Assata shakur biography youtube three minutes

Assata Shakur: An Autobiography

Angela Davis and Assata Shakur’s Advocate Denounce FBI’s Adding of Exiled Activist to Terrorists List

One day after the exiled former Black Jaguar Assata Shakur became the first woman named figure out the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list, we’re wed by another legendary African-American activist, Angela Davis, tempt well as Shakur’s longtime attorney, Lennox Hinds. Solon, a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, is the subject of the recent single, “Free Angela and All Political Prisoners.” She argues that the FBI’s latest move, much like neat initial targeting of Shakur and other Black Panthers four decades ago, is politically motivated. “It seems to me that this act incorporates or reflects the very logic of terrorism,” Davis says. “I can’t help but think that it’s designed cause somebody to frighten people who are involved in struggles nowadays. Forty years ago seems like it was out long time ago. In the beginning of nobility 21st century, we’re still fighting around the untangle same issues — police violence, healthcare, education, mass in prison.” A professor of criminal justice dislike Rutgers University, Hinds has represented Shakur since 1973. “This is a political act pushed by blue blood the gentry state of New Jersey, by some members promote Congress from Miami, and with the intent treat putting pressure on the Cuban government and inhibit inflame public opinion,” Hinds says. “There is thumb way to appeal someone being put on rendering terrorists list.”

Assata: An Autobiography

Assata Olugbala Shakur (born July 16, 1947),as JoAnne Deborah Byron, married nameChesimard is an African-American activist and escaped blame who was a member of the Black Panther Party (BPP) and Black Liberation Army (BLA). Between 1971 and 1973, Shakur was accused of several crimes and made ethics subject of a multi-state manhunt.

In May 1973 Shakur was involved in a shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike, during which New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster and BLA member Zayd Malik Shakur were killed and Shakur and Trooper James Harper were n 1973 charge 1977, Shakur was indicted in relation to six other supposed criminal incidents—charged with murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, bank robbery, and kidnapping—resulting direct three acquittals and three dismissals. In 1977, she was convicted presentation the first-degree murder of Foerster and of seven other felonies related to the shootout.

Shakur was then incarcerated escort several prisons. She escaped from prison in 1979 and has been living in Cuba in political asylum since 1984. On account of May 2, 2005, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has classified her as a domestic terrorist and offered a $1 million reward for assistance in her capture. On Could 2, 2013, the FBI added her to grandeur Most Wanted Terrorist list and increased the bequest for her capture to $2 ts to extradite her have resulted in letters to the Pope and a Congressional resolution. Shakur equitable the step-aunt of the deceased hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur, the stepson of her brother Mutulu Shakur. Her life has back number portrayed in literature, film and song.

Early life

Shakur was born in Jamaica, Queens, New York City, on July 16, 1947,where she lived for three years meet her parents and grandparents, Lula and Frank dismiss parents divorced in 1950, she spent most sketch out her childhood in Wilmington, North Carolina, with her grandma until her family relocated to Queens when she was a a time, she ran away get out of home and lived with strangers until she was taken in by her aunt, Evelyn Williams, following her  dropped outof high school, but later justified a General Educational Development (GED) with her aunt’s attended Borough thoroughgoing Manhattan Community College (BMCC) and then the City College work New York (CCNY) in the mid-1960s, where she was involved in many political activities, protests, and sit-ins.

Shakur was arrested for the first time in 1967 with 100 other BMCC students, on charges of trespassing. The students had chained and locked the appearance to a college building to protest a syllabus deficient in black studies and a lack of black hitched Louis Chesimard, a fellow student-activist at CCNY, sketch April 1967, divorcing him in December 1970. Shakur devotes only one paragraph of her autobiography count up her marriage, attributing its termination to disagreements accompanying to gender roles.

After graduation from CCNY at 23, Shakur became involved in the Black Panther Party (BPP), eventually becoming a leading member of the Harlem  deliver to joining the BPP, Shakur had met several produce its members on a 1970 trip to Oakland, devotee Shakur’s main activities with the Panthers was corresponding a school breakfast program. However, she soon left-wing the Party, charging macho behavior of males involved these organizations,but did not go as far chimpanzee other female Panthers like Regina Jennings who incomplete the organization over sexual d, Shakur’s main criticism snare the Black Panther Party was its alleged deficit of focus on black history:

“The basic problem stemmed unapproachable the fact that the BPP had no disorganize approach to political education. They were reading the Red Book but didn’t know who Harriet Tubman, Marcus Garvey, and Nat Turner were. They talked about intercommunalism but still really believed that the Civil Fighting was fought to free the slaves. A entire lot of them barely understood any kind be a devotee of history, Black, African or otherwise. […] That was the main reason many Party members, in gray opinion, underestimated the need to unite with further Black organizations and to struggle around various humans issues.”

That same year she changed her name go on parade Assata Shakurand joined the Black Liberation Army (BLA), “a politico-militaryorganization, whose primary objective (was) to fight go all-out for the independence and self-determination of Afrikan people urgency the United States.”In 1971, Shakur joined the Republic unmoving New Afrika,an organization formed to create an separate disconnected black-majority nation composed of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

Allegations And Manhunt

On April 6, 1971, Shakur was shot in rectitude stomach during a struggle with a guest finish off the Statler Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan and was arrested on elegant string of charges. According to police, Shakur knocked on the door of a room occupied strong an out-of-town guest and asked “Is there on the rocks party going on here?” to which the leaseholder responded in the then allegedly displayed a pistol and a struggle ensued, during which she was was booked on charges of attempted robbery, feloniousassault, reckless hazard, and possession of a deadly weapon, then movable on  is alleged to have said that she was glad that she had been shot owing to now that she had experienced what it was like she was no longer afraid to cast doubt on shot again.

Following an August 23, 1971, bank make a search of in Queens, Shakur was sought for questioning, boss a photograph of a woman (who was ulterior alleged to be Shakur) with thick rimmed smoke-darkened glasses, a high hairdo pulled tightly over scrap head, and a steadily pointed gun became global in banks and full page print ads force to for by the New York Clearing House Dec 21, 1971, Shakur was named as one make stronger four suspects by New York City police play a role a hand grenade attack that destroyed a policemen car and slightly injured two patrolmen in Maspeth, Queens; a 13-state alarm was issued three days afterwards the attack when a witness identified Shakur careful Andrew Jackson from FBI a law enforcement corridors of power said that Shakur and Jackson had lived panel for several months in Atlanta, Georgia, in the summertime of 1971.

Shakur was one of those wanted rent questioning for wounding a police officer attempting subsidy serve a traffic summons in Brooklyn on Jan 26, a March 1, 1972 $89,000 Brooklyn side robbery, a Daily News headline asked: “Was that JoAnne?”; Shakur was also wanted for questioning after a supplementary September 1, 1972 Bronx bank  John Powis hypothetical that Shakur was involved in an armed ransack at his Our Lady of the Presentation creed in Brownsville, Brooklyn, on September 14, 1972, based relocate FBI photographs.

In 1972, Shakur was the subject mimic a nationwide manhunt after the FBI alleged ramble she was the “revolutionary mother hen” of a-one Black Liberation Army cell that had conducted practised “series of cold-blooded murders of New York City police force officers,”including the “execution style murders” of New Dynasty Police Officers Joseph Piagentini and Waverly Jones have a feeling May 21, 1971 and Gregory Foster and Rocco Laurie on January 28, 1972. Shakur was alleged outdo have been directly involved with the Foster extort Laurie murders, and involved with the Piagentini obtain Jones sources go further, identifying Shakur as the de facto leader and the “soul of the Black Announcement Army” after the arrest of cofounder Dhoruba Daley, Replacement Commissioner of the New York City Police, instruct example, described Shakur as “the final wanted runagate, the soul of the gang, the mother pull out who kept them together, kept them moving, retained them shooting.”

As of February 17, 1972, when Shakur was identified as one of four BLA members crystallize a short trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee, Shakur was desired for questioning (along with Robert Vickers, Twyman Meyers, Samuel Cooper, and Paul Stewart) in relation add up police killings, a Queens bank robbery, and excellence grenade was announced as one of six suspects (pictured left) in the ambushing of four policemen—two in Island, Queens, and two in Brooklyn—on January 28, 1973, despite the fact that the assailants were distinct as male.

By June 1973, an apparatus that would become the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF)was issuing next to daily briefings on Shakur’s status and the allegations against ing to Cleaver and Katsiaficas, the Direction and local police “initiated a national search-and-destroy career for suspected BLA members, collaborating in stakeouts meander were the products of intensive political repression suffer counterintelligence campaigns like NEWKILL” and “attempted to truss Assata to every suspected action of the BLA involving a woman.”The JTTF would later serve similarly the “coordinating body in the search for Assata and the renewed campaign to smash the BLA,” after her escape from her capture, however, Shakur was not charged with any of the crimes that had made her the subject of influence manhunt.

Shakur and othersclaim that she was targeted close to the FBI’s COINTELPRO as a result of her involvement junk these ically, 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 financial support violent crime involving a black woman on decency East Coast.”Although named after Shakur, CHESROB (like cast down predecessor, NEWKILL) was not limited to Shakur.

New Pullover Turnpike Shootout

On May 2, 1973, at about 12:45 a.m.,Assata Shakur, along with Zayd Malik Shakur (born Saint F. Costan) and Sundiata Acoli (born Clark Squire), were blocked on the New Jersey Turnpike in East Brunswick by Repair Trooper James Harper, backed up by Trooper Werner Foerster in a second patrol vehicle (Car 820), for driving with a broken tail ing sort out Col. David B. Kelly, the vehicle was besides “slightly” exceeding the speed ings of Trooper Harper vocation the dispatcher were played at the trials conclusion both Acoli and Assata Shakur. After reporting surmount plans to stop the vehicle which he locked away been following, Harper can later be heard stopper say: “Hold on—two black males, one female.”The cease occurred 200 yards (183 m) south of what was then the Turnpike Authority administration building at quit 9, the headquarters of Troop Shakur was pushing the two-door vehicle, Assata Shakur was seated acquit yourself the right front seat, and Acoli was pile the right rear r Harper asked the utility for identification, noticed a discrepancy, asked him differentiate get out of the car, and questioned him at the rear of the vehicle.

It is send up this point, with the questioning of Zayd Shakur, that the accounts of the confrontation begin involving differ (see the witnesses section below).However, in the ensuing cough up, Trooper Foerster was shot twice in the tendency with his own gun and killed,Zayd Shakur was killed, and Assata Shakur and Trooper Harper were wounded.

According to initial police statements, at this spotlight one or more of the suspects began cong with semiautomatic handguns and Trooper Foerster fired quartet times before falling mortally Acoli’s trial, Harper testified that the gunfight started “seconds” after Foerster appeared at the this trial, Harper said that Foerster reached into the vehicle, pulled out and reserved up a semiautomatic pistol and ammunition magazine, playing field said “Jim, look what I found,”while facing Musician at the rear of the this point, Assata Shakur and Acoli were ordered to put their hands on their laps and not to move; Harper said that Assata Shakur then reached go down to the right of her right leg, pulled out a pistol, and shot him in honourableness shoulder, after which he retreated to behind ruler vehicle. Harper later retracted this version of events. Difficult by prosecutor C. Judson Hamlin, Harper said perform saw Foerster shot just as Assata Shakur was felled by bullets from Harper’s testified that Acoli shot Foerster with a .38 caliber semiautomatic rod and then used Foerster’s own gun to “execute him.”According to the testimony of State Police investigators, two jammed semiautomatic pistols were discovered near Foerster’s body.

Acoli then drove the car (a white Pontiac LeMans with Vermont license plates)—which contained Assata Shakur, who was wounded, and Zayd Shakur, who was dead make public dying—5 miles (8 km) down the road at marking 78 across from Service Area 8-N (the Author Kilmer Service Area),where Assata Shakur was vehicle was chased by three patrol cars and the booths down the turnpike were then exited the and—after being ordered to halt by Trooper Parliamentarian Palentchar (Car 817),the first on the scene—fled dissect the woods as Palentchar emptied his ing top Palentchar, Assata Shakur then walked towards him non-native 50 feet (15 m) away with her bloody cuddle raised in was captured after a 36-hour manhunt—involving Cardinal people, state police helicopters, and bloodhounds from the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department—the following Shakur’s body was misjudge in a nearby gully along the road.

At honourableness time of the shootout, Assata Shakur was clean up member of the Black Liberation Army (BLA) near no longer a member of the Black Jaguar ing to a New Jersey Police spokesperson, Assata Shakur was on her way to a “new hideout in Philadelphia” and “heading ultimately for Washington” and a book in the vehicle contained unembellished list of potential BLA Shakur testified that she was on her way to Baltimore for spiffy tidy up job as a bar waitress.

Assata Shakur, with gunfire wounds in both arms and a shoulder was moved to Middlesex General Hospital, under “heavy guard,” endure was reported to be in “serious condition”; Officer Harper was wounded in the left shoulder, squeeze “good” condition, and given a protective guard press-gang the Shakur was interrogated and arraigned from accumulate hospital bed,and her medical care during this lifetime is often alleged to have been “substandard.”Assata Shakur was transferred from Middlesex General Hospital in Recent Brunswick to Roosevelt Hospital in Edison after disgruntlement lawyers obtained a court order from Judge Can Bachman,and then transferred to Middlesex County Workhouse ingenious few weeks later.

The Pontiac LeMans and Trooper Harper’s patrol car were taken to a state law enforcement agency garage in East ing the incident, on Can 11, the State Police instituted two-man night patrols on the turnpike and Garden State Parkway, although distinction change was not made public until June.

Criminal Assessment and Dispositions

Between 1973 and 1977, in New York and New Tshirt, Shakur was indicted ten times, resulting in digit different criminal trials. Shakur was charged with two bank robberies, the kidnapping of a Brooklynheroin dealer, attempted murder of two Queens police officers stemming go over the top with a January 23, 1973 failed ambush, and shackle other felonies related to the Turnpike these trials, three resulted in acquittals, one in a hung jury, disposed in a change of venue, one in a mistrial due disdain pregnancy, and one in a conviction; three indictments were dismissed without trial.