Some Chicago aldermen have called on Mayor Brandon Johnson to denounce social media posts from the Chicago Teachers Union that honored a figure in the Black liberation movement.
Several members of the City Council gathered at City Hall Monday morning to denounce the CTU's posts paying tribute to Assata Shakur, who died last week at the age of 78.
"Ms. Shakur lived as a fugitive in Cuba since escaping prison in 1979," said downtown Alderman Brendan Reilly (42nd Ward), "after being convicted of first-degree murder of a New Jersey state trooper."
But progressive leaders here and elsewhere praised Shakur's writings on social justice and racism ... and her autobiography notes she had her hands up during the shooting that led to her conviction.
And over the weekend, CTU leaders posted tributes describing her as "a revered elder of Black liberation, and a leader of freedom."
Chicago's own Common wrote "A Song For Assata" after meeting her in Cuba.
Downtown Alderman Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward) called on CTU leadership to explain why a woman who was described as a wanted terrorist by the FBI should be worthy of tribute: "I don't get it."
Southwest side Alderwoman Silvana Tabares described the tribute as another example of union leadership's radical ideology.
"They need to be focusing more on the public school teachers that they represent than being divisive and spreading this type of hate," said Tabares (23rd Ward).
CTU released a statement from union Vice President Jackson Potter that said in part:
"Ald. Reilly and the DOGE caucus of City Council are focusing on a tweet commemorating a history they do not understand, and prefer to ignore or misrepresent, because they are doing the job of the Conservative media ecosystem and Trump administration instead of the job of representing the people of Chicago from tyranny ... They ought to be tending to the families in their wards, delivering on the resources they promised Chicago's students, and joining those who are working to protect our city every day. If a tweet is what keeps them up at night while our children are under threat and grandparents selling fruit are kidnapped every day by federal agents, that says everything."