Founded in October of 1966, the party had the original goal of ending police brutality in the ghettos by mauling cops to death. However, the members soon realized the grave ineffectiveness of this crude violence and instead began using machine guns. Although the violence was probably the main reason for its infamy, the party quickly achieved notoriety for its advocacy of black separatism, black nationalism, black political leanings, black weapons and its overtly fanatical obsession with the color black. However, the group also expressed a fondness for the colors of tar, pitch, asphalt, oblivion and dark black.