A Maine Democratic lawmaker made a Facebook post for Black History Month celebrating Assata Shakur, an FBI’s most wanted terrorist who was part of the revolutionary extremist organization the Black Liberation Army (BLA) and Black Panther Party (BPP) and who escaped from prison in 1979 while serving a life sentence for the brutal murder of a police officer.
Shakur — who was named JoAnne Deborah Byron at birth — has become something of a folk hero for far left anti-cop activists despite, or perhaps because of, her conviction for first-degree murder in the execution-style killing of New Jersey state trooper Werner Foerster.
The now-deleted post was made by State Rep. Nina Azella Milliken, a Democrat currently serving her second term representing House District 16, which covers the towns of Blue Hill, Brooksville, Castine, Sedgwick, Surry and Trenton.
In her post, Rep. Milliken told the story of how Assata Shakur, also known as Joanne Chesimard, and two accomplices were involved in a shootout with New Jersey State troopers during a traffic stop on the New Jersey Turnpike in May 1973.
According to the FBI, Shakur and her accomplices opened fire on two state troopers, wounding one and killing Foerster “execution-style at point-blank range.”
During the shootout, one passenger in the vehicle, Zayd Shakur, was shot and killed. The driver, Sundiata Acoli, was sentenced to life in prison in 1974 for first-degree murder. He was granted parole in 2022 at the age of 85.
Shakur, who at the time of the traffic stop was wanted for her involvement in several felonies, including bank robbery, fled the scene but was later apprehended.
In 1977, Shakur was found guilty of first-degree murder, assault and battery of a police officer, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with intent to kill, illegal possession of a weapon, and armed robbery.
She was sentenced to life in prison. But she escaped from prison in November 1979 and is believed to be living in Cuba.
“[Shakur] had been indicted 10 times over the preceding 4 years for crimes ranging from bank robberies to kidnappings,” Milliken wrote in her post. “She had gone to trial 7 times. She was only convicted of one crime…of killing the trooper in the shootout in New Jersey.”
“Asked about her trial, Shakur said ‘they convicted a woman with her hands up,’” Milliken continued. “She received a life sentence in 1977. But in 1979, with the assistance of the BLA, she escaped from prison and took refuge in Cuba where she still resides.”
The Maine Democrat said there is “lot’s to unpack with this situation” — referring to Shakur’s murder of a New Jersey state trooper.
“If you present a challenge to systems of oppression (like BLA or the BPP did), the state has enormous resources to come after you,” Milliken wrote. “The fact that Shakur beat 9/10 indictments feels pretty damning.”
The BLA was a Marxist-Leninist, black-nationalist terrorist organization that carried out bombings and was responsible for murdering over a dozen police officers.
Milliken then added a “fun fact” about the convicted murderer and terrorist: that she is the godmother of the late rapper Tupac Shakur.
Attached to her post were the hashtags, “#BlackHistoryMonth,” “#AssataShakur,” and “WeHaveNothingtoLostButOurChains.”
Milliken also shared a photo and quote of the convicted murderer, that reads, “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and protect one another. We have nothing to lose but our chains.”
Milliken sits on the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety and Elections Committees. She was reelected in November 2024 unopposed.
Screenshots of the now-deleted post from State Rep. Nina Milliken can be seen below:
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