There is something eerily reminiscent about the shooting of Oscar Grant in Oakland, California in the early hours of New Year's Day. According to reports the 22 year old was shot whilst being arrested in a BART (metro) station. Video footage was has come to light shows that Grant was on the ground with his hands handcuffed behind his back when the police officer fired his weapon.
BART officials have said Grant was unarmed and implied the shooting was an accident, saying the officer's gun discharged while he and four other officers responded to reports that two groups of young men were fighting on a train that had come from San Francisco and was en route to the Dublin/Pleasanton station.
As with the Alexis Grigoropoulos shooting the first reaction of the police was to blame the victim to officially state that the person killed had caused the incident. In both situations it seems that these organisations have forgotten that respect for the law doesn't come from the barrel of a gun.
News of the killing sparked off riots which resulted in hundreds of arrests. Once again blogs, Youtube Twitter, Flickr and other internet sources have been at the forefront of events. Thanks to Lane Hartwell for being part of the effort to get the story out.
Here is video of the incident taken from the train.
Here is video taken by a passer - by.
9 comments:
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It is sad that the life was sniffed out of the young and helpless man by a careless or rather over-zealous police officer. May his soul find eternal rest with God.
there is no god and Justice should b served at the descretion of the victims mother upto and including the forfeiture of the life of the assailant
He was killed in Oakland, not San Francisco. Get your facts right please.
Thank you for pointing that out. I have updated the story.
I live in Oakland, and am outraged by the unnecessary force used by the Transit Police officer. The people here are very upset, and are trying to voice their grief in a constructive way.
Unfortunately, a handful of troublemakers have given our national press organizations enough fuel to associate a violent demonstration to the peaceful protest that occurred hours earlier.
According to the Associated Press, "over 100 arrests were made and about 300 businesses were damaged." That is false information. Thirteen people were arrested, and no more than 50 (closer to 20 or 30) businesses were damaged.
No less than 6 police helicopters have been patrolling the skies at once ever since Tuesday's protest. The police are preparing for a riot, and in doing so, are inviting one to occur.
If Johannes Mehserle, the executor of Oscar Grant III, is denied a trial or acquitted of charges, the city of Oakland will become a fiery wasteland.
To shoot a restrained man in the back while he's face-down is the most cowardly act I can think of. Mehserle deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison to think about how his action will affect the lives of Oscar Grant's family members and friends.
that cop should get the death penalty
Mark my words. Their plan is to get this man off by charging him with Murder instead of manslaughter. No white jury would convict a white man -and trust me, he WILL have an all white jury- for murder when it deals with a black victim. They all of a sudden captured him and charged him with murder. Great strategy because they will call it justice when he walks and cannot be convicted for his cold blooded deep or tried for the same crime, twice. They should charge him with manslaughter, the worst degree of manslaughter, to increase his odds of conviction. Think about it.
it had to be a mistake... no body would just murder someone infront of all those witnesses... but on the other hand that cop stood up pointed the weapon and killed that man... That is the craziest thing I ever saw... How can a tazer be mistaken for a gun... maybe that cop was scared and freaked out for some reason, and really thought he had the tazer in that moment... But they had the guy, face down, the cops had control, I mean why even tazer him at that point...
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