Assata Shakur, Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army member was wrongfully accused for the alleged murder of a New Jersey state trooper, named Werner Foerster. Her and her fellow BLA member Zayd Malik Shakur were involved in a shooting leaving her wounded, her BLA brother dead, and one police officer dead. The surviving officer testified that he saw her pull a gun out of her purse but later admitted to lying and not even seeing a weapon. Medical evidence and Assata’s testimony states that she was shot twice with her hands raised in the air showing that she was not a threat. Assata was never convicted of any charges but was sentenced to 26 to 33 years based on her being at the scene if the crime.
Upon hearing the verdict, Shakur said that she was “ashamed that I have even taken part in this trial” and that the jury was “racist” and had “convicted a woman with her hands up”. the judge told the court attendants to “remove the prisoner” and Shakur replied: “the prisoner will walk away on her own feet”.Assata’s treatment was inhumane and un-American. She was left in solitary confinement for months at a time, harassed by police, and beaten almost to paralysis.
Assata escaped out of the maximum security wing of the Clinton Correctional Facility for Women in New Jersey in 1979 and moved to Cuba. She has been living there since 1984.
1969, J. Edgar Hoover the director of the FBI for 48 years declared, “the Black Panther Party, without question, represents the greatest threat to internal security of the country”; he pledged that 1969 would be the last year of the Party’s existence.
No statement was made about any other non black group like the kkk. He felt they were the biggest internal threat to the “country”. What do you think he meant by country?
Till this day the FBI has labeled her as a terrorist and offers a million dollar reward. The fact that they labeled her as a terrorist for nothing and stepped up her reward from 50,000 to 1,000,000 since 2005 is rediculous;this country will never change.
Stay strong sistah they will NEVER find you.
(via peopleofcolor)
