Free Republic

A former Black Panther and Black Liberation Army member, who shot and killed a New Jersey state trooper, has been ordered free by the state’s highest court. Forty-nine years later, a recent decision will now afford him an opportunity to spend the last years of his life with his family. On Tuesday, May 10, the New Jersey Supreme Court overturned a parole board ruling and granted parole to Sundiata Acoli in the shooting death of a trooper, Werner Foerster, on May 2, 1973. The ruling obtained by Atlanta Black Star showed despite the win, it was not a clear decision....

Also convicted was Joanne Chesimard, a member of the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army who later escaped from prison in New Jersey and fled to Cuba. She became the first woman on the FBI's most wanted terrorist list and changed her name to Assata Shakur Published 1 hour ago • Updated 30 mins ago New Jersey's highest court has ordered an octogenarian convicted of murdering a New Jersey state trooper nearly 50 years ago in one of the state’s most infamous crimes released from prison, reversing a parole board's decision earlier this year. In a narrow 3-2 ruling...

who is sundiata acoli?Sundiata Acoli, aka Clark Edward Squire, was born in Texas in 1937. While extremely talented - he began working for NASA as a computer programmer in the 1950s - he threw his life away to join a series of violent extremist groups. On May 2, 1973, police pulled over a car containing Acoli, Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard), and Zayd Malik Shakur, all members of the Black Liberation Army, a Black Panther Party splinter group already responsible for many crimes. As the three were simply being questioned, Acoli and Shakur pulled semi-automatic weapons and began firing at the...