"Gunfight Suspect Caught in Jersey". [195][200] In 1985, her daughter, Kakuya, who had been raised by Shakur's mother in New York, came to live with her. I have spent many days and nights behind bars thinking about this trial, this outrage. Hershberger, James (March 24, 2006). The member he was arrested with, Assata Shakur - previously known as JoAnne Chesimard - has been a fugitive. Shakur, Assata (1987, New edition November 1, 1999). According to police, Shakur knocked on the door of a guest's room, asked "Is there a party going on here? Judge Lee P. Gagliardi denied a postponement, and the Second Circuit denied Shakur's petition for mandamus. [85], The prosecution's case rested largely on the testimony of two men who had pleaded guilty to participating in the holdup. [62], In December 1973, Shakur was tried for a September 29, 1972, $3,700 robbery of the Manufacturer's Hanover Trust Company in the Bronx, along with co-defendant Kamau Sadiki (born Fred Hilton). [58][68] Assata Shakur was interrogated and arraigned from her hospital bed. Prial, Frank J. She later became a member of the Black Liberation Army and was involved in several Black organizing groups, including the Black Panther Party. [90] Both defendants were repeatedly cited for contempt of court and eventually barred from the courtroom, where the trial continued in their absence. [217][218] The Resolution was due in no small part to the lobbying efforts of Governor Whitman and New Jersey Representative Bob Franks. Assata Olugbala Shakur (born July 16, 1947), as JoAnne Deborah Byron , married name Chesimard is an African-American activist and escaped convict who was a member of the Black Panther Party (BPP) and Black Liberation Army (BLA). [202] Shakur is also known to have worked as an English-language editor for Radio Havana Cuba. The BLA's most notorious attack, however, came in 1972, when it carried out perhaps the most gruesome assassination of police officers in the history of New York, killing two patrolmen, Greg Foster. [244], In July 2017, the Women's March official Twitter feed celebrated Shakur's birthday, leading to criticism from some right-wing media outlets. [176] At Alderson, Shakur was housed in the Maximum Security Unit, which also contained several members of the Aryan Sisterhood as well as Sandra Good and Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, followers of Charles Manson. New Jersey v. Chesimard, 555 F.2d 63 (3d Cir. [81] The trial was delayed for a few days after Shakur was diagnosed with pleurisy. [9] "Militant Autobiography: The Case of Assata Shakur," in. With connections to the Weather Underground, the Black Liberation Army and the Black Panther Party, this "anti-imperialist" organization executed a number of attacks well into the mid-1980s, inspired by the revolutionary left-wing tradition of pursuing "peace" through violent means. At that time, eight men who came to be known as the San Francisco 8 were accused of killing Sgt. The FBI and the NYPD further charged her as being a leader of the Black . After the vehicle was pulled over, two men stepped out of the vehicle and opened fire on NYPD officers John Scarangella and Richard Rainey. [62][133] During the trial, hundreds of civil rights campaigners demonstrated outside of the Middlesex County courthouse each day. "[225] In 2013, the FBI announced it had added Shakur to its list of 'most wanted terrorists', the first time that a woman was so designated. She has been on the FBI Most Wanted Terrorist list since 2013 as Joanne Deborah Chesimard and was the first woman to be added to this list. Her autobiography has been cited in relation to critical legal studies[204] and critical race theory. After graduation, she began using the name Assata Shakur, and briefly joined the Black Panther Party. Also involved in the shootout were New Jersey State Troopers Werner Foerster and James Harper and BLA members Sundiata Acoli and Zayd Malik Shakur. [3], Born in Flushing, Queens, she grew up in New York City and Wilmington, North Carolina. Fast Facts: Assata Shakur Also Known As: JoAnne Chesimard Born: July 16, 1947, in New York City (December 12, 1973). "Jury Deliberations Begin in Murder Trial of Squire". [236] Rutgers University professor H. Bruce Franklin, who excerpts Shakur's book in a class on 'Crime and Punishment in American Literature,' describes her as a "revolutionary fighter against imperialism". [64] That night, the second night of jury deliberation, the jury asked Judge Appleby to repeat his instructions regarding the four assault charges 30minutes before retiring for the night, which led to speculation that the jury had decided in Shakur's favor on the remaining charges, especially the two counts of murder. [70], Shakur's defense attorneys were William Kunstler (the chief of Shakur's defense staff),[134] Stuart Ball, Robert Bloom, Raymond A. "Judge and Defendants Clash Again as Chesimard Jury Is Chosen". [78][134][137] Of these attorneys, Kunstler, Ball, Cohen, Myers, Stern and Williams appeared in court for the turnpike trial. [78], On the charges related to the New Jersey Turnpike shootout, New Jersey Superior Court Judge Leon Gerofsky ordered a change of venue in 1973 from Middlesex to Morris County, New Jersey, saying "it was almost impossible to obtain a jury here comprising people willing to accept the responsibility of impartiality so that defendants will be protected from transitory passion and prejudice. [128] Based on New Jersey law, if Shakur's presence at the scene could be considered as "aiding and abetting" the murder of Foerster, she could be convicted even if she had not fired the bullets which had killed him. By Mirinda Crissman July 15, 2022 In honor of Assata Shakur's 75th birthday on July 16, the IAC is reprinting this slightly edited version of her open letter, first posted on Dec. 30, 2014. [171] She was also transferred from the Clinton Correctional Facility for Women to a special area staffed by women guards at the Garden State Youth Correctional Facility, where she was the only female inmate,[172] for "security reasons". Assata Olugbala Shakur (born July 16, 1947 as JoAnne Deborah Byron) is an African-American activist.She was a member of the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army.She was put into prison, but in 1984 she managed to escape.She now lives in Havana, Cuba, as a fugitive.She was the first woman to be put on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list. In 2005, SUNY Press released The New Abolitionists (Neo)Slave Narratives and Contemporary Prison Writings, edited and with an added introduction by Joy James, in which Shakur's Women in Prison: How We Are 1978 is featured. Assata Shakur, or JoAnne Chesimard as the media and authorities continued to call her, was acknowledged to be the soul of the BLA. Black militancy: notes from the underground. In 1984, she was granted political asylum by the socialist Republic of Cuba then under the leadership of President Fidel Castro. "Evidence of 'Liberation Army' Said to Rise". As long as we expect amerika's schools to educate us, we will remain ignorant." Malcolm X told the truth when he stated, "Education is an important element in the struggle for human rights. [202] She has praised Fidel Castro as a "hero of the oppressed"[12] and referred to herself as a "20th century escaped slave". Montgomery, Paul L. (February 20, 1972), "3D Suspect Linked To Police Slayings". [87] Shakur's aunt and lawyer, Evelyn Williams, was cited for contempt after walking out of the courtroom after many of her attempted motions were denied. Smothers, Ronald (October 24, 1973), "Chesimard Case Gets A Jury Shift". [144] According to Kunstler's autobiography, the sizable contingent of New Jersey State Troopers guarding the courthouse were under strict orders from their commander, Col. Clinton Pagano, to completely shun Shakur's defense attorneys. "Mrs. Chesimard, in Summation, Terms Holdup Case Contrived". [241], In 2015, Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza writes: "When I use Assata's powerful demand in my organizing work, I always begin by sharing where it comes from, sharing about Assata's significance to the Black Liberation Movement, what its political purpose and message is, and why it's important in our context. [77], Between 1973 and 1977, in New York and New Jersey, Shakur was indicted ten times, resulting in seven different criminal trials. She eventually joined both the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army. "Prosecution Rests Case on Chesimard Robbery Trial; Defendant Ejected". [15] In April 1967, she married Louis Chesimard, a fellow student-activist at CCNY. [51][52], According to Cleaver and Katsiaficas, the FBI and local police "initiated a national search-and-destroy mission for suspected BLA members, collaborating in stakeouts that were the products of intensive political repression and counterintelligence campaigns like NEWKILL". Judge Starkey said, "People have constitutional rights, and you can't shuffle them around. For the book, see, Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army, Howell, Ron (October 11, 1987) "'On the Run With Assata Shakur' -, "Hands Off Assata Shakur: Angela Davis Calls for Radical Activism to Protect Activist Exiled in Cuba. [83] In protest, the lawyers stayed mute, and Shakur and Sadiki conducted their own defense. Shakur was charged with two bank robberies, the kidnapping of a Brooklyn heroin dealer, the attempted murder of two Queens police officers stemming from a January 23, 1973, failed ambush, and eight other felonies related to the Turnpike shootout. [215] Later in 1998, U.S. media widely reported claims that the United States State Department had offered to lift the Cuban embargo in exchange for the return of 90U.S. fugitives, including Shakur. She spent 6 and a half years in prison before . (blackhistorymonth.org.uk) A Troubled Childhood Assata Shakur was born JoAnne Deborah Byron in Queens in 1947. A condition of making a new deal between the United States and Cuba is the release of political prisoners and the return of fugitives from justice. [124] Shortly after deliberation began, the jury asked to see all the photographic exhibits taken from the surveillance footage. [100] The defense attempted to discredit White on the grounds that he had spent eight months in Matteawan Hospital for the Criminally Insane in 1968, and White countered that he had faked insanity (by claiming to be Allah in front of three psychiatrists) to get transferred out of prison. [62][12], On March 24, the jurors listened for 45minutes to a rereading of testimony of the State Police chemist regarding the blood found at the scene, on the LeMans, and Shakur's clothing. Perlmutter, Emanuel (January 29, 1973), "Extra Duty Tours For Police Set Up After 2D Ambush", According to Churchill and Vander Wall (2002): "What had emerged in the 1980s was a formal amalgamation of FBI COINTELPRO specialists and New York City red squad detectives known as the Joint Terrorist Task Force (JTTF), consolidating the more, Sullivan, Joseph F. (May 3 or 4th, 1973). [226], In June 2017, President Donald Trump gave a speech "cancelling" the Cuban thaw policies of his predecessor Barack Obama. Hanley, Robert (November 6, 1979). [58] Assata Shakur testified that she was on her way to Baltimore for a job as a bar waitress. [38][78] Of these trials, three resulted in acquittals, one in a hung jury, one in a change of venue, one in a mistrial due to pregnancy, and one in a conviction. She surfaced in Cuba in 1984, where she was granted political asylum. [141] The New Jersey Legal Ethics Committee also investigated complaints against Hinds for comparing Shakur's murder trial to "legalized lynching"[142] undertaken by a "kangaroo court". Between 1971 and 1973, she was charged with several crimes and was the subject of a multi-state manhunt. [134], On February 23, Shakur's attorneys filed papers asking Judge Appleby to subpoena FBI Director Clarence Kelley, Senator Frank Church and other federal and New York City law enforcement officials to testify about the Counter Intelligence Program, which they alleged was designed to harass and disrupt black activist organizations. Thomas "Blood" McCreary, a member of the BLA, is the largest series in the Black Liberation Army archive. Shakur converted to Catholicism as a child and attended the all-girls Cathedral High School, for six months before transferring to public high school. [96] Shakur was ejected following an argument with Williams, and Hilton left with her as jury selection continued. She was acquitted on three of the charges and three were dismissed. Sundiata Acoli, 85, the oldest former member of the Black Panthers still to be incarcerated for acts of violence during the 1970s Black liberation struggle, is finally to be released from. The Black Liberation Army (BLA) is an urban guerrilla group closely patterned after the principles of Carlos Marighella. [123], One bank employee testified that Shakur was one of the bank robbers, but three other bank employees (including two tellers) testified that they were uncertain. [128][160], Judge Appleby eventually cut off funds for any further expert defense testimony. [8] In 1950, Shakur's parents divorced and she moved with her grandparents to Wilmington, North Carolina. See Kirsta, Alix (May 29, 1999), "A black and white case Investigation Joanne Chesimard". [64][149], Trooper Harper's official reports state that after he stopped the Pontiac, he ordered Acoli to the back of the vehicle for Trooper Foersterwho had arrived on the sceneto examine his driver's license. In 1970-1981 the black liberation army was in full force. [58] At Acoli's trial, Harper testified that the gunfight started "seconds" after Foerster arrived at the scene. Kaufman, Michael T. (February 9, 1972), "9 in Black 'Army' Are Hunted in Police Assassinations". [201] Her autobiography was republished in Britain in 2014[129] and a dramatized version performed on BBC Radio 4 in July 2017.[209]. Chambers, Marcia (December 28, 1973). [87] White and Rivers, although having pled guilty, had not yet been sentenced for the robbery and were promised that the charges would be dropped in exchange for their testimony. "Mrs. Chesimard Is Ousted Again as 2d Trial for Robbery Begins". campaign is coordinated by Chicago-area Black Radical Congress activists. [63] Questioned by prosecutor C. Judson Hamlin, Harper said he saw Foerster shot just as Assata Shakur was hit by bullets from Harper's gun. [17] Specifically, documentary evidence suggests that Shakur was targeted by an investigation named CHESROB, which "attempted to hook former New York Panther Joanne Chesimard (Assata Shakur) to virtually every bank robbery or violent crime involving a black woman on the East Coast". Gupte, Pranay (July 21, 1973), "Joanne Chesimard Pleads Not Guilty in Holdup Here". On May 2, 1973, Assata was driving with Zayd Malik Shakur and Sundiata Acoli on the New Jersey Turnpike when New Jersey state troopers stopped them. Getty Images Joanne Chesimard, or Assata Shakur, is New Jersey's most wanted fugitive for killing a state trooper and then fleeing to Cuba in 1979. When asked by a reporter why, if that were the case, it took the jury 24 hours to reach a verdict, Kunstler replied, "That was just a pretense." [140], Her attorneys, in particular Lennox Hinds, were often held in contempt of court, which the National Conference of Black Lawyers cited as an example of systemic bias in the judicial system. Cummings, Judith (October 8, 1973), "Angela Davis Asks Support for 'Political Prisoners'". [81][82] In light of the pending murder prosecution against Shakur in New Jersey state court, her lawyers requested that the trial be postponed for six months to permit further preparation. On April 6, 1971, Shakur was shot in the stomach during a struggle with a guest at the Statler Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. [62][183] Amnesty International, however, did not regard Shakur as a former political prisoner. She was born in 1947 in New York City, JoAnne Deborah Byron. [26] Shakur is alleged to have said that she was glad that she had been shot; afterward, she was no longer afraid to be shot again. She then joined the BLA, a loosely knit offshoot of the Black Panthers, which engaged in an armed struggle against the US government through tactics such as robbing banks and killing police officers and drug dealers.[4]. [234] In 2008, a Bucknell University professor included Shakur in a course on "African-American heroes"along with figures such as Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, John Henry, Malcolm X, and Angela Davis. In May 1973, Shakur was arrested after being wounded in a shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike. Farley, Anthony Paul (March 2001). The correspondence sub-series consist of letters written to or from McCreary ranging in date from 1963-1998. . Kamau Sadiki (born Fred W. X. Hilton), a co-defendant who shared a cell with Shakur during their trial for armed robbery in the Bronx (of which both were acquitted), is believed to be the father. Robbery Begins '' political asylum by the socialist Republic of Cuba then under the leadership of President Castro. 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