Several Chicago alderpeople on Monday denounced the Chicago Teachers Union for a social media post honoring Black Liberation Army member Assata Shakur.

Shakur died last week at the age of 78. To some, including the CTU, Shakur was a symbol of resistance to racial injustice and government suppression.

The union wrote in a post on X this past Friday:

"Rest in Power, Rest in Peace, Assata Shakur.

"Today we honor the life and legacy of 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. Assata refused to be silenced.

"She taught us that '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.'"

Some Chicago alders took issue with the union's comments given that Shakur was convicted in the murder of a New Jersey state trooper.

Shakur was attached to Black nationalist movements, including the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army, which called for armed resistance against systemic racism and planned assassinations of law enforcement members in multiple U.S. cities, including New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta. In 2013, former FBI assistant director John Miller told CBS News that she was "the soul of the Black Liberation Army" and had been a leader of the group. 

She was charged with multiple crimes in the early 1970s, including a bank robbery. In 1973, she was involved in a shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike. The incident left state trooper Werner Foerster and Black Liberation Army member Zayd Malik Shakur dead. Assata Shakur was wounded in the incident. She was arrested and convicted of murdering Foerster, as well as seven other felony charges related to the shooting. She was sentenced to life in prison. 

In 1979, Shakur escaped the Clinton Correctional Facility for Women in New Jersey. Miller said the escape, which saw two men smuggled into the prison to take guards hostage and break her out, was "incredibly daring." In 1984, she was smuggled to Mexico, Miller said, then transported to Cuba, where she was granted political asylum by the Castro government.

Shakur lived openly in Cuba, publishing an autobiography in 1987. Miller said she taught at Cuban universities. In 2013, she was placed on the FBI's Most Wanted terrorist list, becoming the first woman to be added. The reward for her capture was $2 million, but she was largely shielded from extradition to the U.S., Miller said. 

Some Chicago alders said the CTU's post honoring Shakur's memory amounted to "glorifying political violence."

Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) was among the alders who denounced the union's tribute to Shakur.

"Eulogizing and celebrating a bank-robbing cop-killer who was broken out of prison and escaped to Cuba?" Reilly wrote on X. "I remember a time, not so long ago, when the teacher's union was focused on ensuring fairness at the bargaining table for our public school educators. That's the job."

Ald. Silvana Tabares (23rd) wrote in part on X: "The CTU's honoring of a convicted murderer and designated terrorist is abhorrent, grotesque, and shameful. At a time when political violence is at the forefront of national discussion, the CTU hit a new low in praising the reprehensible legacy of a killer who gunned down a New Jersey state trooper, who was a husband and father of three."

Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th) wrote, "What message does this send to the students of CPS whose parents are first responders?"

Reilly, Tabares, and Villegas were among several alders who spoke at a news conference on the subject Monday morning.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also denounced the Chicago Teachers Union post honoring Shakur. Murphy wrote on X, referencing the CTU and its post: "Shameful and depraved. She was convicted of the murder New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster, who was executed in cold blood. There are so many worthy heroes to celebrate. She is not one of them."