A group backed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and her fellow "squad" members is touting "Black August" and calling for support of convicted cop killers.
The Movement for Black Lives, which included liberal activist groups such as Black Lives Matter, reportedly sent a text message to followers that read, according to Fox News:
"Black August is when we commemorate the lives of our fallen freedom fighters and political prisoners, prisoners of war, and exiles. We honor their sacrifice."
The message added a call for signing petitions for clemency for Mutulu Shakur and Sundiata Acoli, according to the report.
Shakur was the mastermind of armed robberies in Connecticut and New York, including the 1981 Brinks robbery that left an armed guard and two police officers dead. Acoli was convicted of a 1973 traffic stop murder of New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster.
The Movement for Black Lives has also called for support for Assata Shakur, also known as JoAnne Chesimard, a woman also involved in Foerster's murder who escaped from prison and was granted asylum in Cuba by Fidel Castro.
Ocasio-Cortez and fellow Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota has each posted support for the Movement for Black Lives on social media, Fox News reported.
Ocasio-Cortez posted her support of the group on Facebook in July 2020, at the height of the protests regarding the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin:
"The fight to #DefundThePolice won't only happen in the streets. It’s also going to take place in city halls. The Working Families Party and the Electoral Justice Project of the Movement for Black Lives are coming together to launch the WFP Justice Fund — a new national PAC to advance the movement to defund the police and invest in Black and brown communities.
"They will back elected leaders and candidates who will work for a new vision of public safety, and who will refuse to take money from police unions."
After her reelection campaign, Tlaib thanked the Movement for Black Lives for its support, tweeting:
"Thank organizers. Celebrate organizers. Breathe. Take action. Thank you, @Mvmnt4BlkLives. I'm committed to fighting alongside you. #TheWorkIsNotDone"
Omar also praised the fundraising efforts amid social injustice protests during her reelection campaign, on the same day AOC had last July:
"From the streets to the halls of power, we must organize and mobilize. Thank you to @WorkingFamilies & @Mvmnt4BlkLives for supporting local candidates who want to reimagine public safety!"
The lawmakers' offices and the Movement for Black Lives did not respond immediately to Fox News' request for comment.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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