Biography
Ralph Moore led Black Panther organizing in Chattanooga. A supermarket boycott seeking support for community programs led to an extortion prosecution and jail confinement.
Chattanooga organizing and the supermarket-boycott case
Ralph Moore led Black Panther organizing in Chattanooga, Tennessee, supporting free breakfast, sickle-cell testing and day-care programs. His prosecution arose from efforts to obtain a supermarket contribution for those programs.
According to the federal court record, Moore and others picketed Red Food Store on August 10, 1972, and were arrested around noon. The court recorded no evidence of physical threats, unruly behavior or obstruction of the entrance. A jury acquitted two co-defendants but convicted Moore of extortion, resulting in a two-year sentence.
Moore challenged the statute and argued that it infringed his right to picket. On June 26, 1975, the federal district court denied habeas relief, treating his earlier statement about closing the store as a threat intended to compel payment. The opinion also records his argument that his Panther leadership explained the prosecution, which the court rejected.
The sentence imposed is distinct from verified time served. Precise incarceration and release dates remain unverified.
Source
Moore v. Newell, 401 F. Supp. 1018 (E.D. Tenn. 1975), June 26, 1975
