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By: J. Anthony Perez, Esq.
FAQ
Q: Why do you call her Joanne Chesimard instead of Assata Shakur?
A: Joanne Chesimard is her proper legal name. She was born Joanne Deborah Byron and later married Louis Chesimard while a college student. She never changed her name through the court system and didn't start using "Assata Shakur" until after her murder arrest in 1973. It was simply one of her many aliases, and was used to craft her persona as part of her public relations campaign.
Q: Isn't "Assata Shakur" the aunt and godmother of Tupac Shakur?
A: No. This is the most widely spread myth concerning Joanne Chesimard. Mainstream media is just as guilty of promulgating this falsehood as Chesimard's supporters. The book contains a short section which thoroughly dispels this false claim which tends to draw Tupac's fans toward Chesimard.
Q: Didn't the United Nations and Amnesty International side with Chesimard regarding her case and conditions of confinement?
A: No. Another myth. Chesimard's lawyers hired left wing activists and washed-up politicians to write a report critical of the United States. Neither the United Nations nor Amnesty International undertook any such investigation much less made findings favorable to Chesimard. . The book contains a section which traces the origin of the false claim to Chesimard herself.
Q: Wasn't Chesimard "only" convicted of being an accomplice to the murder of Trooper Werner Foerster?
A: No. Neither Chesimard nor Clark Squire (aka, Sundiata Acoli) were officially determined to be the accomplice or executioner. Either way, they are both equally guilty of a cop-killing because they both acted together in accomplishing the death. With that being said, it's believed Chesimard was the actual executioner. In fact, during the course of granting Squire's release on parole in 2022, the New Jersey Supreme Court pointed a finger at Chesimard, strongly implying it was her who killed the trooper execution style. The book contains a short chapter analyzing various factors, and concluding that it was Chesimard who was was very likely the actual executioner of New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster.
Q: Was Chesimard a Muslim?
A: Who knows. She started out as a Christian of some denomination, then became a Catholic. She then decided she hated everything to do with Catholicism and renounced it. We do know that many, if not most, of the more militant Black Panthers turned Black Liberation Army soldiers were heavily inspired by Islam, including the Muslims of Africa. During the turnpike murder trial in 1977, Chesimard claimed to be a devout Muslim. When the judge scheduled court sessions on Friday's, she and her lawyers made a federal case out of it - contending there shouldn't be any court based on religious grounds. She lost the case. Later, while a fugitive in Cuba, she was photographed wearing a gold crucifix - apparently no longer a Muslim.
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