In response to media coverage, ESPN has yanked a poetry tribute to a convicted cop killer published earlier this week.
The same network that’s been hemorrhaging viewers for months and laying off staff due in part to injecting politics into their sports coverage thought it would be a great idea to publish a poem lauding the legacy of convicted cop killer Assata Shakur, who is wanted by the FBI for domestic terrorism.
The collection of poems, which was originally entitled, “Five Poets on the New Feminism,” now bears the headline: “Four Poets on the New Feminism.” The poem fangirling the cop-killer, which was written by DaMaris B. Hill, a professor at the University of Kentucky, was removed after The Federalist reported on the details of Shakur’s life.
An editor’s note at the bottom of the updated piece reads: “An earlier version of ‘Five Poets on the New Feminism’ featured Revolution by Dr. DaMaris Hill. We have decided it is not an appropriate selection for our site, and have removed it from the feature.”
Shakur, whose real name is Joanne Deborah Chesimard, was the first woman to be named on the FBI’s most wanted list after she escaped from prison in 1979, where she was serving time for murdering a police officer. In 1984, she fled to Cuba, according to the FBI, and has been in hiding ever since.
“There was an oversight in the editorial process for selecting the poems for the ‘Five Poets on the New Feminism’ feature on espnW. Dr. DaMaris Hill is a respected professor and poet, who submitted this poem based upon her personal feelings toward Assata Shakur,” ESPN said in a statement provided to The Federalist. “While the editors welcomed a contribution from a notable writer and chose it as a reflection of this one poet’s experience, upon further review we have decided it is not an appropriate selection for our site and have removed the piece from the feature.”
The FBI is currently offering a $1 million reward for information leading to Shakur’s arrest.