 Reflecting those principles, Cox alleges that Hilliard began to place loyalty to the party above all and dealt out punishment, denouncement or expulsion from the Black Panther Party to those who opposed him or the party line, even for the slightest of offence, with his orders being carried out by internal enforcers known as the "Black Guard" and "Buddha Samurai".Simultaneously, Cox says, Hillard dismantled the power and authority of all other members of the Black Panther's central committee aside from himself, and that of Huey Newton, in a vicious drive for power.In January 1968 Hilliard was arrested for handing out pamphlets outside of Oakland Technical High School.