, Texas. Balogun has stated that he formed these groups because he was concerned about police officers harming unarmed Black men.
In 2016, Balogun began to distance himself from the Huey P. Newton Gun Club. He felt the group was becoming too much like the New Black Panther Party. This other group, also in Dallas, is seen as a Black Separatist organization. Balogun's own views are more aligned with Socialist ideas. However, in a 2019 TV interview, Balogun was seen leading a protest. Some people at this protest were wearing clothes linked to the Huey P. Newton Gun Club.
The 2017 Incident
On December 12, 2017, Balogun was woken up by a loud noise at his home in Dallas. Police officers were shouting commands. He and his 15-year-old son were made to go outside wearing only their underwear. Balogun was handcuffed. He then learned that FBI agents were looking into claims of domestic terrorism. They had been watching him for years because of his Facebook posts. These posts criticized the police.
Specifically, some posts where Balogun seemed to praise Micah Johnson were mentioned. Johnson was involved in a shooting incident involving Dallas police officers in 2016. Balogun stated that he was using his right to free speech when he wrote about Johnson. He said he was not supporting violence against individual police officers. Instead, he was talking about a general struggle against the Dallas Police Department.
This event gained attention worldwide. Balogun was the first person publicly called a "Black Identity Extremist" by the FBI. This led to a national discussion about whether that term was appropriate. In May 2018, all accusations against Balogun were dropped.
