One of the first productions of San Francisco Newsreel, a local offshoot of the nationwide network of Newsreel collectives, demonstrated solidarity with the Black Panther Party against the ghettoization of Black Communities in the cities and against police violence. “Off the Pig! – Death to the cops!” is the battle-call of the militarily organised protesters in the streets of Los Angeles. They demand the release of imprisoned Black Panther founding member Huey Newton. The latter speaks at length in a prison interview, as do his co-fighters Eldridge Cleaver and Bobby Seale. What they say and read out is aimed at nothing less than a revolution, a violent overthrow that is to liberate the Black US population from white supremacy.

“Why should I move? I was born here.” While a senseless war is waged in Vietnam and million-dollar rockets are shot to the moon, there is not enough decent housing in New York – and worse, the poor are being forcibly evicted from their homes, says an angry protagonist of this activist film which introduces the New York squatter movement. Latin Americans in particular are forced to leave the lucrative Manhattan housing market, but the protesters do not accept this without putting up a fight. “Break & Enter” is a spontaneous and encouraging film document about self-organised communities based on solidarity.