Friday, July 09, 2010
Oakland Transit Officer Johannes Mehserle Found Guilty of Involuntary Manslaughter in the Oscar Grant Murder Trial
This BART officer might only serve two years for shooting an unarmed and completely restrained Oscar Grant in the back! I guess the LA Times knew but what kind of justice is that, I ask??!!
I'm getting tired of wondering how many times I'm gonna have to read this book? And people wanna know why there's riots?? *Smdh....*
Read more on the trial previously on The Kitchen HERE and also via Color Lines HERE.
Labels: F-ck the Police, Oscar Grant, Racism, US race relations, WTF
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Defence: Cop Accused of Murder Used Wrong Weapon (AP Video)
I can't even believe Johannes Mehserle's lawyers are gonna argue that line of defence. Oscar Grant was fully restrained and of no danger to these cops. Why did Mehserle feel like he had to pull out (what he allegedly thought was) his taser weapon to begin with?? This was no heat-of-the-moment, split second, impending danger situation. At best, he was grossly incompetent in the death of Grant which should still lead to some kind of manslaughter or lesser degree homicide charge, no?
Labels: F-ck the Police, Oscar Grant
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
New Video: Oscar Grant Was Punched In Face By Police Just Before Being Shot!
WTF?! I wonder what that d-ckhead from Columbia Law School who was defending the cops over at 2DopeBoyz has to say about that? [via the homie, Raymond]
Labels: F-ck the Police, Oscar Grant, US race relations
Friday, January 16, 2009
AP video: Johannes Mehserle Charged With Murder in Execution of Oscar Grant
Previously:
Cop who Killed Oscar Grant Arrested!
"Any of us could have been Oscar Grant..."
First-hand account of the Oscar Grant Shooting Downtown Oakland Riot.
Protesters for Oscar Grant gather once again on Oakland streets!
Video of the Murder of Oscar Grant in the BART Subway System in California.
Labels: F-ck the Police, Oscar Grant, US race relations
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Cop who Killed Oscar Grant Arrested!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
''Any of us could have been Oscar Grant...''
The following video contains graphic scenes of police brutality and murder!
Via my homegirl Ndidi:
On New Year's Eve, Oscar Grant was shot execution-style by a transit police officer in Oakland, California. He was shot in the back while face-down on a subway platform, unarmed and posing no threat. (1,2)
Twelve days later--despite several videos showing what happened--the officer who killed Grant hasn't been arrested, charged, or even questioned. He quit the force and has refused to speak. The District Attorney has done nothing.
It's time to demand that California Attorney General Jerry Brown take over the case and arrest Grant's killer, and to ask that the US Department of Justice launch an independent investigation into the conduct of the local authorities. Please join us and ask your friends and family to do the same:
http://www.colorofchange.org/oscar/?id=1923-185285
Oscar Grant is the third man murdered by BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) police in the past 17 years. All three victims were Black and none posed a serious threat. In each case, BART and county authorities have failed to hold the officers accountable. (3)
In the previous cases, BART's internal investigations concluded that the officers felt threatened by the victims and were justified in pulling the trigger. It's unbelievable given the circumstances of the killings:
In 1992, 19-year-old Jerrold Hall was shot in the back by a BART officer as he tried to leave the parking lot of a station. The officer was responding to reports of an armed robbery and said he suspected that Hall and a friend were involved. The officer tried to detain the two, Hall ran and then the officer shot him in the back and killed him. Hall was unarmed, but the officer said he thought Hall was on his way to get a gun and return for a showdown. (4)
In 2001, a mentally ill man named Bruce Seward was the next victim of the rogue force. Seward, 42, was naked and had been sleeping on a bench outside the BART station when an officer approached him. Seward did grab the officer's nightstick at one point, but there were several options for subduing him. Instead, the officer shot and killed him. (5)
In addition to BART's internal investigation, Alameda County's District Attorney is also investigating Oscar Grant's murder--but the office's record on investigating police killings is horrible too. In both cases just described, the District Attorney bought BART's argument that the officers felt threatened. As a result, the cops were cleared of any wrongdoing.
In the case of Grant's murder, the DA has already let 12 days pass while doing essentially nothing--the officer who killed Grant is able to travel and leave the state, and he's free to talk with other officers and attempt to construct a story to justify his killing of Oscar Grant.
The problem with Alameda County's DA goes beyond BART police murders. In the past two years alone, there have been 11 fatal police shootings in Oakland (not including that of Oscar Grant). (6) When asked, the officials at the District Attorney's office could not remember a single case in the last 20 years where an on-duty cop had been charged in a fatal shooting in Alameda County. (7) It gives the clear appearance that the District Attorney's office just doesn't have the will to prosecute police crimes.
California's Attorney General needs to step in now and arrest Oscar Grant's murderer. And the US Department of Justice should investigate the failure of the authorities in Alameda County to act. It's the first step towards justice. After that, we will push for systemic changes to create public accountability for BART and other police departments. Creating those structural changes will be a much longer fight, but Oscar Grant's tragic death is a wake-up call that should give us a real chance to help prevent this from happening again.
Please join us in demanding justice, and then ask your family and friends to do the same:
http://www.colorofchange.org/oscar/?id=1923-185285
Thanks and Peace,
-- James, Gabriel, Clarissa, William, Dani, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
January 13th, 2008
References:
1. "BART shooting captured on video," San Francisco Chronicle, 1-06-09
http://tinyurl.com/7jr4f8
2. "$25 Million Lawsuit Announced In BART Shooting," KPIX, 1-04-09
http://tinyurl.com/a87ya4
3. "BART cop shooting: we've been here before," Daily Kos, 1-08-09
http://tinyurl.com/86ts2v
4. "Lethal force," San Francisco Bay Guardian, 12-12-92
http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=7799
5. "BART police condemned by slain man's family," San Francisco Chronicle, 7-18-01
http://tinyurl.com/84ullk
6. "Forum on officer-involved shootings held," KGO-TV, 12-11-08
http://tinyurl.com/73mx26
7. "Death threats against BART officer," San Francisco Chronicle, 1-07-09
http://tinyurl.com/9xk425
Previously:
Video of the Murder of Oscar Grant in the BART Subway System in California.
5 Things You Can Do Right Now About the Oscar Grant Shooting.
Tweet
Via my homegirl Ndidi:
On New Year's Eve, Oscar Grant was shot execution-style by a transit police officer in Oakland, California. He was shot in the back while face-down on a subway platform, unarmed and posing no threat. (1,2)
Twelve days later--despite several videos showing what happened--the officer who killed Grant hasn't been arrested, charged, or even questioned. He quit the force and has refused to speak. The District Attorney has done nothing.
It's time to demand that California Attorney General Jerry Brown take over the case and arrest Grant's killer, and to ask that the US Department of Justice launch an independent investigation into the conduct of the local authorities. Please join us and ask your friends and family to do the same:
http://www.colorofchange.org/oscar/?id=1923-185285
Oscar Grant is the third man murdered by BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) police in the past 17 years. All three victims were Black and none posed a serious threat. In each case, BART and county authorities have failed to hold the officers accountable. (3)
In the previous cases, BART's internal investigations concluded that the officers felt threatened by the victims and were justified in pulling the trigger. It's unbelievable given the circumstances of the killings:
In 1992, 19-year-old Jerrold Hall was shot in the back by a BART officer as he tried to leave the parking lot of a station. The officer was responding to reports of an armed robbery and said he suspected that Hall and a friend were involved. The officer tried to detain the two, Hall ran and then the officer shot him in the back and killed him. Hall was unarmed, but the officer said he thought Hall was on his way to get a gun and return for a showdown. (4)
In 2001, a mentally ill man named Bruce Seward was the next victim of the rogue force. Seward, 42, was naked and had been sleeping on a bench outside the BART station when an officer approached him. Seward did grab the officer's nightstick at one point, but there were several options for subduing him. Instead, the officer shot and killed him. (5)
In addition to BART's internal investigation, Alameda County's District Attorney is also investigating Oscar Grant's murder--but the office's record on investigating police killings is horrible too. In both cases just described, the District Attorney bought BART's argument that the officers felt threatened. As a result, the cops were cleared of any wrongdoing.
In the case of Grant's murder, the DA has already let 12 days pass while doing essentially nothing--the officer who killed Grant is able to travel and leave the state, and he's free to talk with other officers and attempt to construct a story to justify his killing of Oscar Grant.
The problem with Alameda County's DA goes beyond BART police murders. In the past two years alone, there have been 11 fatal police shootings in Oakland (not including that of Oscar Grant). (6) When asked, the officials at the District Attorney's office could not remember a single case in the last 20 years where an on-duty cop had been charged in a fatal shooting in Alameda County. (7) It gives the clear appearance that the District Attorney's office just doesn't have the will to prosecute police crimes.
California's Attorney General needs to step in now and arrest Oscar Grant's murderer. And the US Department of Justice should investigate the failure of the authorities in Alameda County to act. It's the first step towards justice. After that, we will push for systemic changes to create public accountability for BART and other police departments. Creating those structural changes will be a much longer fight, but Oscar Grant's tragic death is a wake-up call that should give us a real chance to help prevent this from happening again.
Please join us in demanding justice, and then ask your family and friends to do the same:
http://www.colorofchange.org/oscar/?id=1923-185285
Thanks and Peace,
-- James, Gabriel, Clarissa, William, Dani, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
January 13th, 2008
References:
1. "BART shooting captured on video," San Francisco Chronicle, 1-06-09
http://tinyurl.com/7jr4f8
2. "$25 Million Lawsuit Announced In BART Shooting," KPIX, 1-04-09
http://tinyurl.com/a87ya4
3. "BART cop shooting: we've been here before," Daily Kos, 1-08-09
http://tinyurl.com/86ts2v
4. "Lethal force," San Francisco Bay Guardian, 12-12-92
http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=7799
5. "BART police condemned by slain man's family," San Francisco Chronicle, 7-18-01
http://tinyurl.com/84ullk
6. "Forum on officer-involved shootings held," KGO-TV, 12-11-08
http://tinyurl.com/73mx26
7. "Death threats against BART officer," San Francisco Chronicle, 1-07-09
http://tinyurl.com/9xk425
Previously:
Video of the Murder of Oscar Grant in the BART Subway System in California.
5 Things You Can Do Right Now About the Oscar Grant Shooting.
Labels: F-ck the Police, Oscar Grant, US race relations, WTF
Sunday, January 11, 2009
First-hand account of the BART (Oscar Grant) Shooting Downtown Oakland Riot
This is disheartening stuff to watch:
By Zennie Abraham. (Side note: how f-cked is it that there's an Obama sticker in the back window of one of the cars being towed at the beginning of the video?)
And actual riot footage:
People, I share your anger but this is not the move! (Side note II: in the first video, did you see the cop with the camera? They are filming y'all idiots so some of you will pay for this madness no matter how justified your anger is.)
More via The San Jose Mercury News | NPR | MSNBC | Reuters (UK)
Tweet
By Zennie Abraham. (Side note: how f-cked is it that there's an Obama sticker in the back window of one of the cars being towed at the beginning of the video?)
And actual riot footage:
People, I share your anger but this is not the move! (Side note II: in the first video, did you see the cop with the camera? They are filming y'all idiots so some of you will pay for this madness no matter how justified your anger is.)
More via The San Jose Mercury News | NPR | MSNBC | Reuters (UK)
Labels: F-ck the Police, Oscar Grant, US race relations
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Protesters gather once again on Oakland streets!
Against the Oscar Grant murder.
More:
Video: Police Swarm Subway After Protests Over Shooting Turn Violent. [Huff Post]
How the BART protest devolved into anarchy and rioting. [San Fran Chronicle]
Oscar Grant's family pleads for calm. [San Fran Chronicle]
Labels: F-ck the Police, Oscar Grant, US race relations
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Video of the Murder of Oscar Grant in the BART Subway System in California
Not for the faint of heart:
The background story:
BART Officer Shoots, Kills Man [MSNBC.com]
More:
Death threats against BART officer [San Francisco Chronicle]
Officer in BART shooting that killed a man resigns [San Jose Mercury News]
That's why I stay saying, F-ck the Police!
5 Things You Can Do Right Now About The Oscar Grant Shooting [via Grand Good]
[h/t: Beatnick & K-Salaam]
Tweet
The background story:
BART Officer Shoots, Kills Man [MSNBC.com]
More:
Death threats against BART officer [San Francisco Chronicle]
Officer in BART shooting that killed a man resigns [San Jose Mercury News]
That's why I stay saying, F-ck the Police!
5 Things You Can Do Right Now About The Oscar Grant Shooting [via Grand Good]
[h/t: Beatnick & K-Salaam]
Labels: F-ck the Police, K-Salaam, Oscar Grant, US race relations, WTF
