Jauston “Jok” Huerta, Director of FOCUS Re-Entry and friend of Shaka A. Shakur, compassionately and accurately describes the years leading up to Shaka’s wrongful 2002 arrest and the injustices he has faced since.
Speaking from the Shaka Shakur Freedom Campaign office in the Indianapolis Liberation Center, in five minutes he explains why he remains dedicated to fighting “like hell” to bring Shaka home—and why you should too!
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Music: Marcel Cartier and Agent of Change, “Beautiful Together ft. Nana D.” instrumental track from their album, “History will Absolve Us.” Credit: Marcel Cartier and Agent of Change.
Lightly-edited transcript
Jauston Jok Huerta: You know, the very interesting thing about my dear friend Shaka Shakur is that, you know, he’s been involved in the juvenile system going into his adult life incarcerated. But he had reached a point where he began to understand the politics, about finding yourself locked in that system, and what is necessary, and what you have to do within, to turn that situation around and remove yourself from that equation Not only did he learn it, but he started teaching it to other people. He started wanting to see other people learn what he had learned and turn their lives around in the process. And eventually he did get released and he stayed committed to what he was doing.
He stayed committed and being active in the community: helping other people young people to turn their lives around and look at the bigger picture, instead of falling for the low hanging fruit that always leads to some level of a trap. So, with that being said, when he got out he was very active in his community helping people at every turn, especially the youth.
That was his focus and he had a son at the time. And his son was involved in which his son was murdered. His son had his life taken. And in just a senseless killing and it really impacted Shaka in a very, very as it would any parent who loves their child in a very hard way: extreme depression extreme guilt, extreme anxiety, that he was trying to overcome. Because he was spending so much time helping the youth including his son. But to lose your own son while you’re helping so many young people it really impacted him in a in a negative way—as it would anyone.
And once he was out still undergoing the scrutiny and the harassment of the local authorities who were looking at every turn to get him locked up again. Well, that’s when the triggers happened and everything he had worked so hard to build because of his emotional state, it tumbled down.
He got himself into a situation against, those police who were harassing him constantly. And during the course of that altercation with them he did not deprive anyone of life but just for that altercation with the authorities they arrested him and they gave him ungodly amount of time and he’s been there ever since. You know, he’s been he’s been there ever since.
And so, once again, once he came out of that and once he began to realize the bigger picture of helping the other people that are around him. Educating and teaching how to operate and carry yourself with integrity and to focus on the bigger picture and to avoid all the traps and potholes. The state of Indiana deemed him a threat because he educated prisoners and for that they sent him to Virginia.
Now, this is not a federal case. This is a state case.
They sent him to Virginia to do Indiana time. That’s how much he was educating and as they say radicalizing the inmate population. So, they sent him to Virginia. They traded out Virginia with another inmate to bring them there, I guess that’s how they swap it out. And he’s been there ever since unable to see his family unable to receive visits.
So, this is a whole another level of torture that a lot of people don’t even understand, you know? Because they moved him a thousand miles away from home. He’s not able to see his wife… he’s not able to be around and be with the people who actually love and care for him, you know? And it becomes a very strenuous and stressful situation But nevertheless, he pushes forward Nevertheless he’s full of encouragement. He’s full of hope and he’s full of determination So, it’s just for me, personally, it’s a lot to be learned from that man who was able to endure so much but still come out of it with your head high and push it forward. And that’s why we fight like hell to get him back home to the people that love him the most.
Featured photo: A still from the video, “A Personal Testimony: Shaka A. Shakur In 5 Minutes.” Credit: Shaka Shakur Freedom Campaign.