Anti-police protesters marching in New York City to protest the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown recite an inspirational quote—which turns out to be the slogan of Joanne Chesimar, aka Assata Shakur, a convicted cop killer living in Cuba to avoid prison since 1984.
The chant says: “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.”
The chant was delivered while the protesters were waiting for a separate group marching down from the Bronx to meet them in front of the Adam Clayton Powell building on 125th Street. The demonstrators performed the chant again on 145th Street and Amsterdam Ave.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio asked protesters on Monday to temporarily cease their demonstrations in a show of respect to two police officers, Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, who were killed in an execution-style shooting on Saturday. However, organizers defied the request and vowed to shut down Fifth Avenue. Several hundred protesters gathered for several hours and caused local businesses to close their doors early.