Tipsheet

Why Did NYC's New Mayor Just Embrace A Cop Killer?

In November New York City voters sent a message by electing former NYPD officer Eric Adams as the next mayor. 

Adams' tough on crime stance solidified his victory. He has repeatedly vowed to restore order to the city, which is riddled with violent crime under outgoing Democrat Mayor Bill DeBlasio. 

But during an event Wednesday night, ironically to appoint the new NYPD commissioner, Adams stood in front of a mural glorifying convicted cop killer Assata Shakur. 

Shakur murdered New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster in 1973 and was sentenced to life in prison. She escaped from prison in 1979 and fled to Cuba, where she was granted asylum by communist dictator Fidel Castro. She was on the FBI's Most Wanted list for years. 

In 2014, then Republican Governor Chris Christie requested Shakur be extradited to the United States from Cuba. The Obama administration did not push to accommodate the request. She died in 2019.