BAY AREA RAPID TRANSIT OFFICER SHOOTS 22-YEAR-OLD BLACK MALE

Whew!  Apologies that it's several days since I've posted.  I've been under with a serious cold but when I surfaced all madness had broken out in Oakland.  B.A.R.T. Police Officer Johannes Mehserle shot and killed Oscar Grant, III. with a single bullet to the back, although video footage on the Internet and various news stations show that Mr. Grant was lying on his stomach, and eyewitnesses report that he was cooperating with police.

At 3 p.m. today, some 250-300 demonstrators protested at the B.A.R.T.'s Fruitvale Station, where the incident occurred. By evening, the numbers grew and direct reports from the scene to the Final Call were that protestors began marching down International Boulevard into Downtown Oakland.  During the march, they told the Final Call, some people got rowdy and began rocking a police car back and forth. The police responded in riot gear.  

 

Attorney John Burris has filed a $25 million claim on behalf of Mr. Grant's mother, Wanda Johnson, and his four-year-old daughter.  According to the claim, Mr. Grant pleaded for his life and even told one officer that threatened to taze him that he had a four-year-old daughter.  He begged not to be tazed.  Instead, he was shot.

Hopefully, I'll be there tomorrow and can give more first-hand accounts from community activists, city officials, clergy, youth, of what's happening with this issue, and a couple of pics.

I wanted to post some info about the Green Industry and other excessive force issues earlier this week....they have to wait a few but check back.

Peace.