OAKLAND,CALIFORNIA, USA (11 MAY 1973) (REUTERS)


GV TILT DOWN Oakland City Hall

CU Posters for Bobby Seale (2 shots)

CU & GV Seale canvassing followed by newsmen

SV Seale talking to women in doorway

TRAVEL SHOT. Black area of city

TRAVEL SHOT. Wealthy white area

MV Mayor Reading talking

REAL ESTATE BOARD: I believe very strongly that we can do more to solving dur social problems through economic activity than by anything else we can do, in all social problems stem from poverty. Poverty stems primarily from not having jobs or not having decent jobs and jobs can only come from a strong economic climate for business and industry. And so, therefore the entire process has been to develop a favourable climate that attracts industry, attracts business to this area."

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Background: Co-founder of the Black Panther movement in the United States, Bobby Seale, has stepped up his campaigning in the final days before Tuesday's run-off election for Mayor of Oakland, California's fifth largest city.

Bobby Seale Finished second among nine candidates for the first poll on April 18. He therefore qualified for the run-off election which was necessary because the incumbent mayor, John Reading, failed to achieve the majority necessary for re-election. Bobby Seale attracted twenty per-cent of the vote in the first poll, but has conceded he is the underdog against Mayor Reading.

When he first announced his candidacy, Bobby Seale was not generally regarded as a serious contender. But, both the voters and his opponents were assured Seale would be making a major effort when he put together an organisation of more than a thousand volunteer workers and consistently worked 16 hours a day in search of support.

Bobby Seale's appeal for power to the voters is a sharp contrast to his actions two years ago. He was the violently vocal members of the Chicago Seven who was gagged and bound to his chair during his trial for murder in 1971. Seale was charged and acquitted of the murder of another Black panther member who police say was suspected by colleagues of being a police informer. During the trial in Connecticut State, four-thousand Federal troops stood by in case of violent demonstrations.

The milder political tactics -- working within the electoral system -- have been well received in Oakland. Conservative, local newspapers have supported his proposals on some issue and his opponent, Mayor Reading, himself described Seale as "a worthy opponent" who ran an admirable campaign.

Bobby Seale carried his campaign into all sections of the Oakland community including staunch Republican areas....a mistake in Seale's own estimation. He said this campaigning brought out voters who were against him, but who normally would not have bothered to vote.

The current mayor narrowly missed a majority in the first poll and is established as favourite to win the run-off.

He told a real estate sales club that social problems could be solved by economic activity.