A Wanted Fugitive
The FBI issued wanted posters throughout New Jersey and New York, while her supporters displayed ‘Assata Shakur is Welcome Here’ signs.
The National Black Human Rights Coalition organized a demonstration with over 5,000 protestors just three days after her escape in support of Shakur. Although her family and friends, including her daughter, were strictly monitored, Shakur was never caught. For nearly five years, her relatives’ movements and phone calls were all recorded. An extreme group of radicals known as the Weathermen may have assisted Shakur as she hid from the police.
Fleeing to Cuba
In 1984, Shakur quietly snuck out of the United States and beyond its jurisdiction of law. She was granted political asylum in Cuba. Her mother and Aunt Evelyn have visited Shakur in Cuba. In 1987, her daughter moved to Cuba to live with her.
The FBI named Shakur the first female domestic terrorist on the 32nd anniversary of the New Jersey Turnpike shootout. A $1 million reward, the largest at the time, was placed on her head. In 2013, the reward doubled as it was the 40th anniversary. She continues to live in Cuba.
