happybirthdayassata.org

Hands off Assata

Bibliography on Assata Shakur

Web Links on Assata

Hands Off Assata

Luis Posada Carriles: a US terrorist

New Jersey and the Nazis, 8/98: indispensable background to current events

Assata Shakur, 2005
The million dollar bounty   

Happy Birthday Assata Campaign  3/28/2008 Scheme: "On November 2 2006, Mos Def, Sonia Sanchez and the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement helped to kick off the Happy Birthday Assata Campaign, a national mobilization effort to commemorate the revolutionary icon’s 60th birthday. Well over one hundred supporters gathered at SEIU 1199 in midtown Manhattan to rally support for Assata and for the many political prisoners detained throughout the United States and abroad."

Letter from Assata on her 60th Birthday Celebration  3/27/2008 HOA: "I am 60 years old and I am proud to be one of those people who stood up against the ruthless, evil, imperialist policies of the U.S. government. In my lifetime I have opposed the war against the Vietnamese people, the illegal contras – war in Nicaragua, the illegal coup in Chile, the invasion of Haiti and of Granada, and every other illegal, immoral and genocidal war the U.S. government has ever waged. I have never been a criminal and I never will be one. I am 60 years old and in spite of government repression, in spite of the media’s lies and distortions, in spite of the U.S, government’s COINTELPRO Program to criminalize and demonize political opponents, I feel proud to count myself as someone who believes in peace and believes in freedom. I am proud to have been a member of the Black Panther Party although the U.S. government continues try to distort history and continues to persecute ex-members of the Black Panther Party. Just recently, the U.S. government has indicted and arrested 8 ex-Black Panthers in a case that was dismissed 30 years ago. The case was dismissed some 30 years ago when it became obvious that the most vicious forms of extreme torture were used to extract false confessions from some of the so-called defendants."

Assata Shakur  3/26/2008 Gazette, Langston University: "On Common's "Like Water for Chocolate" album, released in 2000, there is a song titled "A Song for Assata," which shines light on Shakur's life. There are also many videos available on Youtube.com that depicts this strong, yet unheard of woman whose resilience led to her freedom."

Mama Assata Exposes Cointelpro: "Presently known as The Patriot Act 1 & 2"  5/1/2007 AssataShakur.org 

Common's "A Song for Assata"  5/1/2007 YouTube 

Assata Shakur: The government's terrorist is our community's heroine  10/2/2005 Socialism and Liberation: by Mos Def - "For those of us who either remember the state of the union in the 1960s and 1970s or have studied it, when we consider Assata Shakur living under political asylum in Cuba, we believe that nation is exercising its political sovereignty, and in no way harboring a terrorist. Cubans sees Assata as I, and many others in my community do: as a woman who was and is persecuted for her political beliefs. When the federal government raised the bounty on her head this May 2, one official declared that Assata was merely "120 pounds of money." For many of us in the Black community she could never be so reduced. For many of us in the Black community, she was and remains, to use her own words, an "escaped slave," a heroine, not unlike Harriet Tubman."

Assata Shakur: Woman, Exile, Artist, Mother  9/18/2005 HOA 

What Is The Hands Off Assata Campaign?  9/18/2005 HOA 

Hands Off Assata Chicago Petition to City Council, 8/05  9/17/2005 AfroCubaWeb 

Assata - Rap Icons Godmother Still Gaining Support  8/25/2005 Thug Life Army: "Dear Mayor Palmer: Let me introduce myself by saying that ASSATA SHAKUR is my sister, friend, and comrade in the struggle for human rights of all oppressed people. When three “Freedom Fighters” boldly took action in 1979 and entered the Clinton Correctional Facility and liberated Sister ASSATA from the chains and shackles of her jailers, I rejoiced. I was proud to be apart of a generation of young African Americans that were courageous and committed enough to go up against America and didn’t give a damn about odds."

Assata Shakur coverage in the Black press by JR, Minister of Info of the POCC  8/17/2005 SF Bay View 

Assata Shakur’s appeal attorney explains her case Lies are being manufactured to convert Assata into a terrorist to justify the $1 million bounty on her head by Evelyn A. Williams  8/10/2005 SF Bay View: "New Jersey State Assembly Speaker Albio Sires, a longtime member of CANF (Cuban American National Foundation, representing Cuban exiles), said: “If Cuba’s citizenry could be informed of the $1 million bounty and the real story of Chesimard’s crimes, there is an increased likelihood of her being brought to justice…. We want the Cuban people to know the real story about Joanne Chesimard and not the deceptive representation advanced by the Castro regime. We want people to realize that she is not a hero and she is really a violent criminal who is wanted for killing a state trooper and escaping justice.” By falsely asserting that Assata shot Foerster in the head while he lay helplessly on the ground, killing him “execution style,” the U.S. Justice Department hopes to strip Assata of any of the sympathy and political support she now receives in the United States and from the citizens of Cuba. By labeling her a cold-blooded cop killer, the hope is that the real circumstances of the NJ Turnpike as well as all the years prior to that event, during which time Assata was relentlessly hunted with the stated purpose of killing her on sight for having committed crimes of which the government knew she was innocent, will be forgotten."

Black August ‘05 Tribute to Assata, Mumia, Evelyn Williams, Esq., Lynne Stewart, Esq., and Zolo Azania by Sundiata Acoli  8/10/2005 SF Bay View: "Lynne Stewart, Esq., our White comrade and a 65-year-old grandmother, not only commands our highest respect, but her present situation also demands our strongest support. She has been on the front lines over 30 years unflinchingly defending political people of all nationalities, particularly Black and other people of color, and oppressed peoples in general. Because of Lynne’s staunch defense of unpopular political defendants, her own freedom now hangs in the balance. She was recently convicted of violating “special administrative measures” in her defense of the blind Egyptian Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman and now faces up to 30 years in prison. Her sentencing date is scheduled for Sept. 23, 2005. Lynne urgently needs all the “letters to the judge” that we can write to try to convince him that Lynne’s age (65 and counting), her 30 years of service to communities that rarely see vigorous lawyering, and the weakness of the government’s charges and proof should lead to a sentence of no incarceration."

‘Hands Off Assata’ meeting held  7/23/2005 Worker's World 

M1 of dead prez on the case of Assata Shakur  7/20/2005 SF Bay View 

Hands Off Assata Seeks to Educate Black Community About Shakur Case  7/13/2005 Black America Web 

Rap Icons Godmother Target of Amendment  6/18/2005 Thug Life Army: "Many prominent and influential politicians, hip-hop and rap artists and community groups have stepped forward to show support for Assata and her struggle. There is an attempt to further the kidnapping of Tupac’s godmother and political activist Assata Shakur. We received the following from a member of the Congressional Black Caucus today."

Congress attempts to further Assata Kidnapping, 6/1505  6/15/2005 HOA: "Reps. Vito J. Fossella, R-N.Y., and Peter T. King, R-N.Y. will offer an amendment providing that, of the funds made available for diplomatic and consular affairs for the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, an appropriate amount of such funds would be used to disseminate the names of fugitives, such as Joanne Chesimard (Assata Shakur) and William Morales, who are residing in Cuba, as well as provide any rewards for their capture."

Rocky's policy on Cuba earns anger of Eastern mayors  6/14/2005 Salt Lake Tribune: "In seeking to pass a resolution to normalize U.S. relations with Cuba, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson faced indignation - not from Cuban exiles, but from New Jersey mayors. During the U.S. Conference of Mayors annual meeting last week in Chicago, four mayors from the Garden State attacked the resolution while it was being discussed in the conference's international affairs committee, The Trentonian reports. Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer told the newspaper the resolution was a "slap in the face to law enforcement." The reason: A woman [Assata Shakur] who killed a New Jersey trooper in 1973 escaped from prison and fled to Cuba, where she has been protected from extradition, according to the newspaper. The mayors' committee eventually tabled Anderson's proposal, which says the U.S. economic embargo harms children and the elderly and that the policy has further isolated Cuba. It "urges the normalization of diplomatic and economic relations." "

Assata Shakur Offers Reward  6/8/2005 Rap News: “If Assata’s the Bandit Queen of the Black Liberation Army, then Donald Rumsfeld is the Bandit Queen of the U.S. Army,” declared Mary Margaret McNurtz, president of the new Hands Off Rummy Brigade, which has also come up with its own attractive t-shirt."

Castro Strikes a Nerve  6/3/2005 Alternet: Assata, Posada, the Cuban 5, and the US criminal justice system, by Soffiyah Elijah, Deputy director of the Criminal Justice Institute at Harvard Law School.

ASSATA: THE STAKES ARE RAISED, WEEK OF MAY 26-JUNE 1, 2005  5/31/2005 Wilmington Journal: a reprint of the Final Call article, with this note - "EDITOR’S NOTE: Assata is the granddaughter of the late Mr. Frank and Mrs. Lula Hill of Wilmington. She spent many summers here in Wilmington In the 500 block of South Seventh Street."

Mos Def, Talib Kweli, dead prez Speak Up For Assata Shakur  5/26/2005 All Hip Hop: "Rappers Mos Def, Talib Kweli and dead prez spoke in support of former Black Panther Assata Shukur at a press conference yesterday (May 25) at New York’s City Hall. Charles Barron, councilman from Brooklyn's East New York called the meeting as a response to a million dollar bounty on the political fugitive, who now resides in Cuba. Barron also introduced a resolution that seeks presidential clemency for Shakur, claiming that she the victim of “trumped-up charges and a kangaroo court with an all-white jury.” Both Mos and Kweli stated that they feel Shakur was unjustly convicted for the murder of a police officer in 1973."

Barron Seeks Clemency for Cop Killer  5/26/2005 NY Sun: "Infuriating law-enforcement organizations and his colleagues, a City Council member, Charles Barron, introduced a resolution yesterday urging clemency for a convicted and escaped cop-killer, Assata Shakur, formerly known as Joanne Chesimard."

N.Y. Politicians, Black Activists Rally in Support of Assata Shakur  5/25/2005 Black America Web: "Several members of the New York City Council and black community activists assembled on the steps of City Hall in Manhattan Wednesday to condemn the federal government’s $1 million bounty on Black Liberation Army member Joanne Chesimard, who is now known as Assata Shakur, and living in Cuba."

Hip-Hop Artist Get Involved For Assata  5/24/2005 Thug Life Army: "On Wednesday, May 25th at 1:30PM, Brooklyn City Councilmember Charles Barron, prominent hip-hop artists and community groups will hold a press conference on the steps of City Hall condemning a one-million-dollar bounty offered May 2nd for the capture of exiled Black Liberation fighter Assata Shakur; the godmother of the late rap icon Tupac Shakur. “I’m infuriated that a bounty has been put on her, placing her in danger,” said Councilmember Barron – who called for Wednesday’s press conference – “She is a shero to our community, its long overdue for her to receive clemency and come home.” "

The Hands off Assata Campaign and the Office of Councilman Charles Barron call for support, Wednesday, May 25 at 1:30pm, City Hall, New York City, 5/24/05

Assata Shakur: The Government's Terrorist Is Our Community's Heroine  5/19/2005 All Hip Hop: by Mos Def

Assata and Posada: Two different colors, two different stories  5/18/2005 SF Bay View: "The generally unacknowledged factor of Posada and Bosch’s blowing up of the Cubana airliner, however, is this. If tourists to Cuba take the time to visit Havana’s Sport’s Palace, guides will inevitably take them to the memorial wall. From there, visitors will be greeted by row after row of young, mostly Black faces staring back at them – photographs of Cuba’s Olympic athletes who were returning from the Pan American Games in Venezuela and were on board the airliner Posada and Bosch likely bombed. Therefore, by putting a $1 million bounty on Sister Shakur, who, they say, is linked to the killing of one white person, while allowing Posada and Bosch remain free in the U.S. after killing at least 73 mostly Black people, the U.S. has once again exposed itself as a government that continues to capitulate to and accommodate itself to racism."

Assata: The stakes are raised  5/16/2005 Final Call: "Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, according to Newsday, personally approved the money from the Justice Department. It will be paid for information leading to her safe capture, but not if she is killed in the process." Thanks goes to Final Call for a link to these Assata pages.

Official Statement in Response to May 2, 2005 Announcement of $1 Million Bounty Offer for the Return of Assata Shakur and Listing Her As A Domestic Terrorist, 5/15/05

2 Pac's Godmother: Victim Of Political Persecution?  5/13/2005 Rap/Hip Hop 

Troopers slam Castro for comment  5/12/2005 Trentonian, NJ: "Indignant New Jersey troopers blasted Cuban leader Fidel Castro yesterday for calling convicted cop killer Joanne Chesimard a "political prisoner’’ and victim of American racism."

Castro Speaks on Rap Icon's Godmother  5/11/2005 AP: "On Tuesday, he referred to Bush as "the little Hitler" and suggested he wanted to dominate the world. Castro dedicated more than an hour to reading for Cubans a New York Times story about the Posada case and again listed numerous terrorist actions that that Cuban officials attribute to Posada or his associates. He even suggested that Posada and his friend Orlando Bosch might have ties to the 1963 assassination of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy. "There are strange things, very strange, mixed up here," Castro said."

Cuba 'plane bomber' was CIA agent  5/11/2005 BBC: "The documents, released by George Washington University's National Security Archive, show that Mr Posada, now in his 70s, was on the CIA payroll from the 1960s until mid-1976. One FBI report quoted a confidential source as saying that Mr Posada was one of several people who met at least twice at a hotel in Caracas, allegedly to discuss bombing a Cubana airlines plane."

Cuban leader denounces U.S. hunt for convicted cop killer  5/10/2005 Newsday: "Castro suggested that the action was meant to divert attention from Cuba's demand that U.S. officials arrest Luis Posada Carriles, who is wanted in Venezuela on charges of involvement in blowing up a civilian Cuban jetliner in 1976, killing 73 people."

U.S. promotes double standard in how it deals with 'terrorist' cases  5/9/2005 USA Today: "What bothers me is that while these men, whose suspected crimes fit the State Department's definition of terrorism, haven't set off Justice Department alarm bells, Shakur is being treated like a disciple of Osama bin Laden. If she killed Foerster (her attorney argues the evidence suggests otherwise), Shakur should be returned to New Jersey to spend her life in prison. By not proclaiming that it will arrest Posada on sight and deport him, the Bush administration caters to those in the Cuban exile community who view him as a freedom fighter — and undermines its leadership of the fight against terrorism."

From Assata to Emmett, Timing of Old Cases’ New Emphasis Questioned  5/4/2005 Black America Web: "But Rev. Jesse Jackson and other civil rights activists question the timing and the motives of the Bush administration's efforts, maintaining that when it comes to the nation's priorities. there are more pressing issues to be considered. “It is interesting how they are exhuming these old cases,” Jackson told BlackAmericaWeb.com Wednesday afternoon. “While they are planning to exhume Emmett Till's body to find the killers 50 years later, they are refusing to deal with current issues -- like a five-year-old being handcuffed in St. Petersburg or a man shot four times by the police in Chicago.”"

$1,000,000 bounty for Assata Shakur  5/4/2005 SF Bay View: “I’m going to jump on it,” said professional bounty hunter Louis Faccone, who attended the press conference Monday announcing the reward. “My guys can get (into Cuba) in the middle of the night by boat from the Florida Keys.”

Selling out Assata by Mumia Abu-Jamal  5/4/2005 SF Bay View: scroll down for this article originally published 9/98.

Commentary: NJ Troopers Have Selective Amnesia About How They Victimized People Like Assata Shakur  5/3/2005 Black America Web: "I’m dubious because, as much as people like Fuentes are calling for justice for Foerster, some of their own are still doing the same injustices to black people as they did in Shakur’s day. In 1998, troopers on that same New Jersey turnpike upon which Shakur was stopped shot and wounded three unarmed black and Latino men whom they suspected were carrying drugs. They weren’t. The next year, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office issued a report that found that racial profiling by the troopers was rampant. And as recent as 2003, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that internal affairs officers for the New Jersey State Police looking into racial and sexual harassment allegations found a T-shirt with the letters LOD. The initials, which stand for “Lords of Discipline,” represent a secret society that many black and women officers say is sexist and white supremacist."

Feds offer $1 million reward for fugitive Chesimard  5/2/2005 AP