She later became a member of the Black Liberation Army and was involved in several Black organizing groups, including the Black Panther Party. [161], According to Angela Davis, neutron activation analysis that was administered after the shootout showed no gunpowder residue on Shakur's fingers and forensic analysis performed at the Trenton, New Jersey, crime lab and the FBI crime labs in Washington, D.C., did not find her fingerprints on any weapon at the scene. [43] Years later, some police officers argued that her importance in the BLA had been exaggerated by the police. [213] On March 10, 1998[214] New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman asked Attorney General Janet Reno to do whatever it would take to return Shakur from Cuba. There were people [in the BLA] who absolutely took the position that it was just time to resist, and if black people didn't start to fight back against police brutality and didn't start to wage armed resistance, we would be annihilated. Farley, Anthony Paul (March 2001). [210], In 1997, Carl Williams, the superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, wrote a letter to Pope John Paul II asking him to raise the issue of Shakur's extradition during his talks with President Fidel Castro. (December 12, 1973). [120][121] The trial was delayed until 1976,[119] when Shakur was represented by Stanley Cohen and Evelyn Williams. "No Checking Was Done On Chesimard 'Visitors'; Identification Required of Visitors Security Review Ordered". Emery, Richard, and LaMarche, Gara (June 11, 1980). In July 1973, after being indicted by a grand jury, Shakur pleaded not guilty in Federal Court in Brooklyn to an indictment related to a $7,700 robbery of the Bankers Trust Company bank in Queens on August 31, 1971. [36] After an $89,000 Brooklyn bank robbery on March 1, 1972, a Daily News headline asked: "Was that JoAnne?" I have spent many days and nights behind bars thinking about this trial, this outrage. Dos aos despus de ser condenada, Assata Shakur escap de la crcel y obtuvo asilo poltico en Cuba, donde vive en la actualidad. [119] Judge Jacob Mishlerset set a tentative trial date of November 5 that year. She said that the second shot hit her in the back as she turned to avoid it, and that she fell onto the road for the duration of the gunfight before crawling back into the backseat of the Pontiacwhich Acoli drove 5 miles (8km) down the road and parked. [78][134][137] Of these attorneys, Kunstler, Ball, Cohen, Myers, Stern and Williams appeared in court for the turnpike trial. 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. He was sentenced to life in prison in 1974 for murdering a New Jersey state trooper. The FBI put out a $2 million bounty for her recapture almost 50 years ago. James, Joy, and Sharpley-Whiting, T. Denean (2000). [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. 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. Early life [ edit] "[79] Morris County, had a far smaller black population than Middlesex County. [188][189] In part for his role in the event, Mutulu was named on July 23, 1982, as the 380th addition to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, where he remained for the next four years until his capture in 1986. Farley, Anthony Paul (Fall 2005). [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. In her autobiography, Shakur claims that she was beaten and restrained by several large female officers after refusing a medical exam from a prison doctor shortly after giving birth. [122] The jury determined that a widely circulated FBI photo allegedly showing Shakur participating in the robbery was not her. [58] Assata Shakur walked toward the trooper with her bloodied arms raised in surrender. Nehanda Abiodun, a radical black nationalist who was charged in the deadly botched robbery of a Brink's armored truck in 1981 and then spent decades as a fugitive in Cuba, a hero to would-be. & the Militant". Janson, Donald (February 19, 1977). that somewhere in your heart you have love for me. [148] Her lawyers also claimed that their offices were bugged. Hanley, Robert (November 6, 1979). [10] According to her attorney Lennox Hinds, Shakur "understates the awfulness of the condition in which she was incarcerated", which included vaginal and anal searches. [219], On May 2, 2005, the 32nd anniversary of the Turnpike shootings, the FBI classified her as a domestic terrorist, increasing the reward for assistance in her capture to $1million,[193][220] the largest reward placed on an individual in the history of New Jersey. As recently as this year, Black Liberation Army ideology was being taught in New York City public schools, with assistance from former BLA member Joanne Chesimard, aka Assata Shakur, who. Chambers, Marcia (December 27, 1973). [184], In early 1979, "the Family", a group of BLA members, began to plan Shakur's escape from prison. Abstract Marighella proposes two essential objectives for the urban guerrilla: physical liquidation of armed forces and police chiefs and assistants, and appropriation of government resources and those belonging to the elite . Nelson, Jim (February 29, 1988). [19] Shakur joined the Black Liberation Army (BLA), an offshoot whose members were inspired by the Vietcong and the Algerian independence fighters of the Battle of Algiers. [127] She was the only one of the six suspects in the robbery to be brought to trial. Exploring her well-read autobiography last year changed my life. [134][151] Five jurors had personal ties to State Troopers (one girlfriend, two nephews, and two friends). "Assata Shakur: Profiled and on the Run". (1975). Assata Shakur, Joanne Byron, Barbara Odoms, Joanne Chesterman, Joan Davis, Justine Henderson, Mary Davis, Pat Chesimard, Jo-Ann Chesimard, . "[123], In an open letter to Castro, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Representative Maxine Waters of California later explained that many members of the Caucus (including herself) were against Shakur's extradition but had mistakenly voted for the bill, which was placed on the accelerated suspension calendar, generally reserved for non-controversial legislation. Johnston, Richard J. See Kirsta, Alix (May 29, 1999), "A black and white case Investigation Joanne Chesimard". In 1993, she published a second book, Still Black, Still Strong, with Dhoruba bin Wahad and Mumia Abu-Jamal. Assata Olugbala Shakur is a former member of the Black Liberation Army (BLA), who was convicted of being an accomplice in the first-degree murder of State Trooper Werner Foerster. Daly, Michael (December 13, 2006). [38][54], Shakur and others[38][54][55] claim that she was targeted by the FBI's COINTELPRO as a result of her involvement with the black liberation organizations. "[221] The bounty announcement reportedly caused Shakur to "drop out of sight" after having previously lived relatively openly (including having her home telephone number listed in her local telephone directory). [192], At the time of the escape, Kunstler had just started to prepare her appeal. [108][109][110], Shakur and four others (including Fred Hilton, Avon White, and Andrew Jackson) were indicted in the State Supreme Court in the Bronx on December 31, 1973, on charges of attempting to shoot and kill two policemenMichael O'Reilly and Roy Polliana, who were wounded but had since returned to dutyin an ambush in St. Albans, Queens on January 28, 1973. Mar 24, 2017 at 5:05 pm. [122] The prosecution showed surveillance photos of four of the six alleged robbers, contending that one of them was Shakur wearing a wig. According to police, Shakur knocked on the door of a guest's room, asked "Is there a party going on here? [158], A key element of Shakur's defense was medical testimony meant to demonstrate that she was shot with her hands up and that she would have been subsequently unable to fire a weapon. However, Appleby dismissed the second-degree murder of Zayd Shakur, as the New Jersey Supreme Court had recently narrowed the application of the law. 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." Numerous musicians have composed and recorded songs about her or dedicated to her: Digable Planets, The Underachievers and X-Clan have also recorded songs about Shakur. 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. I just decided to move my car after I learned a little more . 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. Shakur was identified as wanted for questioning after a September 1, 1972, bank robbery in the Bronx. [149] Trooper Harper's reports then state that he ran to the rear of his car and shot at Shakur who had exited the vehicle and was firing from a crouched position next to the vehicle. On May 2 1973, Black Panther activist Assata Shakur (fsn) Joanne Deborah Chesimard, was pulled over by the New Jersey State Police, shot twice and then charged with murder of a police officer. [124] Shortly after deliberation began, the jury asked to see all the photographic exhibits taken from the surveillance footage. The Black Liberation Army (BLA) defined itself as a politico-military organization engaged in armed struggle against the U.S. government. Patty Hearst Vintage Original 1975 FBI Wanted Poster Symbionese Liberation Army. Black Liberation activist Assata Shakur was found guilty of killing a police officer in 1977, only to escape prison two years later and become a political refugee in Cuba. [156] McGovern later sued Kunstler for defamation;[157] Kunstler eventually publicly apologized to McGovern and paid him a small settlement. Assata had several warrants for her arrest on charges . [112] On April 26, while Shakur was pregnant,[108] New Jersey Governor Brendan Byrne signed an extradition order to move Shakur to New Jersey to face two counts of attempted murder, attempted assault, and possession of dangerous weapons related to the alleged ambush; however, Shakur declined to waive her right to an extradition hearing, and asked for a full hearing before Middlesex County Court Judge John E. [42] Robert Daley, Deputy Commissioner of the New York City Police, for example, described Shakur as "the final wanted fugitive, the soul of the gang, the mother hen who kept them together, kept them moving, kept them shooting". [90] Both defendants were repeatedly cited for contempt of court and eventually barred from the courtroom, where the trial continued in their absence. In the Matter of Hinds, 449 A.2d 483 (N.J. 1982). [100] Louis Chesimard (Shakur's ex-husband) and Paul Stewart, the other two alleged robbers, had been acquitted in June. Krebs, Alan (February 3, 1978), "Notes on People". John Young, in August, 1971. [29][30][31][32] Law enforcement officials in Atlanta, Georgia, said that Shakur and Jackson had lived together in Atlanta for several months in the summer of 1971. [20][21][22], She began using the name Assata Olugbala Shakur in 1971, rejecting Joanne Chesimard as a "slave name". Members of the State Troopers Fraternal Association of New Jersey expressed their anger over Common's "A Song For Assata". "[159], Dr. David Spain, a pathologist from Brookdale Community College, testified that her bullet scars as well as X-rays supported her claim that her arms were raised, and that there was "no conceivable way" the first bullet could have hit Shakur's clavicle if her arm was down. On April 6, 1971, Shakur was shot in the stomach during a struggle with a guest at the Statler Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. 1977) (en banc). State Trooper Harper was wounded; Zayd Shakur was killed; State Trooper Foerster was killed. [63][b] Trooper Harper asked the driver for identification, noticed a discrepancy, asked him to get out of the car, and questioned him at the rear of the vehicle.[58]. [129], A total of 289articles had been published in the local press relating to the various crimes with which Shakur had been accused. Esta autobiografa intensamente personal y poltica desmiente la temible Sterling, Guy, and Forero, Juan (May 7, 1998), "On the lam, Chesimard is hardly on her own". [105] 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. [149], Shakur testified that Trooper Harper shot her after she raised her arms to comply with his demand. [235] Her autobiography is studied together with those of Angela Davis and Elaine Brown, the only women activists of the Black Power movement who have published book-length autobiographies. Following her parents' divorce in 1950, she moved with her mother and maternal grandparents to Wilmington, North Carolina. Following her parents' divorce, Byron spent much of her childhood moving between her grandparents and other family in Wilmington, North Carolina, and New York City, where her . The Panthers were beloved . Shakur challenges traditional styles of literary autobiography and offers a perspective on her life that is not easily accessible to the public. 1977) Assata Shakur was born Joanne Deborah Byron and was raised middle-class in Queens. Kaufman, Michael T. (February 17, 1972). [67] The motion (argued March 2)which also asked the court to require the production of memos, tapes, documents, and photographs of alleged COINTELPRO involvement from 1970 to 1973was denied.[67][135]. A book in the vehicle was said to contain a list of potential BLA targets. Jones, Robert A. (2001). The Fugitive: Why has the FBI placed a million-dollar bounty on Assata Shakur? [135][152] A sixteenth female juror was removed before the trial formally opened, when it was determined that Sheriff Joseph DeMarino of Middlesex County, while a private detective several years earlier, had worked for a lawyer who represented the juror's husband. Operating from about 1971 to 1981, the BLA used tactics including . Did you shoot or assault Trooper James Harper? [243] In April 2017, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's foundation donated $25,000 to the group. [154] Before the jury entered the courtroom, Judge Appleby ordered Shakur's lawyers to remove a copy of Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley from a position on the defense counsel table easily visible to jurors. (February 20, 1974). Assata Shakur and the Cuban Revolution After being liberated from a maximum security prison in New Jersey, Assata lived underground for five years. [211] During the pope's visit to Cuba in 1998, Shakur agreed to an interview with NBC journalist Ralph Penza. The correspondence sub-series consist of letters written to or from McCreary ranging in date from 1963-1998. . What happens to Assata Shakur now? [76], During an interview, Assata Shakur discussed her treatment by the police and medical staff at Middlesex General Hospital. The New York Amsterdam News section is an ad in support of Assata Shakur. [173] When Kunstler first took on Shakur's case (before meeting her), he described her basement cell as "adequate", which nearly resulted in his dismissal as her attorney. [138] When Judge Appleby told the court attendants to "remove the prisoner", Shakur herself replied: "the prisoner will walk away on her own feet". [89] While in the holding pen, they listened to the proceedings over loudspeakers. campaign is coordinated by Chicago-area Black Radical Congress activists. (February 14, 1974). [33][34][35], Shakur was wanted for questioning for wounding a police officer on January 26, 1972, who was attempting to serve a traffic summons in Brooklyn. 473 (D.N.J. 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. [10] The official premiere of the film in Havana in 2004 was promoted by Casa de las Amricas, the main cultural forum of the Cuban government. New Jersey State Police superintendent Rick Fuentes said "she is now 120pounds of money. Chesimard was . 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