Chris Pappas: “On May 2, 1973 a terrible tragedy occurred in the State of New Jersey when Joanne Chesimard killed New Jersey State…”

“On May 2, 1973 a terrible tragedy occurred in the State of New Jersey when Joanne Chesimard killed New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster leaving behind his wife and family. Ms. Chesimard was sentenced to life in prison for this heinous crime in our state and rightly so. But she escaped and fled to Cuba where she has the high life. She sips pina coladas, walks on the white sandy beaches, and swims in the crystal clear water. This is a grave injustice. This is wrong and our government must do everything in its power to bring her back to serve out her sentence. Instead, the Clinton administration talks of easing the embargo knowing that Cuba is harboring violent criminals. Fugitives such as Chesimard are cowards and for Cuba to invite them in and treat them like royalty is clearly wrong. I urge Secretary Albright and Attorney General Reno to do all they can to bring these criminals back to the U.S. to face justice. I co-sponsored this legislation because I want our government to use all means possible to pressure Cuba to return Ms. Chesimard and every other criminal which Cuba harbors. We must fight for justice.”