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Hands Off Assata, Hand Over Posada!<br><br>
Demo and Press Conference <br>
Friday, June 3rd <br>
12 Noon<br>
Oakland Federal Building<br>
1301 Clay Street <br>
Downtown Oakland<br><br>
Educational Program<br>
With Clips from “Eyes of the Rainbow” and “Posada’s<br>
Victims Families Demand Justice”<br>
6 PM<br>
Saturday, June 4th <br>
Oaklandish <br>
411 2nd St. (Near Jack London Square) <br>
Oakland<br><br>
Program Speaker: Walter Turner <br>
Hands Off Assata Campaign and KPFA’s “Africa Today” <br><br>
On May 2nd the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)<br>
put a $1 million bounty on the head of Assata Shakur<br>
and placed her on the domestic terrorist list under<br>
the Patriot Act. Assata is a former member of the<br>
Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army<br>
falsely accused of murdering a New Jersey State<br>
Trooper on May 2nd, 1973. In 1979 Assata escaped<br>
prison and was given political sanctuary in Cuba. The<br>
aim of the FBI’s attack on Assata is to eliminate the<br>
domestic resistance of the Black Liberation movement,<br>
undermine the sovereignty of Cuba and Venezuela and<br>
set the stage for the possible invasion of these two<br>
nations. The FBI escalation at this time is also meant<br>
to divert attention from Luis Posada Carriles, an<br>
anti-Cuban terrorist wanted by Venezuela on charges of<br>
blowing up a Cuban airliner, who recently came to the<br>
United States seeking political asylum. We must defend<br>
Assata, our right to resist, and the sovereign rights<br>
of Cuba and Venezuela!<br><br>
Organized by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, the<br>
Jericho Amnesty Movement, Hands Off Assata Campaign,<br>
the Prisoners of Consciousness Committee, the Black<br>
Radical Congress, the ANSWER-SF Coalition, and the<br>
National Committee to Free the Cuban 5 . For more<br>
information contact MXGM at (510) 220-1100 or<br>
MXGMOakland@hotmail.com. Also visit<br>
<a href="http://www.handsoffassata.org/" eudora="autourl">
www.handsoffassata.org</a>. <br><br>
<br><br>
Standing with Assata<br><br>
On May 2, 2005, the United States Justice Department<br>
announced it was raising its bounty of $100,000 for<br>
the capture of Sister Assata Shakur to $1,000,000. For<br>
over two decades, Sister Assata has been living as a<br>
political exile in the Republic of Cuba. This is part<br>
of a long campaign to capture or kill Sister Assata<br>
since her escape in 1979, and part of the historical<br>
assault against the Black Liberation Movement. <br><br>
Who is Assata Shakur?<br>
Assata Shakur, born Joanne Deborah Byron in July 16,<br>
1947, in Wilmington, North Carolina, grew up in the<br>
segregated South. When she was a college student in<br>
New York she decided to participate in the freedom<br>
movement of people of African descent against racism<br>
and white supremacy. Her thirst to do something for<br>
her people led her to the Black Panther Party (BPP) in<br>
New York City. She participated in a program teaching<br>
Black youth their culture and history and other<br>
service programs of the BPP. In 1969, Federal Bureau<br>
of Investigation (FBI) Director J. Edgar Hoover<br>
labeled the BPP “the greatest threat to the internal<br>
security of the country.” Through its<br>
counter-intelligence program, COINTELPRO, the FBI and<br>
other police agencies waged a low-intensity war on the<br>
BPP and other Black freedom organizations. Activists<br>
were assassinated, incarcerated and forced into exile.<br>
When New York Panthers came under attack Assata went<br>
into hiding and joined the underground movement called<br>
the Black Liberation Army (BLA). She became one of the<br>
major targets of the United States government. On May<br>
2, 1973, Assata and two other Panthers forced<br>
underground, Zayd Shakur and Sundiata Acoli were<br>
stopped by New Jersey Highway patrolmen on the New<br>
Jersey Turnpike. At the stop a shoot out ensued and<br>
Zayd Shakur and one of the highway patrolmen, Werner<br>
Foerster, were killed. In spite of that fact she had<br>
not fired a weapon and was paralyzed through the<br>
entire gun battle, she was convicted by an all-white<br>
jury in Middlesex County, New Jersey and sentenced to<br>
life plus sixty-five years for the death of Zayd<br>
Shakur and the highway patrolman. Sundiata was also<br>
convicted and given a sentence of life plus sixty-five<br>
years. After years of being incarcerated in male<br>
facilities or prison units on November 2, 1979,<br>
Assata, with the aid of the BLA and white friends of<br>
the Black Liberation Movement, was liberated from<br>
prison. In 1984, she was given political asylum in<br>
Cuba. The recent bounty placed on her head is only a<br>
continuation of a pursuit to re-capture her for over<br>
two decades. Since her escape twenty-six years ago,<br>
the FBI has committed an agent to her re-capture. The<br>
placing of Assata on the domestic terrorist list only<br>
confirms the fears of the Black liberation movement<br>
and human rights activists concerning George Bush’s<br>
“war on terrorism.” “The war on terrorism” is a means<br>
for the right-wing in the United States to eliminate<br>
its political enemies. Through vehicles like the<br>
Patriot Act, the “war on terrorism” gives<br>
justification for abuses of a modern day COINTELPRO. <br><br>
COINTELPRO and the War on the Black Freedom movement<br>
In the 1950s, during the Cold war, the FBI started<br>
COINTELPRO. As the Civil Rights Movement gained<br>
momentum Black Activists, like Martin Luther King,<br>
Jr., Robert F. Williams, Ella Baker, and Bayard Rustin<br>
became the primary targets of COINTELPRO. When the<br>
federal government did not respond to the demands of<br>
the nonviolent movement and also did not protect<br>
activists and Black communities from the violence of<br>
segregationist many activists moved toward Black Power<br>
and armed resistance to get human rights and freedom.<br>
Fearful of the assertive Black Power movement, the<br>
United States government used programs like COINTELPRO<br>
to destroy the Black movement. <br><br>
Instead of seeking reconciliation of political<br>
conflict, the attempt to re-capture Assata only<br>
exacerbates political and racial conflict in the<br>
United States and internationally. In other countries<br>
around the world, including South Africa, Turkey,<br>
Morocco, Ukraine, Peru, Sierra Leone, East Timor,<br>
Ghana, Belgium, governments have established a review<br>
of the abuses of their police agencies on opposition<br>
movements in their countries as a gesture towards<br>
reconciliation. The United States has never sought<br>
reconciliation with the targets of COINTELPRO. The<br>
pursuit of Assata promotes more conflict in that<br>
rather than choosing an alternative dispute mechanism<br>
it chooses to continue the criminalization of the<br>
Black Liberation movement. Moreover, it encourages the<br>
mercenary invasion of a sovereign nation, the Republic<br>
of Cuba, and encourages global conflict. We oppose the<br>
sending of mercenaries and bounty hunters to apprehend<br>
Sister Assata Shakur. The United States government<br>
must acknowledge its abuses and grant amnesty to<br>
political prisoners and exiles.<br><br>
As supporters of Human rights, we call for:<br><br>
1)<x-tab> </x-tab>The end of the
pursuit of Assata Shakur by<br>
immediately removing her name from the domestic<br>
terrorist list and repealing the bounty placed on her<br>
head.<br>
2)<x-tab> </x-tab>The rejection of
mercenary attacks on the sovereign<br>
nation of Cuba<br>
3)<x-tab> </x-tab>The
de-criminalization of the Black Liberation<br>
movement, particularly given the political nature of<br>
the conflict of the 1960s and 70s, and the abuses of<br>
COINTELPRO.<br>
4)<x-tab> </x-tab>Congress to impanel
an independent Truth Commission<br>
as an alternative dispute mechanism, to finish the<br>
mission of the Church Committee and of the cases of<br>
political prisoners and exiles, including Assata<br>
Shakur, Sundiata Acoli, Mutulu Shakur, Sekou Odinga,<br>
Kamau Sadiki and Marilyn Buck.<br>
5)<x-tab> </x-tab>That the United
States Congress implement remedies<br>
and restitution for the communities, organizations and<br>
individuals who were targeted and whose human rights<br>
were violated due to COINTELPRO.<br>
6)<x-tab> </x-tab>The repeal of the
Patriot Act. <br>
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<font size=3 color="#FF0000">The Freedom Archives<br>
522 Valencia Street<br>
San Francisco, CA 94110<br>
(415) 863-9977<br>
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<a href="http://www.freedomarchives.org/" eudora="autourl">
www.freedomarchives.org</a></font></body>
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