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Chicago Teachers Union Faces Backlash for Honoring Convicted Cop-Killer

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[Associated Press, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]
Walt RasingerBy
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The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) is under fire after publicly mourning Assata Shakur, a convicted murderer and fugitive who long appeared on the FBI’s Most Wanted list, sparking fierce debate over the political direction of teachers unions.

On Friday, the CTU posted a tribute on Twitter declaring, “Rest in Power, Rest in Peace, Assata Shakur.” The statement described her as “a revolutionary fighter, a fierce writer, a revered elder of Black liberation, and a leader of freedom whose spirit continues to live in our struggle.” The union also quoted Shakur’s words: “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.”

Shakur, born JoAnne Deborah Byron and later known as Joanne Chesimard, was convicted in 1977 for the murder of New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster during a 1973 shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike, noted Fox News. After escaping prison in 1979, she went underground before fleeing to Cuba in 1984, where she lived until her death, confirmed Friday by Cuban officials. Both the FBI and New Jersey’s attorney general had offered $1 million rewards for her capture. Foerster was survived by his wife and young son.

The CTU’s tribute drew swift condemnation. Education reform advocate Corey DeAngelis blasted the union for honoring someone with Shakur’s record. “It’s almost like the Chicago Teachers Union is trying to alienate reasonable members and win an award for the most unhinged organization on Earth,” DeAngelis told Fox News Digital. “This post should be a wake-up call to Chicago teachers who don’t feel like their values are accurately represented by the union.”

He added: “It’s beyond parody. The Chicago Teachers Union, which is supposed to be responsible for educating kids, is honoring a convicted murderer using its official social media account.” DeAngelis urged disillusioned teachers to reconsider membership, saying “rational educators who just want to do their job” should “stop giving union bosses like Stacy Davis Gates their hard-earned paychecks by opting out.”

The episode fits a pattern. In recent years, the CTU has staked out positions well beyond classroom concerns, opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, denouncing the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops, and even boycotting Target earlier this month over what it called the company’s retreat from “diversity, equity and inclusion.” That action, the union wrote, was “complicit with white supremacy.”

CTU President Stacy Davis Gates has herself stoked controversy. In June, she declared during a City Club of Chicago speech that the union “thinks your children are its children,” remarks that fueled criticism the union prioritizes ideology over education.

Critics argue these moves are part of a broader trend among teachers unions, where political activism takes precedence over teaching and bargaining. Earlier in the year, for example, Gates also explained that her teachers’ union was trying to “create a crisis” in order to get their way.

Fewer than 1 in 3 Chicago public school students can read at their grade level, according to a recent study.

[Read More: Liberal DA Drops Assault Charges After Seeing Victim Was Pro Life]

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