N.J. Authorities Hope That In Cuba Relations Will Aid In The Capture Of Assata Shakur
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President Barack Obama’s announcement Wednesday of a prisoner exchange with Cuba — and significant efforts to normalize relations with its six-decade communist foe — has not gone down well in some circles, particularly in New Jersey.
Following the historic deal, Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-Morris, led a cry for justice, responding with the demand that White House officials secure the return of fugitive JoAnne Chesimard — convicted of first-degree murder following a 1973 New Jersey Turnpike shootout in East Brunswick that left one New Jersey State Trooper dead and another critically wounded.
“To me, the New Jersey law enforcement community and many other Americans, one of the biggest impediments to improved relations between the United States and Cuba is the continued safe haven provided to the fugitive, JoAnne Chesimard,” Frelinghuysen stated. “I would demand that the White House and the State Department work much harder to bring this murderer ‘home’ to New Jersey where she can face justice and serve out her sentence.”
Chesimard, a known member of the revolutionary Black Liberation Army who had been implicated in bank robberies and other violent crimes, was tried and convicted of murder in 1977 in New Brunswick, by a jury selected from Morris County after Chesimard asked for a change of venue for her trial.
Chesimard and fellow defendant Clark Squire also spent two nights lodged in the Morris County Jail in late 1973 during jury selection in Morristown. Chesimard’s case was declared a mistrial at the time due to her pregnancy, but she was convicted in a 1977 retrial. Her defense team included the late William Kunstler, a civil-rights activist and attorney famous for defending unpopular defendants.
Following her conviction on two murder and six assault counts, she was eventually incarcerated at the Clinton Correctional Facility for Women in Hunterdon County. She escaped custody on Nov. 2, 1979 in a brazen prison breakout by three armed BLA members. She eventually surfaced in Cuba, where she was granted political asylum by Fidel Castro.
She reportedly has lived there ever since, publishing an autobiography in 1987 while New Jersey and federal officials argued unsuccessfully for her extradition.
Frelinghuysen applauded the release of American Alan Gross, imprisoned in Cuba for the past five years, “However, we cannot forget that New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster will never return to his family and Cuba is harboring his killer,” he stated.
New Jersey State Police Superintendent Col. Rick Fuentes also issued a statement, saying “Joanne Deborah Chesimard, AKA Assata Shakur, is on New Jersey’s Most Wanted List and the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorist List. We view any changes in relations with Cuba as an opportunity to bring her back to the United States to finish her sentence for the murder of New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster in 1973.”
Fuentes added the State Police are still working closely with the FBI to secure her return to justice in New Jersey, and that a $2 million reward is still on the table for information leading to her apprehension.
Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez, son of Cuban immigrants and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also denounced the deal with Cuba.
“Let’s be clear, this was not a ‘humanitarian’ act by the Castro regime,” he said of the prisoner exchange that freed Gross. “It was a swap of convicted spies for an innocent American. President Obama’s actions have vindicated the brutal behavior of the Cuban government.”
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I was just talking on FB about this. As savvy and forward-thinking as Assata Shakur is, you really think she isn't keeping her eye on the situation and can already see the potential writing on the wall? I'd be very surprised if she didn't have a bag packed and some sort of plan to get to another non-extradition country already in place.
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Feelingssssss
She got away brehs let it be. -
mryounggun wrote: »I was just talking on FB about this. As savvy and forward-thinking as Assata Shakur is, you really think she isn't keeping her eye on the situation and can already see the potential writing on the wall. I'd be very surprised if she didn't have a bag packed and some sort of plan to get to another non-extradition country already in place.
They were in talks for 18 months. Cuba is an island,word gets around fast
She probably in the moutains of Jamaica with the rastas, or in the moutains of Haiti with the voodo priests, chilling. -
? what they talking about.
I pray that they never catch her.
This ? ain't about justice and never was this is about some white people feeling like a black person "won" and they can't let that happen. -
They need to gone and take that L after 40 years. But y'all know white people hate it when a ? stunts on them, so they'll never stop trying to get her.
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HOPEFULLY SHE IS ALREADY OUTTA CUBA
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I pray she is never caught and she stays hidden away so they will always catch feelings for attacking our people she is a hero and they are the villians in this story.
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let that ? go and go put some of these trigger happy ass cops in jail
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Smh. Won't happen.
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Assata Shakur is the only human being that I know of that has not been caught by the feds when the feds were actively pursuing them.
I think she should be left alone; I don't fully know the story on her extensively like some do but from the sounds of it she killed a bigot cop and wounded another which isn't any worst than what current day law enforcement does.
It's appalling that she's been labeled as a domestic terrorist this woman whose got to be like in her late 60s by now doesn't pose any threat to society.
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Move to Paraguay. I think thats another country you cant be extradited from. Could be wrong though.
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She's probably already half way to Venezuela.
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the new agreement doesn't necessarily mean that she will be extraditied
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No surprise that she is still wanted, she probably would have to move inland to South America.
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? knew it. BARACK should pardon her.
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? knew it. BARACK should pardon her.
That's exactly what he should do going out of office. Give them the middle finger on the way out the door. Do you know how much of a firestorm that would cause?! They've called him everything except the POTUS and a child of ? . Give them a reason to hate you.
And when they get overly upset, tell them to look at the pardons for John McCain and others to keep their ? secrets secret, but still end up getting out. -
She eventually surfaced in Cuba, where she was granted political asylum by Fidel Castro.
She reportedly has lived there ever since, publishing an autobiography in 1987 while New Jersey and federal officials argued unsuccessfully for her extradition.
should've just layed low white people don't like they losses bein aired out
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I hope they never get her.They ant justice for a officer's life,but blacks can't get justice one a cop murders them.FOH.
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HarlemThumzUp wrote: »She eventually surfaced in Cuba, where she was granted political asylum by Fidel Castro.
She reportedly has lived there ever since, publishing an autobiography in 1987 while New Jersey and federal officials argued unsuccessfully for her extradition.
should've just layed low white people don't like they losses bein aired out
? ThAT fuckacracka n their mayonaise smelling feelings -
I read her autobiography. I don't even believe she's guilty but even if she did ? that cop, considering all the hell that Blacks have gone through over the years, she deserves to be free.
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If the president was real he would pardon her when he's a lame duck, it would make me feel like he actually did something during his term. I'm sure it won't happen though
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they failed at having castro killed
they will fail again at finding her
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the folks at my barbershop was talking about this yesterday. the possibility hadn't even crossed my mind beforehand. I can't remember too much about what went down back then, but I hope that she's safe.
