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Chicago alders blast CTU for post on activist convicted of killing trooper
Members of the Chicago City Council slammed a social media post by the Chicago Teachers Union praising Assata Shakur, the activist who was convicted of killing a state trooper in New Jersey in the 1970s.
CHICAGO - Members of the Chicago City Council slammed a social media post by the Chicago Teachers Union praising Assata Shakur, the activist who was convicted of killing a state trooper in New Jersey in the 1970s.
What they're saying:
The aldermen said the CTU is glorifying extremist violence.
"The post is not an isolated mistake, but part of a dangerous pattern at CTU," said Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd Ward). "Why does this matter? Because when union leaders elevate someone tied to one of the most violent groups in American history, they are sending our children a dangerous message. That violence and extremism are acceptable paths to change."
Over the weekend, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy called CTU’s post "shameful and depraved," and said the trooper, Werner Foerster, was "executed in cold blood."
The CTU posted the tribute to Shakur on Friday, the day after she died. Shakur escaped from prison in 1979 and had been living in Cuba as a fugitive.
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Chicago alders condemn CTU post honoring Assata Shakur, who was convicted of murder
Chicago aldermen condemned a social media post by the Chicago Teachers Union that praised Assata Shakur, a Black militant activist who was convicted a New Jersey state trooper in the 1970s.
The other side:
The CTU vice president responded to the council members’ statements on Monday, accusing them of focusing too much on the post instead of well-being of their constituents.
"Ald. Reilly and the DOGE caucus of City Council are focusing on a tweet commemorating a history they do not understand, and prefer to ignore or misrepresent, because they are doing the job of the Conservative media ecosystem and Trump administration instead of the job of representing the people of Chicago from tyranny," said CTU Vice President Jackson Potter in a statement.
Potter added, "They ought to be tending to the families in their wards, delivering on the resources they promised Chicago's students, and joining those who are working to protect our city every day. If a tweet is what keeps them up at night while our children are under threat and grandparents selling fruit are kidnapped every day by federal agents, that says everything."
Mayor Brandon Johnson, who worked for the CTU and has been supported by union leadership, was asked about the post at an unrelated news conference on Monday.
"Assata Shakur is an important person in the Black liberation movement who has repeatedly claimed her innocence and that she was tried by an all-white jury at a particular time in which it was nearly impossible for Black people to receive a fair trial," Johnson said. "I don’t, and I can’t speak to anyone’s claim of innocence. I certainly do not condone any acts of violence, but at a time in which it has become even increasingly clear, and we’re dealing with this today, where it is commonplace for Black people to be wrongfully convicted."
He went on to cite discrimination against people of color, specifically in Chicago police cases in which victims were tortured into false confessions and for which the city has paid hundreds of millions of dollars to settle lawsuits.
Johnson added, "So as an important part of Black liberation, as an activist, may she rest in peace."