FBI’s Kash Patel Slammed Assata Shakur Tributes As Disrespectful To Police
Kash Patel Slammed Assata Shakur Tributes as Disrespectful to Fallen Police
Patel Condemns Public Reward for Shakur After Her Dying in Cuba
Kash Patel criticized on-line tributes to Assata Shakur following her loss of life in Havana final week, calling the reward an insult to legislation enforcement and the reminiscence of slain New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster.
“Joanne Chesimard didn’t ‘combat for justice.’ She murdered New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster in chilly blood then fled to Cuba to flee accountability. The FBI by no means stopped calling her what she was: a terrorist,” Patel wrote on X. “Mourning her is spitting on the badge and the blood of each cop who gave their life in service.”
Patel, 45, a former federal prosecutor and Trump administration official, at the moment serves as FBI Director beneath former President Donald Trump.
Joanne Chesimard didn’t “combat for justice.” She murdered New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster in chilly blood, then fled to Cuba to flee accountability. The FBI by no means stopped calling her what she was: a terrorist.
Mourning her is spitting on the badge and the blood of each… pic.twitter.com/letscTdaBG
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) September 28, 2025
Shakur’s Historical past and Legal Conviction
Shakur, born Joanne Chesimard, was a member of the Black Liberation Military and the godmother of Tupac Shakur. She was convicted in 1973 of killing Foerster throughout a visitors cease on the New Jersey Turnpike. After escaping jail in 1979, she fled to Cuba, the place Fidel Castro granted her asylum in 1984.
The FBI later positioned Shakur on its “Most Wished Terrorists” record, providing a $1 million reward for info resulting in her seize. She remained in Cuba till her loss of life in April 2024 at an undisclosed age.
Tributes From Political and Academic Teams
Regardless of her felony document, a number of progressive organizations honored Shakur’s legacy after her passing. The Democratic Socialists of America posted, “Relaxation in Energy, Assata Shakur. The American state brutally oppressed Assata and her Black Panther Occasion Comrades. The Cubans welcomed her and different Black Revolutionaries with asylum, and their solidarity and loyalty allowed Assata to reside out her days in Havana.”
The Chicago Lecturers Union additionally shared a tribute, writing, “At this time we honor the life and legacy of a revolutionary fighter, a fierce author, a revered elder of Black liberation, and a pacesetter of freedom whose spirit continues to reside in our wrestle.”
Political Leaders Push Again
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, joined Patel in condemning the tributes. “She was convicted of the homicide of New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster, who was executed in chilly blood,” Murphy posted on X. “There are such a lot of worthy heroes to rejoice. She shouldn’t be one in every of them.”
Shakur’s affiliation with the Black Liberation Military—a militant offshoot of the Black Panther Occasion—related her to a gaggle concerned in armed robberies, police shootings and bombings within the Nineteen Seventies.
Shakur’s Protection of Her Actions
In her 1987 autobiography, Shakur claimed she was wrongfully focused and mentioned she was punished for political views and actions she considered as justified.
Shakur died in Havana in late April 2024, closing a decades-long chapter of one of the vital polarizing figures in American political and felony historical past.
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