A Sobering Look at a Conflict in the Making

Heroes waging a desperate struggle against unfair oppression or armed anarchists who posed a terrifying threat to the status quo? There wasn’t much room for opinions in between during the turbulent late ‘60s and ‘70s--no activist group ignited as much polarized controversy as the Black Panthers for Self Defense.

In its West Coast premiere from the Unity Players Ensemble, Ronald D. Brown’s “American Guerrilla: Against the Wind” offers a sympathetic portrait of the Panthers and their goals. A violent story tracing the rise and fall of a fictional chapter in an East Coast black community, it depicts with powerful insight how efforts to educate and defend against the abuses of official law enforcement inevitably led to escalating hostility and armed conflict.

While performance quality varies, Brown’s principal characters are sketched with compelling complexity. Particularly effective are Mesan Richardson and Taneka Johnson as visiting party organizers, Ronnie Robinson as the local chapter head caught in the cross-fire and Christopher DerGregorian as a Latino drug dealer whose prior romantic relationship with one of the Panthers sparks jealousy and suspicion.

On the other side, a sadistic detective (Patrick Higgins) is brutally effective, though not without lapsing into mustache-twirling villainy, such as his gratuitous assault on a naive white reporter (Rachel K. Otto). While episodes like this are depressingly familiar, audiences need little convincing that self-conscious evil is a bad thing. More insidious (and more dramatically fruitful) are the abuses wrought by misguided do-gooders who believe they have the moral high ground. The piece is sometimes sidetracked by simplistic political rhetoric.

Heavy-handed polemics notwithstanding, Brown skillfully weaves together the elements of a gripping political thriller, including suspenseful twists, character flaws, betrayal and affecting heroism. Spencer Scott’s staging builds momentum at an assured pace--a highly successful effort from a promising theater company in only its second year of operation.

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* “American Guerrilla: Against the Wind,” Inglewood Playhouse, 740 Warren Lane, Inglewood. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. Ends Dec. 20. $12. (213) 860-3208. Running time: 3 hours.