By THOMAS ZAMBITO
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
A convicted cop killer will get another day in court - thanks to some
City College students and alumni who are fighting for her name.
CUNY and City College were sued yesterday over their decision to strip
the names of Guillermo Morales and Assata Shakur (aka Joanne Chesimard)
from a student center.
Morales built bombs for a Puerto Rican terrorist group and is living in
Cuba. Shakur also fled to Cuba after she was wounded in a shooting that
killed a New Jersey state trooper in 1973.
"Forensic evidence at her trial indicated that her hands were raised
over her head when she was shot and there were no powder burns on her
body or clothes, which would be expected if she had a gun," states the
lawsuit filed in Manhattan Federal Court.
The plaintiffs' attorney, Ronald McGuire, accused college officials of
caving in to pressure after the Daily News reported last month that some
students were upset upon learning the center had been named after Shakur
and Morales back in 1990.
The suit alleges the college is engaging in "blatant viewpoint-based
censorship," since Jewish and Christian groups have been allowed to name
rooms after their respective heroes.
They also expressed sympathy for Shakur and Morales, saying the former
students shared their commitment to social justice. A CUNY spokesman
said Chancellor Matthew Goldstein was following university bylaws when
he removed the names.
Originally published on January 9, 2007
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