Geronimo Pratt, also known as
Geronimo ji-Jaga and
Geronimo ji-Jaga Pratt, was a high-ranking member of the
Black Panther Party. The
Federal Bureau of Investigation targeted him in a
COINTELPRO operation, which aimed to "neutralize Pratt as an effective BPP functionary."
Pratt was falsely accused, tried and convicted of the kidnap and murder of Caroline Olsen in 1972, and spent 27 years in prison, eight of which were in
solitary confinement. Pratt was freed in 1997 when his conviction was vacated. He was working as a
human rights activist up until the time of his death. Pratt was also the
godfather of the late rapper
Tupac Shakur and
Ri'Chana Cleary.
He died of a heart attack in his adopted country,
Tanzania, on June 3, 2011.