Oscar Grant, young father and peacemaker, executed by BART police

January 6, 2009

Demand justice for Oscar Grant Wednesday, Jan. 7, 3-7 p.m., Fruitvale BART Station, Oakland

by Davey D

Oscar Grant, 22, murdered in cold blood by BART police just two hours into the new year, was the loving father of a 4-year-old daughter, a fact he told the police just as he was shot. He worked as a butcher at Farmer Joe’s Marketplace.

By now everyone has seen the horrific videos of an Oakland BART police officer shooting an unarmed Black man, Oscar Grant, while he lay face down on the ground and was fully cooperating. The man who was killed execution style was the father of a 4-year-old girl and was considered a peacemaker. In fact moments before he was shot he was pleading with his friends who were all cuffed up to calm down and be cooperative with police. Grant was seen begging the police officers, who had pulled tasers out and pointed them at the heads of his friends, not to shoot.

For reasons unknown to us, the police officer pushed Grant to the ground. One officer kneeled on his neck while the other officer pulled out a gun and shot him point blank in the back. The bullet went through his back, hit the ground and bounced back up and pierced his lung, killing him.

The police then ran around and terrified witnesses by taking away their cell phones and video cameras for “evidence.” The video, which was shot by a witness named Karina Vargas and has been seen by everyone on KTVU, was also going to be confiscated, except her train started moving as police attempted to snatch away her camera. The cops obviously did not see the other video cameras buzzing away.

What went down this New Year’s morning is a very disturbing sight and it has the entire city of Oakland on edge. Adding insult to injury is the refusal of BART police to acknowledge any wrongdoing. Police Chief Gary Gee says the tapes are inconclusive and he has thus far refused to even release the name of the police officer who is now on paid leave.

We have also come to find out that the young men along with Oscar Grant were snatched off the train by BART police who did not know whether or not these young men were involved in any sort of altercation. In short, it could’ve been any one of us pulled off the train that night.

Following is an interview broadcast Tuesday, Jan. 6, on Hard Knock Radio on KPFA 94.1 FM:

Davey D: I was listening to a number of speeches and old news clips that went all the way back to the murder of Bobby Hutton here in the city of Oakland and was remembering the harassment and the beat-down that Tupac Shakur got and going through just this long list of Black males who have been killed unceremoniously by the police department right here in the city all the way up to last year or the year before when everybody was down on protesting for the Jena 6 – and Gary King, 20 years old, was shot and killed in the back by an Oakland officer right here on 54th and Martin Luther King.

And this is just something that is ongoing and I guess the challenge before us in the aftermath of the execution of Oscar Grant, 22-year old father who was a peacemaker trying to get everybody to calm down – his friends, the police – who was seen on videotape around the world not struggling, cooperating, who was seen on videotape around the world, his face on the ground, his hands behind his back, as an officer shot him point blank, killing him.

And then that officer who our tax dollars are supposed to make sure that he protects and serves didn’t even have the courage to hold a press conference and say this is who I am and say his name. The last I heard he hadn’t even been interviewed. And then shame on the other officers around the Bay Area that saw this thing.

At a press conference Sunday called by John Burris, the family’s attorney, Oscar Grant’s mother, Wanda Johnson, and his daughter’s mother, Sophina Mesa, comforted each other. – Photo: Dan Honda, Oakland Tribune

And we have people protesting all around the country and people upset, including our guests that we are going to talk to. You didn’t see any of them (other police officers) having a press conference to say, “Wow, we are appalled at the behavior of one of our own.” It’s something to think about.

In the studio this afternoon we have Evan Shamar, one of the individuals who was outraged enough to get a number of people to go down to the BART headquarters to protest what was going on, and on the phone line with us is another activist in the community, Dereca Blackman from Leadership Excellence. First of all welcome to the show.

Evan, I want to start off with you. What went through your mind as a young Black male when you saw this and where have things gone since you’ve seen this videotape and gotten word of what went down?

Evan: Just to premise my thoughts, no horror film can ever compare to the images which we saw. I want to start off by saying, a young developing human life was deemed insignificant by the ones sworn to protect and serve, to uphold justice, and the police wonder why they’re forced to carry around the stigma that we correspond with corruption.

They perpetuated this stigma to our reality and now we are left with Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old father – he’s just a memory now – and we’re supposed to swallow the fact that it may have been an accident. Well, I’m here to tell everybody, on behalf of everybody’s outrage, that we’re not going to swallow it; we’re not going to take it. This is not going to stop. We don’t want to see this officer put on administrative leave, we don’t want to see this officer terminated or fired, we will not stop until we see this police officer put on trial in an American courtroom for first degree murder.

Davey: That’s real talk right there. You know, talk about the type of exchanges that took place when you all went down to headquarters.

Evan: You know, we went down there; we were very peaceful. We had a small amount of people at first; then after a while people joined in and supported our efforts. The police were actually the most combative ones there if you really want to get down to it.

Davey: Combative in what way?

Evan: In the sense that they were trying to tell us to disburse, that we couldn’t be there when we even had a permit to be there. They were using physical force part of the time. I was actually a victim of one of the police officer’s physical force.

Davey: What did he do, put his billy club on you or … ?

Evan: One of the police officers actually … I got approached by a group of three officers and of course I was intimidated given the circumstances of what had happened. Three of them walked up to me and told me, “Sir, you’re going to have to get out of here” and one reached for his billy club and then reached for something. I don’t know what he was reaching for. The other one just took his forearm and positioned it as though it was a weapon and basically rushed me and threw me into somewhat of a bush. Now I didn’t fall but he rushed me.

Davey: Wow, and this is happening during the protest?

Evan: This is at the protest that we had organized that took place the day before yesterday.

Davey: Dereca Blackman, you’ve been an activist from Detroit all the way up here to the Bay. This movie we’ve seen so many times, what do you think we should do? The community that is outraged, what steps do you think they should start taking to move beyond the usual things that we’ve done in the past, which has been protesting and asking for some sort of redress from the mayor and government officials. That seems to not have changed, at least in our lifetimes. What do you think needs to happen next?

Dereca: Thanks again, Davey, for taking a lead on this issue and making sure that everybody has good information and thanks to Evan for putting together the rally for tomorrow. I think a lot of times when we talk about rallies and protests, people get frustrated because they don’t see it as part of a long-term solution. These are short-term solutions and they’re not going to solve long-term problems.

I think part of the issue is that long-term solutions require a variety of approaches and they require consistency. And we as a people have to look not just at what’s happening with this particular case, we need to look at what’s been a process that has continued to happen. And when you had John Burris (attorney for Oscar Grant’s family) on the other day, he was talking about some of the laws that have been passed that have facilitated this problem.

So we’re raising questions right now about police confiscating people’s cell phones for taking picture and videos of what was happening. What’s the legality behind that and how do we prompt ACLU and others to make a comment to those kinds of things happening.

What’s happening with the police officers’ union such that they’ve been able to pass measures and laws that allow them to not be interviewed so that they have time to get their story together? So now all of a sudden we’re hearing that he thought he was reaching for his taser. But they had days to get that story together as opposed to being interviewed on the spot about what happened.

So these are some of the things that we have to push back against. And we have to be vigilant. I think that this is a unique moment in history because all of us, whether it was through the election of Ron Dellums as mayor of Oakland or whether the election of Barack Obama as president of the United States came with a level of hope that we might have some integrity as individuals who would hold people accountable when things like this happen.

This is the moment. I think the legacy of Mayor Dellums in this city is right here on the line right now because if he doesn’t have the integrity to confront this issue – and it’s not necessarily about what he has the power to control. He has influence as a statesman and a local and national leader to make this issue of police accountability and police brutality relevant and important and discussed locally and nationally. He can make that happen.

And likewise, we need to take this issue all the way to the inauguration festivities and make sure police brutality becomes a part of the national agenda. I was mad about Abner Louima. I was mad about Amadou Diallo. I was sad at Gary King. I was sad at Sean Bell. Now I’m just tired, now I’m just fed up and we have to move with certainty – not just on short-term solutions but on long-term vigilance – to watch, monitor and maintain as laws are passed to facilitate the taking away of our rights.

Davey: That’s the voice of Dereca Blackman. Let me ask you, Evan, first of all before I get to my question, if you can let everybody know what is going on tomorrow, so if anybody who is listening if you could take down a piece of paper and pencil and write down this information so you can join the protests that are going on tomorrow. A lot of people have been wanting to know how they can plug in.

Evan: All right, so tomorrow we have a protest that’s going to take place from 3 to 7pm. We’d like everybody to get there at 3:00 at the Fruitvale BART Station where the victim was executed by the BART police officer. That takes place at 3 p.m. at Fruitvale BART and we will be set up in front of the vigil that has been set up by the friends and family. We ask that everybody come out with ambition, with vigor and with a voice.

Davey: Bring your cell phones and video cameras since the police made it a point to try …. Well, they took a number of cell phones is the reports we’re getting that might be under the auspices of having evidence. We would like everybody who comes out to the protest to be a citizen journalist …

Dereca: We just got a message, Davey, that some folks were down at Fruitvale today just to check things out and the police asked them if they had permits. So we already have an issue escalating right now that they are already blocking our rights to organize and peacefully protest. And we will be peaceful tomorrow and we want to make it clear that we do have a right to peacefully protest and we’re already having a strategy session around this issue of permits. We will rally tomorrow.

Evan: I actually sat down with, I was in City Hall yesterday and today for about three hours and I was trying to get this rally permitted. And they didn’t blatantly reject it but they gave me the run-around.

Davey: Let me ask you this: Here you are a young man in the city who is organizing people. You seem bright and you seem to be the type of individual that folks in power say we need more of. You know, you’re not somebody who is adding to the crime rate and the statistics or any of these things.

Have you heard from the city officials? Did Mayor Dellums look and see, “Hey, that’s somebody who was like me when I was a young man, trying to fight the power, so to speak”? Did you get any phone calls or encouraging conversations? Have people reached out to you to say we want to support you?

Evan: I haven’t. In fact, I’ve just been getting what I consider just discouraging information. I’ve actually gone down to the Mayor’s office where I was escorted out for bringing up the execution of Oscar Grant. They acted as though they didn’t want to speak about it.

I mean they’re not even trying to say ANYthing about what took place. This is just egregious and they’re not even saying anything. I mean we’re supposed to swallow that they’re sorry, that the officer may have gone for his taser? This officer went to something called a police academy, (had) extensive training that trained him on how to handle himself in a stressful situation, and now he’s trying to say that it was an accident?

You’re trained so that accidents don’t happen. We can’t let accidents cost human beings their lives. This man Oscar Grant was a father of a 4-year-old child and now that child doesn’t have a father to sleep with her at night. This is just ridiculous and we will not sit back and let this type of action by the ones who are sworn to protect and serve slide. We will just not sit back and let this happen. We will be on the front line.

Dereca said it best when she said this is the moment. Dereca, you are absolutely right. This IS the moment. We are on the front lines and it is time to stand our ground. We will not go quietly into the night. We are going to stand up for what is right and we will get justice for Oscar Grant.

Davey: That’s very sobering remarks. I want to thank you for coming in and sharing this with us. Dereca, any last comments that you would like to make to give people marching orders, some things to consider? We ask people to bring cell phones, to make phone calls to their local representatives, congressmen, assemblymen, mayor, whoever, and invite them to this rally and show up themselves and make sure that, as the old saying goes, the whole world is watching.

Dereca: Absolutely, so I think there are a number of things that people can do: We want to stay on top of our prosecutor; we want to make sure that this case is fully prosecuted. We want to continue to contact BART and talk to them about having an interview with this officer right away. We want to make sure that there’s a civilian review board. There will be a number of strategies that will be talked about at the rally tomorrow.

But I also want to say that this is not the only rally. This case has been picked up on the national media; it was on the front page of the CNN website. And I just got word that Harry Belafonte is going to be coming for another rally next week, so this is the first rally but there will be another one next Wednesday at a place to be determined.

So this is not just a rally, people. This is a movement that we’re asking you to come out, sign up and be a part of this. You can be a part of this in an ongoing way. We’re starting in Oakland but we’re taking this all the way to the White House.

Davey: We appreciate that. Evan Shamar, I would like you to make the connection to the very real tragedies that are taking place right now halfway around the world in a place called Gaza, in the Middle East. And we have a lot of our comrades and fellow activists and friends and allies that have been protesting since the days before Christmas for almost the same type of executions that seem to be routinely taking place (here).

Many innocent people are losing their lives on behalf of our tax dollars. Do you make the connection to the types of conversations that are going on overseas with what is taking place all too often with us and the police in cities like Oakland?

Evan: Absolutely, I like to refer to what’s going on overseas as just a blatant all-out massacre compared to what we have here that I consider to be a genocidal crockpot. What’s taking place here is it’s a slow-cook. We’re being eradicated slowly, one by one.

But what’s going on in Gaza is just disgusting. I can’t even really speak on it because I’ll get so …. It’s something that instills a certain level of disgust in me. I can’t talk about it all the time. But I definitely can make the correlation between the two. As I said, what we have is here is a genocidal crockpot and what’s going on in Gaza right now is a pure massacre.

And we’re actually going to be out on Saturday as well at the Civic Center protesting what’s going on over there because the bottom line is these are human beings. The human experience is a beautiful experience, and we can’t just deem it insignificant for no reason. I mean, I was talking to my buddies a few days ago about how many human beings have lived on planet Earth. There’ve been 120 billion human beings who have lived on planet Earth.

Let everybody have their turn. It’s our turn to have this experience. Don’t deem it insignificant – for your greed, for your corruption. Let us live. Let us live our lives. What’s going on in Gaza, what’s going on in Oakland, what’s going on all over the world, we have to put our foot down. We have to put our fists in the air in unity and say, “No more!” We won’t take this. It’s not a Black thing. It’s not a white thing. It’s not a yellow thing. We need to come together and stand up for what is right. And together we can do this.

Email Davey D at mrdaveyd@aol.com and visit daveyd.com. Listen to Davey on Hard Knock Radio Monday-Friday at 4 p.m. on KPFA 94.1 FM or kpfa.org.

2109251 Responses2009-01-07+04%3A17%3A55Mary to “Oscar Grant, young father and peacemaker, executed by BART police”

willa, on January 7th, 2009 at 12:38 pm Said:

to curt.. AMEN someone is sticking up for the truth! Cuz no, Grant wasn't a peacemaking angel he now seems to be. He was also the instigator of a fight about a yearish ago that got his friend Fumar killed.

I agree the cop is in the wrong wholey and needs to be put on charges but if you watch the video you can see that BOTH officers (including the officer firing) are shocked a gun was fired and not a taser. The officer definately needs to be brought up on charges though.

The only other problem I have with this whole issue on the victim side is everyone loves to throw race into it! he was a MAN that should be enough but never is. If it had been a white/Latino/Asian guy shot all this protesting and stuff wouldn't be happening. But because he was black then it had to be racism.. well seeing it that way makes the people making it about race the biggest racists in my mind.. I have less empathy for the victim when people try to make it what it isn't.

That all said.. prayers to the family of Oscar as your pain I am sure cannot be tolerable :(
curt, on January 7th, 2009 at 7:05 pm Said:

“Peacemaker”??? Isn’t this guy a repeat convicted felon who just got out of prison and had been to court a dozen times in three years? I agree that the officer that shot him needs to be brought to justice, but why spin Grant as something he’s not? It *should* make no difference what was in his past…but spinning him for what he’s not isn’t doing him any kind of service either.
stewy vutton, on January 8th, 2009 at 12:37 am Said:

it was murder
blankman, on January 8th, 2009 at 12:51 am Said:

that police man had Ｎ right 2 do what he did that man grant did what the police told him to do for what reason did they shoot him for there was Ｎ need for the nigger beaters Ｎ need for the tayszersno need for none of that y do that to a man yall just took a man life away for Ｎ reason and I’m glade that girl had that on her phone cuz yall ant right and yall Ｎ yall ant let me kill a man I bet yall get me but a cop kill a man yall don’t do shit I bet if oscar was a white man yall wouldent have killed yall wouldent have done shit and if you don’t under stand that then u don’t under stand english home boi I’m done talkin
Drakko, on January 8th, 2009 at 12:28 pm Said:

To say that this man is being spun up to something hes not is irrelevent and we need to pay attention to the fact that Oscar Grant was a victim of police brutality and something needs to be done. None of us knew this man so we cant speak on his past all we know is what happened. People talk all the time about how dangerous the hood is but the focus needs to bon how dangerous the system is. Th people who are sworn to protect us are selectively murdering us. How is a black man supposed to call himself safe in America when the system cant even serve him right? That officer needs to be criminally charged and convicted. He will get his one day
for the stupid ones, on January 8th, 2009 at 2:40 pm Said:

for the dumbasses like whitey and curt..fact of the matter is you're clearly not black so you can't speak on what black people go through..EVER!!!!!!! and let's hope to God you get shot by the same uneducated ignorant ass cops you defend. cause you all deserve it…Good luck in your ignorance. You are the people the world can do without..really!
nickel, on January 8th, 2009 at 3:51 pm Said:

i saw the WHOLE video, not just the one that ends with the shooting. that cop knew he made a mistake. just watch it. watch the cop after he did it. he’s stunned. he raises his hands like “oh my god”. he meant to taze him, and shot him instead. tragic mistake.

manslaughter not murder.
William, on January 8th, 2009 at 4:59 pm Said:

Mistake or not… when an officer pulls out a deadly weapon and fires it at a suspect..eh heem, subject who was not suspected of anything other than fitting a description, he should be held responsible. if you committed manslaughter, you would be at home, typing that message. The officer should be in jail. Period. Who cares what the boys past was…are you suggesting that his life is worth less than yours? get a grip. Rioting is silly… however, to suggest that it’s not racially motivated is too. If they were white young men, I seriously doubt if police would’ve used such aggression. Mistake or not, that child is gone.
Stephanie, on January 8th, 2009 at 5:39 pm Said:

You people are sick, especially you whitey, NO ONE deserves to die!! NO ONE!! And how do you know anything about what he did or didnt’ do? Your sick
Whitey, on January 8th, 2009 at 5:55 pm Said:

Your the one who’s sick.. Sticking up for a felon. He was a criminal, and who knows, he could’ve been coming after your family next.

He’ll never have the chance to hurt anyone again, and that’s the bottom line
Methuselah, on January 8th, 2009 at 5:56 pm Said:

Granted the cop was in the wrong but to claim a repeat felon that served time for violent crimes is a peacemaker is a joke. Think about this for a minute, if this had happened to a Asian man or white man or Indian man or Arab or any other race would there be this much news coverage?

Does a wrongful act committed by one man justify groups to punish others based on the color of their skin? The shooting of Oscar Grant was wrong, however rioting and hurting people that weren’t involved has no real purpose. The officer resigned his commission and will be investigated and most likely stand trail for man slaughter. So why do we as people over react in such a destructive way as to destroy our own neighborhoods and our own local businesses making our friends and neighbors scared to be at home?
lifebringer2men, on January 8th, 2009 at 7:05 pm Said:

What this man did in his life should not matter. What is at hand is that he’s dead. A young girl will grow up without her father. I do think that the race card is being thrown in there . Like into many instances. We (as many people of color) have been screw by some group or other. Are we going to countinue to hold on to that. Or let it hold us back.
Your black be proud and don’t use it as an excuse.Not all people care . My 1st reaction to the video is to throw up . But yes it looked like he was shocked after the shot(the cop ).
And fuck ya i’d be scared . Cops have a hard job. They have to come out and take care of the crap that the evil people out there create. And they were outnumbered . At anytime those anyone could have attacked . But no one put that thought together. Right ? What if the whole train got same thought. The cops could get fucked up right? But we do need them . To keep thing’s in order. And from letting all chaos run threw the streets.
He fucked up and he knew it.The had to keep it together . Did they do everthing they could ? More could have been done ? A life taken before it’s time. Could it really have been an accident? A very painful and devastating , costly mistake.
I’d be devastated to be in either family shoes. They have both lost son’s. If you want justice don’t go out and create more injustice. It just show’s why those uneducated people keep us thinking, it all has to with the color of our skins.
To Oscar’s family my deepest heartfelt condolences . I hope that your family can find closer and peace . This is a trying time and in everyone’s own way they have shown you there support .
a girl, on January 8th, 2009 at 7:45 pm Said:

His family should never be condemned for this – whatever his background, the situation … One particular member of his family happens to make my job, my welfare, possible & a hell of a lot easier. People are people. Whatever he did, he was still a person – just as his family members are. Please leave them out of this.
FactSeeker, on January 8th, 2009 at 9:46 pm Said:

Oscar Grant had been up on charges 12 times in the last five years. He served time last year. An arrest to him seems to have been all in a day’s activity. We cannot judge the BART officer until we know what Grant’s interaction with him was.
justamom, on January 9th, 2009 at 12:29 am Said:

As a parent of a 20 year old college student, this situation bothers me on many levels. First, whatever Oscar did I feel for his Mom and I admire her greatly for calling for an end to any violence as a result of her son’s violent death. Second, my kid is always at a BART station in Oakland and now, I worry about how a cop would see him! Would he comply with cop’s orders? Yeah, but he is a geeky college kid who might not even know what is going on, so would he be shot because he didn’t move fast enough? Even if the cop made a mistake-aren’t they trained to handle firearms and tasers correctly? People make mistakes-ones that are costly -I want assurance from the BART police that this won’t happen again! I don’t really care what anyone thinks of Oscar’s reputation; if he was killed unjustly it is wrong and I feel so much for his mother.
justiceforoscar, on January 9th, 2009 at 12:42 am Said:

A blog has been created for anybody to freely express their opinions about the killing. Go to http://justiceforoscar.blogspot.com

Please share the blog address with others.
miss justice, on January 9th, 2009 at 2:35 am Said:

looking at the video its all bout been racist……the officer were white trashy and it is clear that oscar did cooperate but they still went ahead and did it……..they should all be brought to justice and get sued…..fuck all the racist white trashy people…….
dude, on January 9th, 2009 at 4:04 am Said:

In Canada white people die from tasers all the time by white cops, the issue here is police everywhere feeling like they have the power to push people w/o badges around and for the racist crackers posting AND equally racist ‘opressed’ here…. GET A JOB
revengebewithme510, on January 9th, 2009 at 4:21 am Said:

nigga haters nigga haters nigga haters nigga haters nigga haters nigga haters nigga haters nigga haters
revengebewithme510, on January 9th, 2009 at 4:22 am Said:

R.I.P Oscar Grant. That police dush bag should die that aint rite man. Fuck that nigga. Thats a bitch.
Camellia Guy, on January 9th, 2009 at 9:56 am Said:

Accidental shooting of a convicted felon, thug, trouble maker. He was no peacemaker, he was a TROUBLEMAKER. HE WAS A THUG. Stop making him out to be some great person when he was a CRIMINAL. Too bad he got shot. He should have been home in the bed with his wife….er….baby mama…..if he was such a fine upstanding person. HE WAS A THUG.
Randy, Former U.S. Marine, on January 9th, 2009 at 10:21 am Said:

I’m a former US Marine, what is killing me is that this guy is not speaking and not taking responsibility. People are saying maybe he had flashback from the military, since when in the military do we handcuff and execute people? Thats a war crime. Jail is supposed to be rehabilitation right? But you all show your faith in the system for this murderer but not for Oscar. Property damage< Life over? Then Camellia Guy wants to be slick “He should have been home in the bed with his wife….er….baby mama…..if he was such a fine upstanding person. HE WAS A THUG.” You wouldn’t dare say such a thing to any person who protested and/or rioted coward. We don’t complain when dad, brother, or uncle Jim Bob get released from prison in our community after they have finished serving their slap on the wrist sentence for rape or molestation do we? Jan 7 = the beginning.
revengebewithme510, on January 9th, 2009 at 11:19 am Said:

that guy should be in jail were he belongs. He was a man of church wat was he gonna do. He was following all the directions of the officer. That police should die.
CenterLeft, on January 9th, 2009 at 11:40 am Said:

Attacking the victim. That’s all you fucking racist republican neo-cons know. This police BART rent-a-cop will be charged with first degree murder and nothing less. The people have demanded that justice be served. Those in the BAR rent-a-cop organization will also be prosecuted for suppressing evidence at the scene and even as I write this post.
Wow, on January 9th, 2009 at 12:17 pm Said:

I am just at a loss for human words… The man was human period. Everyone makes mistakes and does things in a lifetime they regret but that doesn’t mean they should be put to death for it. To the ones who want to focus on him being a criminal and not a dad, a son, a brother, a friend or a lover I pray for you because the truth of the matter is he is deceased and unjustly at that. God rest his soul and may he way heavy on yours, but in that same breath forgive you for being so ignorant!
justiceforoscar, on January 9th, 2009 at 2:10 pm Said:

Online organizing has been hampered. The local news station websites (KTVU for example)has disabled any blogging about the killing. If you search “Oscar Grant” online you see a confusing list of non-blogging websites. I have created a non-censored blog for anybody to leave opinions. The blog was created for the only purpose to express your opinions about the killing. Hopefully the blog is useful and gets lots of comments. Tell your family and friends about the blog. Let’s organize our thoughts!

Go to: http://justiceforoscar.blogspot.com/
a girl, on January 9th, 2009 at 4:17 pm Said:

I can’t help but notice the connection between horrible spelling/massive swearing/racist commentary & violent, angry ignorance. Food for thought as we all discuss a sensitive issue that hits close to home for all of us.
Renato Noveletto, on January 10th, 2009 at 5:35 am Said:

Same happened with the brazilian guy shot to dead inside the metro in LONDON. who cares…
No better then him, on January 10th, 2009 at 12:28 pm Said:

I tihnk that everyone is saying “hey the cop should die” should really look at whast you are saying i mean i am not saying it was right by any means and what the hell happened but just because he made a mistake a huge mistake at that doesnt mean that he also deserves to die? and what is all this racial stuff? you dont know if it was because of a racial issue? anyways prayers to the family and hope they get justice but i tihnk everyone else should be watching what they say.
Darryl Brooks, on January 10th, 2009 at 3:40 pm Said:

What a way to bring in the new year. I don’t watch the news on a regular basis because it’s depressing. The one time I turn on the news it’s even more than depressing, it’s pitiful. I saw the footage and the only thing I could think of after the shot was why didn’t those other two cops arrest the cop that shot. That was murder. If it was a normal citizen who shot that kid in the back he would have been arrested on the spot. I don’t condone riots but I think those riots could have been prevented by someone from bart speaking up right after the shooting as well as that cop being arrested after the shooting. Then the whole speculation that this guy thought he was holding a tazer. I am not going to insult that mans intelligence. Any idiot knows the weight and feel of a tazer gun is different than a fire arm. I know people don’t understand the situation of the black man in America unless they are black . I also don’t know if the treatment of this young man was do to his ethnicity all I have to go on is history. History tells me it is do to racism the kind of racism that is subconscious. This country is not finished with racism and I’m sick of the whole move on speech. We will move on when things like this stop happening. When justice overpowers the human trait of hatred. When justice overwhelms the power of a badge. I am sick of cops getting away with things like this and give my prayers to the family of Mr Grant’s family. And for the record you can’t judge a man by his mistakes in life you judge a man by how he changes his life.
SPQR, on January 10th, 2009 at 10:37 pm Said:

Ultra liberal wealthy Marin County refused to let BART expand anywhere near the area because black thugs from the East Bay use BART as a place to hang out and harass people as well as getting off Bart and committing robberies and worse.

Oscar Grant got out of prison 4 months ago. He has a long and violent criminal record. Bart usually closes at midnight. BART stayed running until 3/am on New Year’s eve to accommodate revellers. Oscar and his hommies created a mini riot actually a gang fight at the Frutivale station. Bart police were called. The rioters refused to calm down. Oscar took it upon himself to get in the face of the officers.

Oscar is the type of career criminal who eventually gets three strikes and spends the rest of his life in prison or gets killed by either police or his homies or a rival gang.

Oscar did have a fast food job. He did visit his illegitimate child and baby’s mama when he was released from prison. So the media is doing its usual fill in the blanks template sob story stories of this wonderful young man who was “turning his life around” and actually visitiing his child. And working!!

Actually, working was a condition of his parole. Work, or go back to prison. Bummer.

Last year, there were 123 homicides in Oakland. More than 100 of the homicides were young black men killed by other young black men. But there were no protests, no poverty pimp clergy hooting and hollering, no protests. After all it’s a thug life, cuz.

Clearly, had Oscar Grant been a white man, the wannabe gangbangers, thugs, wiggers, and sundry other kinds of scum that only seem to fester in Oakland like open sores wouldn’t have said squat.
ddfaf, on January 11th, 2009 at 3:31 am Said:

Faggot^
YBM, on January 11th, 2009 at 4:51 am Said:

SPQR – Your argument is foolish and ignorant. You are probably a racist. Saying that people don’t riot when criminals kill people is stupid. Criminals are not an established organization you can write memos to in a suggestion box. The federal government is suppose to serve the people. Too many times in our history has the federal government plotted against Black people and people of color in general. Do some real research (i.e. the first Black Panther movement). Criminals don’t hold themselves accountable for their actions, which is why they are criminals. Policemen, should be (but aren’t always). Nobody likes criminals, but the police are supposed to protect us.

Regardless of who Oscar was before, he was not a life threatening individual at the time of his arrest. Three cops should be enough to subdue one man. They used excessive force, and it went overboard… execution style.

When is the last time you’ve seen a White man shot and killed unjustly by a White (or Black) officer?

Being Black you quickly learn that the cops are not always on your side or thinking to protect you. I learned this in LA quickly. Racist cops look for reasons to put a bullet in you, even if they know you are innocent. A cop tried to make a reason to arrest me for driving my car. I’m a college grad and a good citizen. My boss was harassed driving his family vehicle for no reason. Why? He was Black.

I have yet to hear a white person tell a police harassment story. EVERY Brotha I know has one. It comes with the territory of being Black in America. Your life is seen as having less value. I’ve seen it in people’s eyes, especially cops’ eyes. Garanteed, what happened to Oscar would never happen to a White man.
Shelly, on January 11th, 2009 at 6:03 am Said:

SPQR you are hilarious. Why are you all becoming upset and responding to White racists? The man is probably a ped ophile on parole, living in a trailer, pissed off because his penis is pink. They know it doesn’t matter what Oscar Grant may have did but they just want to anger you. Ill return the favor. Oh so what if some of us play the race card? Prove it Bitches. Lol Yall run this country and selectively kill my people. Its just shocking when we get a hand to play AND ACTUALLY USE IT. Shut up and go back to playing dumb and we will go back to acting like we don’t know what the race card is.
Renato Noveletto, on January 11th, 2009 at 10:26 am Said:

Anyone here remember the worlds of John Lenon, Paul and Martin Luther King !!! They die believe onde day we can leave on peace, side by side. When I 1st moved to USA, to miami, I learn that all cities on USA are divided, north, south, est, west. white, black, rich and poor…
I am a Brazilian Man, whith a shame of be white, of have only european roots on a country where 70% of population is black, african roots, slaves but just 10% is a politician here… And why we don
Bill, on January 11th, 2009 at 1:57 pm Said:

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/ph98.pdf

Some interesting stats from the DOJ. Basically, 87% of cops are white. Thus, you are more likely to be shot by a white cop. Surprisingly, black felons are killed at a higher rate by black officers than white officers.

The black-officer-kills-black-felon rate is 32 per 100,000 black officers in 1998, which is higher than the white-officer- kills-black-felon rate of 14 per 100,000 white officers.

Murderers of police officers represent a tiny fraction of the total population.
Of the Nation’s 18.3 million young white males (white males under age 25),
17 murdered a police officer in 1998. Of the 3.4 million young black males,
13 murdered an officer that year.

From 1980 to 1998, young black males made up about 1% of the U.S. population but 21% of felons who murdered a police officer (figure 17); young white males were 8% of the population but 20% of the murderers of law enforcement officers. Young black males murdered police officers at a rate almost 6 times that of young white males (5.7 versus 1 per million population) (the figure below and figure 18).

From 1976 to 1998 the officer in 84% of justifiable homicides by police was
white, and the officer in 15% was black (figure 10).
SPQR, on January 11th, 2009 at 9:07 pm Said:

Media blabbermouths, message board know-it-alls, government bureaucrats and alleged black civil rights groups wield power to censor facts, select information, mock vital principles, and build false expectations, by directing European America’s thinking. In fact today’s information overload has produced an audience unprepared to argue with the “experts” and the “community workers” who hate our people and are working like hell to lead us down the path to self deception.

The very fact that Oscar Grant is depicted in even a small way as some kind of urban saint falls into this kind of systemic sickness.

The cop should be charged with manslaughter and nothing more, whether he was black or white.

It was an accident.
Ray, on January 11th, 2009 at 10:38 pm Said:

Education isn’t just a white thing. It’s an everybody thing. I’m Latino I know.
WOLFER, on January 12th, 2009 at 12:28 am Said:

” blankman ” : you have the correct handle !
ALL the folks who are so outraged by this should spend one day in a cop uniform.
until then :
” YO – SHUT UP ” A’IGHT ” !!!
Page, on January 12th, 2009 at 1:25 am Said:

I think we can all agree that excessive force was used. However, we can also see in the video that the officer messed up…a very tragic mistake on his part. Why is it that society needs an excuse or a reason to riot and hurt other innocent people to make their point? It always has to be a black or white thing. It was an accident that this officer will have to live out for the rest of his life. This is just going to be a very costly lesson for Bart Police. Its not going to bring Oscar back but hopefully his death will make a change for the good and not for the worst. People need to look at it both sides before making stupid and ignorant comments.
hereweare, on January 12th, 2009 at 1:53 pm Said:

In the end, a person will either side with Oscar Grant or the Bart officer. I believe we have to look at all sides to story. Yes, there are pictures and videos but one picture/video can tell a million stories. Oscar Grant may have been a criminal, but people change. And how do we know if he was doing some criminal act on that day to call him a criminal? No one really knows why they were pulled off the bus. I agree, the Bart officer was wrong for what he had done. I know that that feeling of guilt will be in him forever. From the videos I have seen, the Bart officer is shocked with what he has just gone through. But then again, pictures/videos can tell a million stories. I’m just trying to say that instead of trying to accuse sides and being racist or indifferent, have sympathy for both sides. If we all want to live in peace, we must start with changing ourselves.
tjv, on January 12th, 2009 at 10:47 pm Said:

I have a very, very hard time believing that the officer meant to taze Grant. He’s been trained to shoot and trained to taze, and the feel of a taser (not to mention the brightly colored look of it with an LCD display, and a safety in a completely different position…) is completely different from a handgun.

This article describes the absurdity very well

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=dea7256744ec1b5e406762890c910aa1

Even so, it is obvious in the video that Grant was restrained enough to not need any sort of tasering. An unarmed man who is saying “don’t taze me, I have a 4 year old daughter” is in no need of being tasered, especially when he is outnumbered 3 to 1 (with two cops watching everyone else).

These officers approached the situation in a very hostile manner, and the outcome is sickening. Its impossible to separate race from this issue. Institutionalized racism led to the dangerous situation, and a trend of abuse in power led to the murder.

And “whitey” you sicken me, and every other “white” person with a soul and half a brain.
One of Your Voices, on January 13th, 2009 at 10:43 am Said:

Noticing the situation and follow through is a Necessity for the times.

The firing cop(pardon me i do not know his name) Must take accountability.
Oscar(Bless& may his Soul rest) must be made accountable.
&
Every person, from the boys on the curb and the other officers..to the people who had the equipment confiscated and the woman who was able to publish her footage, Must all take responsibility.

WE are not the ones meant to cast judgement.

We are meant to judge our Own actions and govern ourselves.

The Law must come into action, that Is why we have chosen to have Law/Legal representation and Peace Officers and Servants of the People established. A citizen cannot be punished for a crime that the lawmakers are set free from.
The Law was written and established to bring Equal justice. The details of these mens families, children or even their friends who surrounded them at the time of the scenario will not ever be on trial.
We are tried by our actions that are put forth onto Creation, by our own choices and/Or mistakes. That is how we are disciplined or Meant to be disciplined, in an order that will give way for Healing in the right chronology, in a way that will open oppurtunity for Freedom through justice.

Even the choices themselves are not dissected on trial, just the actions that supported the choice.
the possibilities of what Could have happened Are endless..but it Ends at what Did take place.

Whether fear, misunderstanding, injustice or plain confusion entered the scenario and caused the outcome.
The honest Truth is, until we Stand Upright..nothing Will ever Be done..in a Right or Just way.
Accusations, defamation and philandering will only return us to misunderstanding, confusion and injustice..

We have really got to learn how to support, respect and acknowledge the difference and perspective of each One and another..the feelings and the details Matter when we care and have compassion for the reasons of Their Existence. It gives a Knowledge that Mirrors Our Own.
Build Strength and Self Truth, to increase the wealth that understanding delivers to our Own doorsteps of Knowledge..Right Knowledge.

Please allow me to leave with you:
Much Respect and Perseverance to You All, whom this Truth, has stirred enough.. to cause a movement Within.

Peace and Strengthened Guidance..with Self and others,

from One of your Own kinsmen..
from One of your Own kinswomen
Ty, on January 13th, 2009 at 12:45 pm Said:

I say enufs enuf the riots busted my aunts busness and she didnt have nuthin to do with nuthin why all the riots gotta tear shit up dat belong to other blacks fuck dat bullshit
S.Black, on January 13th, 2009 at 1:18 pm Said:

I am a 36 year old white man from Boston. I have been on the receiving end of cops unprovoked and undeserved rage and hatred for the common man. I have been maced, robbed, beaten, and brought up on inflated charges. I was just as mad as anybody when I seen and heard about this, and I talked about it with others, and nobody knows what going on in this counrty. If you think this only happens to one skin color you are miss informed. This issue is about cops that hate and want to kill all human life (exept other cops). Any unknow face to them is the bad guy.We live in a police state. Freedom is long gone. You are only starting to realize that fact. You are made to fear them and obey. Do not question, because they ask the questions. I am totally agianst what Johannes Mehserle did, and all the cellphone video I saw clearly shows a scared youngman pleading not to be hurt, and being pushed down to the floor while one cop cuts Oscars air off by leaning on his kneck, then Johannes Mehserle stands up-points his gun-then shoots Oscar in the back, and kills him while other cops form a perimider around them so to protect the murderer JOHANNES MEHSERLE.
Kenny, on January 13th, 2009 at 7:39 pm Said:

First let me say that the death of Oscar Grant is a tragedy, no matter what. And no matter that Oscar had apparently been in legal trouble on several occasions before, this death was inexcusable. I feel sympathy for the Grant family, his daughter, the mother of his child and all those who knew him as a friend. However, in no way do I believe that the officer fired his weapon on purpose. I strongly believe that it was a tragic mistake. I wish that those who are permeating hate and aggression on others would stop and allow the process to happen that will bring explanation to what happened. I do believe the officer involved should face some kind of punishment, but the protests and destruction of innocent peoples property is doing nothing to help the situation. Rest In Peace Oscar Grant. Only God can be his judge.
angry, on January 13th, 2009 at 9:26 pm Said:

does it matter whether or not this man was a peacemaker or whatever they say he was… no all that matters was that he was killed by this stupid ass bart police officer…what told this man to pull his gun out when he couldve just used his tazer? why pull out a weapon at all he already had the man on the ground! i commute on bart to get to school everyday and i want to know that i am safe but how can anyone be safe knowing that the so called police officers that are there to protect us are atually killing us? this isnt just about bart this is about police officers every where they kill because they think they can??? and we pay our tax dollars to support these fuckers to kill us? if you watched any of the videos you can clearly see that he did not give a fuck about oscar grants life you see that he throws him around after he shoots him like he wasnt a man before he shot him…what kind of shit is that…my heart goes out to his family and to the people that had to witness the gruesome act…i fell that they should find that officer that shot him and shooot his ass execution style…or let him rot away in prison on the death penalty..they shouldnt have let this go on so long. he is a murderer and it really doesnt matter if he was a bart police officer when he killed oscar grant he got promoted by the devil. so much evil in the world. makes me sick
chope lu, on January 14th, 2009 at 12:04 am Said:

WHATS GOOD EVERY ONE I HAD TO DO THIS DESIGN FOR THE MAN SLAIND FOR NO RESON.. I DIDNT KNOW THE MAN BUT WE GOT TO KEEP HIS MEMORRY ALIVE YALL.. FOR HIS KID AND FAMILY..

TAKE THIS IMAGE AND DO WHAT EVER YOU WHAT WIT IT.. BUT SHOW LUV TO THE MAN..
G-Man, on January 14th, 2009 at 12:05 am Said:

Oscar Grant is no victim. He lived a life of crime and was recently released from state PRISON. People are not just sent to prison for committing harmless crimes. For some people it’s a long term goal, like graduating college and earning a Master’s degree. You need to live a life of crime to be sent to prison. It’s funny to hear his family talking on television how Oscar was changing his life because of his daughter. Maybe he should have stayed at home with his daughter for New Years Eve, instead of hanging out with thugs and starting fights on the BART Station. Or maybe he should have complied with the Officers. If Oscar was still alive and this would have happened to someone else, Oscar would have been one of those people in the riot vandalizing cars and businesses in Oakland. I wonder why the City of Oakland had 180 homicides last year. Maybe because people like him are wondering the streets. $25 million dollars…. he isn’t worth 25 cents.

Now it’s obvious that Officer Johannes Mehserle did not intend to kill Oscar and that it was an accident. I agree he should be held accountable for what happened. I think 3 years informal court probation would be sufficient.
G-Man, on January 14th, 2009 at 12:24 am Said:

Oh, did anyone see the sunglasses that Oscar’s mother was wearing during her TV conference? They look like this \$$-$$/
RJP3, on January 14th, 2009 at 10:18 am Said:

Sad event – and sad comments.

The fact is the man was on the ground and unarmed.
Those are the ONLY facts that matter.
He was speaking out (maybe to tell his friends to shut up) and that is why he was SILENCED.

Disgusting PIG shot him dead.
RJP3, on January 14th, 2009 at 10:21 am Said:

G-Man = the problem with all your ranting is that the police officer did not know any of the background on this American Citizen.

The police officer decided to murder an unarmed person.

All other arguements – like what you have polluted the conversation with – are a distraction and put innocent people at risk for death by taser and gun.
thejudge, on January 14th, 2009 at 2:06 pm Said:

why doesn’t anyone realize this is the first shot in the race war that has been provoked by Barack Obama’s election? Us white people are afraid and we have secretly instructed all white police, as well as other authorities, to kill on site any black person. Oscar Grant was a model citizen and was clearly intent on changing the world. Sure he made a few minor mistakes in life but had one of us white guys done the same we would have never served jail time like he did. Once he was out, there was no way we were going to let that guy turn his life around and be the productive member of society that he clearly was determined to be. There is no possibility of any other explanation other than us white people saw Oscar as a black man trying to break out of our stereotypes — having elected a black man, it became imperative to nip this progressive movement in the bud.

Who cares that in a city like Oakland, innocent people (black, white, latino, etc) are gunned down daily. Who cares that women are raped, children are exposed to violence and drugs, and people just trying to get by are killed often in a place largely run by criminal gangs? Why stand up to those in their community that perpetuate this violence when it is pale in comparison to one horrible, tragic encounter in which a young man was killed. It makes most sense to rage and riot and destroy your town over this than to ever acknowledge and stand up against the daily onslaught of violence committed by your neighbors on each other.

But seriously, obviously the actions were wrong and criminal — believing it is a white conspiracy only serves the lazy people who want to make excuses for their beloved sons who choose a life of crime — it doesn’t take away from the fact that this was an egregious and tragic error in judgment…it only matters that it is was a white cop who unjustifiably shot a black do-gooding saint. If it was a black cop that shot him what would all you idiots be doing now? Destroying your city’s shops and business…the very lifeline that keeps your city from resembling a village in Somalia? Of course you wouldn’t…you idiots are seizing on this because you refuse to stand up against the other realities in your neighborhoods…I’d like to see one you, black or white, get up and organize a protest the next time a latino father of two is gunned down while walking his dog, or a lesbian is gang raped in Richmond, or a man is shot for not joining a gang or drug dealing or speaking out against them? Where are those protests? There not happening because let’s face it…the biggest detriment to the black community has been the popularization and glorification of THUG life…sure they’re all saints after they’ve been gunned down or murdered by white cops but what were they when they were terrorizing the community?

This is an awful situation and I hope justice is served but if you idiots want to make a change then stop looking to blame racism and white people…start organizing street protests against your local drug dealers and gang bangers, stop eulogizing people as saints just because they haven’t been arrested since being paroled for aggravated assault….Fat chance you do that though, it is much more convenient to blame the white man, the authorities, and anyone else but yourselves …. seriously, keep encouraging the Thug life, encourage your kids to use the derogatory comments because if you’re black it is ok to call each other that, encourage them to resolve dispute by yelling and fighting, encourage them to be hard, encourage them to make excuses for the mistakes they make or the paths they choose because in the end, we all know that it is a white cop’s fault and the white conspiracy is not going to let any black man turn around his life! How long will it be until this very same people start calling Barack an Uncle Tom?
WOLFER, on January 14th, 2009 at 2:26 pm Said:

for ” the judge ”

You Sir , are ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!!!
Thank you , for adding some realism , to this insanity !

WOLFER
melissa, on January 14th, 2009 at 3:06 pm Said:

thank you for all imformation this well help for funraser
lifebringer2men, on January 14th, 2009 at 4:23 pm Said:

very well said. I think a lot of people feel the same way . Let hope that today’s riot isn’t to costly. And everyone they arrest should be charged for something more than disturbing the peace.
And it’s terrible that this now ex-officer looks like a fugitive. He had to hide . what other choice did he have . We give him a gun to serve and protect. And he make’s a mistake . Now we want his life . For what he is asked to do.His job
Of course it hurt those who loved this kid . You can’t take it back . But we have to see the truth of the matter. And quit seeing color .
SFDIVA, on January 15th, 2009 at 10:39 am Said:

G-Man, here’s hoping that karma bestows the same to you…3 years probation?!

As much as you all like bringing up the fact that OG was allegedly a criminal, there’s NO WAY that JM knew that fact that night. A young developing human life was deemed insignificant by the ones sworn to protect and serve, to uphold justice, and the police wonder why they’re forced to carry around the stigma that we correspond with corruption. Da Brat got 3 years in prison for hitting someone upside the head with a bottle, & you’re recommending probation for this sack of ish?! Are you SERIOUS?!
LC, on January 15th, 2009 at 11:56 am Said:

They should convict this cop and give him a very,very long prison sentence,life w/out parole is not that bad though.What he did was cold blooded.You are right SFDIVA,that cop didnt know that Oscar was a felon,he could have been a decent man who had a bad day,either way that doesnt give him a right to take his life away,now that idiot ruined his life too.”WE” need a conviction and when he DOES get to prison put him in the GENERAL POPULATION.Lets see who is the big boy with the gun now.PEACE.
G-Man, on January 15th, 2009 at 1:12 pm Said:

SFDIVA,

Oh I’m series about 3 years informal court probation for the Officer. The reason why Oscar Grant was sentenced to four years in State Prison was not just because he hit someone over the head with a bottle. That, plus coupled with the other dozen of prior felony arrest/convictions in his criminal history got him sent to State Prison. Like I said before, he lived a life of crime. Yes, the Officer did not know that before he accidentally shot him, but now that everyone knows the lifestyle he lived, there is no reason why anyone should lose sleep over his death beside his family.

Let me just remind people about the crime in Oakland and in Richmond last year. Oakland had 180 homicides last year and Richmond had 50 (a lot smaller city). I’m up-to-date with crime. I would say out of those 180 people killed in Oakland last year, 160-170 of those people contributed to their owe death and are not “true victims”. These are the type of people that are shooting each other over dope robberies, dope territories, gang affiliations and organized hits. Are we losing sleep over these deaths? NOPE. Let’s talk about the true victims. The other 10-20 people killed in Oakland last year are people just being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and have no affiliations with the mentioned crimes. Like the 10 year old boy who was accidently shot from a stray bullet while playing his piano at home in Oakland. That’s a VICTIM. Now he’s paralyzed for life for something he had no control over (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/11/BAKQUDG7B.DTL) or the pizza-man shot and killed in Richmond. He was set up for a robbery and killed by thugs just like Oscar Grant. The pizza-man was just trying to make a living to support his family when he was killed for no reason (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/28/BA03TJP5C.DTL). He’s a VICTIM. The other people that are purposely shooting and killing each other are not victims. Oscar Grant was a criminal and thug causing problems in society like I just mentioned. I’ve said enough…
Amanda, on January 15th, 2009 at 5:47 pm Said:

G-Man,
So you are saying, that Oscar Grant deserves this, just because he used to be in the prison?
Just because he used to be in the prison, committed some crimes in the past, doesn’t mean he deserved to be shot point blank execution style. So what if he was a criminal? The police officer certainly didn’t know that when he shot Oscar, and even if he did, no one should ever be allowed to shoot an unarmed man.
We are not here to discuss Oscar’s past, we are here because of the injustice done to another human being. You should not be prejudiced if you were to pass judgment. The simple fact here is: every one saw that the police officer shot Oscar Grant, who was, at the time, fully unarmed and fully cooperating. Just ask yourself, do you agree that it is 100% alright for a police officer to shoot a citizen who is unarmed and have his back towards the officer? If you do not agree, then you should be protesting against this injustice. If you think it is perfectly alright, then I say… you are either one of those police officers who deny the truth that is in plain sight, or you need some serious education on morality.
G-Man, on January 15th, 2009 at 7:05 pm Said:

Amanda,

I’m not saying that Oscar Grant deserved to be killed because he was in prison. No one deserves death by another human being, unless you’re protecting your life or the life of others. What I’m saying is that the Officer screwed up for what he did and it was obvious by the videos shown on TV that it was an accident. So the Officer should be held accountable for the accidental homicide. That’s up to the courts to decide punishment against the Officer. I just gave my opinion and believe the Officer should get a maximum of 3 years informal court probation for accidentally killing Oscar Grant. However, the media has portrayed Oscar Grant as a peace-keeper which he was not. Like someone else said on this board, more like a trouble-maker. Like the old saying, “You live by the gun, you die by the gun.” Whether it was from a cop’s gun or someone else’s gun, he got himself caught up in bad situations which caused him his life. If the Officer wouldn’t have killed him, some other thug on the streets would have, or he would be in prison for other crimes just like he was. Lets see how you will feel about hoodlums after one day, 3-4 thugs enter your business, puts a gun to your face and orders you to give him all of your money or else he’s going to kill you. Then pistol whips you before fleeing with your money. Remember, they’re humans too. Just for info, I will never protest for injustice for Oscar Grant, I am very educated on morality, and do not deny the truth. I’m just not oblivious to crime and criminals, nor do I feel sorry for tragic stuff that happened to them. That’s all.
J-Philadelphia, on January 16th, 2009 at 12:09 pm Said:

All I have to say is, criminal or not Oscar Grant didn’t have the right to be shot in the back. When a cop draws his gun he takes full responsibility.

For all that make comments about not loosing sleep over a criminal’s death. We don’t choose the situations we are born into. When you grow up in a neighborhood of crime you associate to crime differently. In no way I am saying anyone that grows up in these neighborhoods are automatically criminals, because if that’s the case put me on the list! All I am saying is I know some really amazing people, some even good friends that have been in jail for attempted murder. Know one outside the picture knows why they committed these crimes, but you do know more when you actually know the person. Their are some situations in life that make you break laws, but you can’t tell that from a police report.

Everyone has reasons for their actions some good some bad. Oscar Grant was a criminal, he paid his time that our justice system thought was a proper. The cop had no right, even by protocol to shoot a person in handcuffs. He needs to serve time to.
Husla3x, on January 16th, 2009 at 9:46 pm Said:

I don’t even know what to say, because saying i can’t bleve they did it would be a lie. No matter what we do, achieve or overcome there will always be racist ass low level barely graduated high school ass police officers killing and getting away with killing our black asses.

How can you not be racist when the other side is?

I was getting older and hating police a bit less, this just reupped my hate. Stanky phuckkaz.
Stracy, on January 17th, 2009 at 9:01 pm Said:

COURAGE

Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria,nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. 2 Chronicles 13:7-8
My comment is to the family and that is what’s WRONG will be rightfully JUSTIFIED! Remember God will make his present be known, just have faith and believe in your hearts. I send to you (the family of Oscar Grant) my most sincere condolence. My heart just bleeds out too you all. Stracy Joyce Priester
Ann Nomura, on January 19th, 2009 at 10:11 pm Said:

Oakland: Politics, Pork and Justice

State Attorney General Jerry Brown Oakland’s got on the NPR about a week ago and made an appeal for Oaklander’s to stand down and let the system work (he assured us Oscar Grant’s family would get justice). Even white soccer mom’s like myself flipped off our radios and went home and looked up the time and date of the next rally. Jerry, put down the doobie! You lived in Oakland long enough to know what all those young people, and even us middle aged middle class moms know, the Alameda County District Attorney Tom Orloff wouldn’t know justice if it poked him in the eye. Now even if DA Orloff and his staff could recognize and deliver justice; they most certainly are not in the habit of giving it out to young black men who get murdered by the police.

District Attorney Tom Orloff has never successfully prosecuted police for violence against community members. “Off the record” everyone agrees that DA Orloff runs the most arrogant and incompetent government agencies in all of Alameda County and perhaps the State. In fact police and criminals are united in their low opinion of Mr. Orloff and his staff’s ability.

So how does Orloff survive and thrive, the old fashioned way he’s a seasoned bureaucrat a career preservationist. He sucks down a huge salary and doles out high paying county jobs every local politician’s sons, daughters, wives, cousins, uncles, mistresses and perhaps the odd pet. Pete Stark’s boy Jeffry “presides” over the Grand Jury, Orloff has employed Lockyer’s and Panetta’s kin as well. Judges may also impose on Orloff to employ their friends and family as well. Tom Orloff doesn’t deal in justice he deals in political influence; so no politician will ever call him to task for incompetence. We have no justice the DA runs a publicly funded employment agency to politicians and fat cat family members.

In 2006 the then Grand Jury Foreman, a retired Sheriff’s Deputy, Mr. Boyer rushed out a shamelessly biased negative report on the Alameda County Medical Center. The report was strikingly similar to the public criticisms made of the Medical Center by the then Sherriff Charlie Plummer. The report was so damaging so factually flawed that the entire Authority Board of the Medical Center signed a written rebuke to the report.

So, you say, why the press doesn’t look into this? The East Bay Express wrote whole articles about Dellum’s wife’s influence but a whole hen house of politician’s relatives doesn’t merit mention? And what about “Chip Johnson” the Don Perata’s mouthpiece at the San Francisco Chronicle, he’s all over the nepotism, corruption and incompetence at City Hall. Orloff makes ex-city manager Deborah Elderly look like a rank amateur but the silence is deafening, do they not know? Do they not care? What’s up? Well, actually the whole bag of snark with dates and data was provided to an East Bay Express reporter. The reporter told the source that the East Bay Express was “not comfortable” writing about the DA. Maybe Chip’s uncomfortable too, Chip doesn’t like to get too analytical about Oakland’s political machine or any of Don Perata’s friends or family.

So, what does this mean for Oscar Grant and Oakland? After years of uninterrupted pork and politics at the District Attorney’s office can Orloff and his staff do what they have never done before and give Oscar’s Grant’s family and Oakland what they want and need?
TB, on January 29th, 2009 at 5:12 am Said:

The tragedy here is that a good person has lost his career because some punk ass gang-banger decided to break the law and fight on the BART. This cop made a mistake and I feel bad for him and his family. I can’t bring myself to shed a tear over the dead thug or his family.
Lorraine Newman, on February 1st, 2009 at 9:10 am Said:

I remember one time I was on the BART train and the police pulled me off and started beating me for no reason. I was just sitting there, minding my own business, when they tasered me for no reason. I ran home, and the police followed me. They burst into my home, and being assaulting me and all my pets. They tasered my kitty, my goldfish, and even my hamster, who later burst into flame. As an Eskimo American, we are often overlooked, but we are even more discriminated against than black Americans. Whale Power!
notsure, on February 2nd, 2009 at 1:31 am Said:

Police officers should be prohibited to carry firearms and tazers, then there would be no mistakes that would result in death to the civilian population.

This is ridiculous that the investigation has taken this long everyone seen the dam cop shoot him.

I hope this police officer serves time and gets to meet bubba.
Tyree, on February 3rd, 2009 at 9:32 am Said:

to nickel

it was murder not manslaughter
how could a cop accidentally shoot someone?
theres a big diffrence betweena gun and a tazer
for one you have to cock the gun to shoot it
its a completely different weapon
and the tazer and the gun are on opposite sides of the police men and with there training they know exactly where they are hre knew it was his gun
if he looked suprised or not he meant to shoot him

murder
Tyree, on February 3rd, 2009 at 9:32 am Said:

to nickel

it was murder not manslaughter
how could a cop accidentally shoot someone?
theres a big diffrence betweena gun and a tazer
for one you have to cock the gun to shoot it
its a completely different weapon
and the tazer and the gun are on opposite sides of the police men and with there training they know exactly where they are he knew it was his gun
if he looked suprised or not he meant to shoot him

murder
It's a Shame, on February 3rd, 2009 at 3:02 pm Said:

Oscar Grant is no Dr. King.

Violent criminal –Yes
Gang member –Yes

It’s disturbing the activists posting here believe the citizens of Oakland should profer the granting of special privileges to Blacks so they may maintain a violent, criminal lifestyle.

What happened to morality, education, family, and community? You think police officers took that away? Ridiculous.

It’s the result of generations breaking down the family structure in an effort to secure a falsely wealthy lifestyle
via welfare, drug dealing, prostitution, and other crimes. Largely poor Black communities will only have a chance when parents, grandparents, clergy, and other civic leaders put the burden on themselves to build up their communities.
Latrice, on February 5th, 2009 at 8:23 am Said:

To Curt and to Willa or whatever your name is. I don’t care about his past and you shouldn’t either the fact is he was brutally killed by a policeman that thought he had the power and control. If this was your son and/or daughter you wouldn’t want poeple saying “oh well he did this once before and yada yada” but yet your child is dead and he was innocent in the case but some scumbag killed them. That is some ones father, son, boyfriend (soon to be husband), so I don’t give a damn what he did a freaking year ago. And neither should you. The fact is he was murdered, his life was taken away!!! And all you are concerned about is what he did a year ago? That baby will never see her father again. Do you know how that feels? Not to see your dad again, and to have to sit there and have to forgive the person who did it. Or what if that was your son? And you have to sit and look your son’s killer in the eye. How would you feel. You wouldn’t be thinking about your child’s record. This is a hard time for Grant’s family and people like you make it worse. It’s bad enough that the media is all over it, and most likely the cop won’t get what he deseveres. This isn’t right, and people in America just accept it. You turn the other cheek just because of who did the crime, and then you try and put the blame or talk about the victim. We give the policemen to much power, and they’re going to continue to do stuff like this until America stands up and says “You know what I’m tired of innocent people getting killed, and we want justice.” For the people that believe that this is a color problem I do agree. Because of the color BLUE that policeman feelt he had the right to shoot Grant. And so many people are terrifed to go against them because they feel the same thing might happen to them or their family. The Criminal Justice system are suppose to be here to protect us, not to kill our fathers, brothers, and sons. So when I hear ignorant people like you basicly saying that Grant doesn’t deserve his justice and looking back on his past and making him look like the bad guy, it pisses me off. Instead of looking into his back ground you should be praying for his family, praying that they are ok, and that the scumbag that shoot him gets what he deserves.
voicesf, on February 5th, 2009 at 12:16 pm Said:

I don’t understand why Grant resisted BART police’s arrest. What was he doing prior to his arrest? Were he and his friends harassing other civilians at the BART station? Were their actions violating other people’s rights and safety? If not, why caused the arrest in the first place? If yes, Grant is obviously not a peacemaker based on this incident regardless of his past criminal records. If yes, aren’t Grant and his friends responsible for putting themselves in the situation that might get themselves hurt? If yes, they violated other people’s rights and maybe endangered others’ safety first. If that’s the case, I’m not sure if they are entitled the same rights all of us are given. If their arrest was a mistake or they did something reckless but didn’t mean harm, why didn’t he and his friends just give in to the arrest and explain when the situation calms down? If Grant is a true peacemaker, why did he aggressively resisted the arrest? This tragedy would not have happened if there wasn’t an arrest or if the arrest was not aggressively resisted. Is it fair to blame all of this tragedy on the BART officer who shot Grant by accident? Is Grant and his friends not responsible for any of this? Now they are suing for money over their friend’s dead body. I feel the BART police were just doing their job the best they could. I don’t think the officer went to work wishing to arrest black kids so he can kill them and ruin his life and his family’s life. It is very sad for Grant’s 4 year old girl to lose his father. It is very sad for Grant’s family to lose their loved one. That is why most of us think of the consequences before we act irresponsibly for ourself and our loved ones.
Darryl, on February 5th, 2009 at 12:43 pm Said:

I’m sorry if this sounds a little bias but some police just harrass young minorities. This is just a fact. Now was he doing something wrong or wasn’t he is not the issue. He wasn’t doing enough wrong to get shot in the back period. If this was a white kid shot by a black cop alot of these comments would be different. Why not just leave it at this… Headline “Black Kid Murdered at Bart Station by Bart Police Officer.” Who cares what the guy did prior to his demise. Peacemaker maybe maybe not?? People can change in a heartbeat. I think we all play peacemaker at some point in our lives. Judging this guy on his criminal record when he isn’t here to defend himself in my opinion is just not right. We only saw one instance of this young mans life together and that was him being shot in the back. It’s just crazy to me how the police are just shooting up everyone now. It’s sick. They need to screen these people better. I think due to what is going on in this country people are loosing there damn minds.
Latrice9492, on February 6th, 2009 at 7:45 am Said:

Trogdor and Voicesf you guys are ignorant. Trogdor if some said that about one of your family members you would most likely be ready to fight. What if some one sadi they were glad that you were dead, how would that make you and your family feel. YOU are the asshole. And for Voicesf look at the video Grant wasn’t resisting arrest that’s why everyone is so upset about this situation. If you actually knew the facts you would understand. So befroe you go around and dog out the VICTIM look behind the scenes dig deeper than what you see. I looked at many videos and Grant was going everything he was asked. When the gun shot was fired he was on his stomach and in handcuffs, so please tell me how is that resisting arrest?
Latrice, on February 6th, 2009 at 7:56 am Said:

Darryl,
I totally agree with you.
Jon, on February 6th, 2009 at 9:44 pm Said:

“peacemaker?” I think you need to check your sources buddy. Another case of the media trying to “spin” things out of control. Garbage like this does not help the efforts to keep peace in Oakland. Absolutely horrible.
Jaxter, on February 10th, 2009 at 2:22 pm Said:

what really pisses me off is that the officer mehserle or watever got released on bail after what?…like 2 weeks in jail…justice is never served….
damon_dusk, on February 10th, 2009 at 10:39 pm Said:

1) Oscar Grant was murdered. No question. He was on the ground, face down, held down and shot in the back. Murder.

2) Murder knows no color. I’m getting tired of people talking about wanting a color blind society out one side of their mouth and then parading their color out the other side as if it entitles them to something.

3) For all of the people saying that if this were not a black kid he would not have been shot: if it were a white kid or an indian kid or someone not black or hispanic NONE of you would even give a shit. There would be no outrage. Sure maybe a few sad parents like myself who understand that ALL life of ALL colors is precious, but thats about it.

In conclusion: judge these cases by merrit of the events, not the colors of skin involved. That should apply universaly. Let’s not make this about black, white, brown, yellow or otherwise; let’s make it about murder.
Lame as hell, on February 11th, 2009 at 12:39 pm Said:

It strikes me as funny that when a black person commits cold blooded murder it is injustice that they don’t get bail, but when a white cop who clearly commited a lesser crime gets bail it is also considered an injustice.

The real injustice is that the cops bail was so high! 3 million! The law says accused criminals deserve a fair bail amount. The only real danger with Mehserle is that he is a target!

Anyone in their right mind would see that it was an accident but now the court is being influenced by public outcry.

THAT IS AN INJUSTICE!
Albert Monteforte, on February 12th, 2009 at 12:34 am Said:

No doubt that the Bart police did something very wrong, the deed should be severely punished.
However a few criticism from all this: look at the whole picture:
1. The Attorney representing the Grant that want 25Millions is looking after himself, despite that he appears so righteous and and so thirsty for justice, he wants to make millions out of who … Bart?? no, out of the working class that takes bart to go to work, if Bart pays the 25 Millions then you working people will have to pay more for your Bart tickets … If the attorney is so “wonderful” ask him to take the case pro-bono (not charging ridiculous amount of money).
2. The riots have cost small business owners a lot of money that they don’t even have, they are struggling to makes ends meet, and nothing has happen to the criminals that assaulted those stores, and scare their customers.
3. Crime abound all over the Bay Area, however the judges let them go free and keep on punishing the victims, directly or indirectly.
4. Drugs abound in the Bay Area and it is readily available even to minors (sorry to say, Oscar Grant was involved in drug dealing). We need to erradicate drugs from the streets, however this is not possible because drug dealers are to powerful, the main culprit been the USA government.
5. After all this nothing matters anymore that much, I thing that the end is near anyway … 2 more years … go to http://www.familyradio.com and check it out by yourselves.
PJH, on February 12th, 2009 at 10:41 am Said:

What’s the old saying? Live by the sword, die by the sword.

Oscar Grant was a felon.

Oscar Grant was no saint.

Oscar Grant should have been at home with his daughter on New Year’s Eve.

Let’s face it: Given what we know about the police and their propensity to shoot unarmed black men, what the hell was Oscar Grant thinking? He shouldn’t have been resisting arrest.

I’m black, from the south, and was quite poor. My father told me, ALL OF MY LIFE, to cooperate with the police. They have guns. They have power. They have itchy trigger fingers when it comes to young black men.

Grant should have known better.

Thug life gets you killed.

Tupac was a thug, and he’s dead.

Biggie Smalls? Yep, he’s gone too.

Life a thug life, die a thug life.

Where are all the protests in Oakland while drug dealers rule the neighborhoods?

Where are all the protests of the Oakland community when 100 or so black men killed by OTHER BLACK MEN every year?

Stop scapegoating the police and be responsible.

My word of advice: DON’T ARGUE WITH POLICE OFFICERS. DON’T RESIST ARREST. You may get shot. Then your family will talk about what a saint you were, WHEN YOU OBVIOUSLY WEREN’T.

Oscar Grant, RIP. It’s too bad in your short life you had to find out the hard way that: CRIME DOESN’T PAY.

Contrary to what Oscar Grant’s family says, he was an ex-con, thug.

Again, where are the protests while black Oaklanders get killed every day???

Hate “WHITEY” all you want. Black folks kill other black folks EVERY DAY. Where’s the prostestations?
PJH, on February 12th, 2009 at 10:50 am Said:

I’m on a roll now.

Oscar Grant brought this on himself.

That’s the truth.

Stop making him into a good guy, when he clearly wasn’t.

Ever been to prison? Didn’t think so. People go to prison for breaking the law. It’s not easy to go to prison. You have to earn those stripes. Grant apparently earned his.

“22 year old, family man”? Bullshit.

22 year old thug with a prison record is the truth.

He impregnated his baby-mama, didn’t marry her, and was in prison for a while, leaving his daughter without a father.

Those are the facts. He was a criminal thug.

I’m sure I’ve riled up some folks now and so what?

We as black people should be riled up by thugs such as Grant giving us all a bad rep. That’s the truth.

Stop sticking up for criminals. Get your head out of the sand.

Oscar Grant caused his own early demise. Yep, that’s what I said. HE CAUSED IT.

Dumb cop. Dumb Grant.

If Grant had been home as the “good” father he is claimed to have been, none of this would have happened……
PacAttack, on February 16th, 2009 at 10:09 pm Said:

All drivers are trained to drive before they are licensed to do so. Everyone would agree upon that. If a driver failed to pay attention, let that be because they were looking at their radio, talking on a cell phone, sipping a cup of juice and ran someone over that was entering the crosswalk it would be called an accident.
What is so different here. It is an accident. All Police are trained but when you are dealing with human beings, some things will be lost. Some accidents will occur. That does not automatically make it criminal. This is the nature of our existance. Not everyone does what they are trained or supposed to do. Doctors, some of the most hightly trained and educated professionals in our society kill on average 15,000 people every year on accident while being paid to save their lives. What is so different here. Just a bunch of sensationalism.

And some of you really need to take an English class and proof read what you type before you press the “submit” button. Just a suggestion if you want people to take anything you say seriously.
mary, on February 17th, 2009 at 12:30 am Said:

I wish there were some way I could persuade you, PacAttack, and some of the others making holier-than-thou comments to read at least one other story on this website so as to expose yourself just a little bit to the Black experience.

Your whiteness is blinding you. If Oscar had stood over Johannes and pumped a bullet into his back, would you have called that an accident?

Why must you revere police officers like gods who can do no wrong, nothing worse than make a mistake? Are you one of them?

Mary Ratcliff, editor
SF Bay View
PacAttack, on February 17th, 2009 at 9:22 am Said:

Mrs. Ratcliff,
Fortunately for me I have been living “THE Black experience” for the last 36 years. Some of which were spent next to your very own daughter in school. Some of that Black experience was in your very own office on Third street. Some of my Black experience was spent while attending a historically Black institution surrounded and embraced by thousands of young Black people all bettering themselves through education of various forms. So Mrs. Ratcliff, you misread my Blackness for blinding white. Maybe that is because everyone had a different experience and there is no one “Black experience”.

I do not revere police officers any more than any othere people. I know that they are fallable as anyone else. I believe that my post indicated that. I am simply an objective person that knows much more about this case than what was reported on the televison and print media.
mary, on February 17th, 2009 at 7:34 pm Said:

Well, I’m glad to meet you again. Since you are an insider in this case and and have been blessed with an excellent education, I know we can count on you to do all you can to see that justice is done and that these police officers and others learn to value Black lives as highly as their own.

Mary
PacAttack, on February 19th, 2009 at 12:24 am Said:

Mary,
Unfortunately this horrific incident has gone beyone the control of any one person or group. There are many people across the country that have taken interest in the death of Oscar Grant and I doubt if there will be justice for anyone. It is just sad.
char, on February 19th, 2009 at 11:20 am Said:

i feel really bad for him but atleast hes in heaven resting in peace
henceforth, on February 23rd, 2009 at 7:10 am Said:

Yep, there will always be the authority loving bootlickers trying to justify this stuff. That is the nature of mindless sheepish cowards. It is the meaning of their life.

Fortunately these people don’t matter. What matters is that people with a mind of their own actually do something about it. Rather than protest we need legislation that puts bad cops in jail. That cop should have been arrested immediately by the other two, but instead they acted like a gang, because that is all a police uniform is anymore, gang colors.
G-Man, on March 1st, 2009 at 9:17 pm Said:

ONE LESS PAROLEE WONDERING THE STREETS OF OAKLAND. AND FOR YOU ACTIVISTS, WHY AREN’T YOU PROTESTING ABOUT THE CRIME HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IN OAKLAND? “Five Injured In Four Oakland Shootings Over 6 Hour-Period” ***CHECK IT OUT*** http://www.ktvu.com/news/18826954/detail.html
IF OSCAR WAS ALIVE, HE WOULD PROBABLY BE A SUSPECT IN ONE OF THOSE SHOOTINGS.
услуги форекс, on March 3rd, 2009 at 4:52 pm Said:

рынку форекс рынку форекс http://trading-blog.ru торговля форекс
Darryl, on March 3rd, 2009 at 5:11 pm Said:

G-Man I’m pretty sure that those six shooting where not by a paid police officer. That is the point. The police officer is paid to protect the public not murder and harass the public. What you are talking about is something that should not be happening but has nothing to do with the murder of Oscar Grant and for all you know if he was still alive he might have become something special And as far as protesting the violence we do protest against violence. But unfortunately some violence does not have a face and is not recorded and broadcast across the news and the internet ect. In the case of the Oscar Grant situation we saw what happened first hand which in turn will rile up everyone against police violence. You can’t take a wrong and turn it around and make it seem ok. The cop was wrong period I don’t understand why they still even have this thread open. This is cut and dry nothing will change the fact that it’s wrong I don’t care how racist or bigoted some people are… If you watch the video it’s pretty clear. What happens in other situations have nothing to do with this one G-Man.
Christopher, on March 4th, 2009 at 9:33 am Said:

I’ve reviewed the videos and the audio that was pieced together from various sources and I have come to a conclusion that the shooting was justifiable. I’ve read over all the BS and have filtered through all the racist garbage (both black and white) and can understand why everyone’s getting this bent completely out of proportion. Ignorance breeds ignorance and hate breeds anger. We have these people who feel the need to take a chihuahua and turn it into a great dane who are trying to spark a fire for their own personal agendas. I’ll be the first to say that this shooting was an absolute tragedy and could have been avoided. I’m not going to give ANY opinions, or raise any kind of speculation. My only goal is to get everyone who reads this to use their own mind and focus on nothing but the facts. Who cares what color anyone was in this mess, it has absolutely nothing to do with the case. It apparently has ALOT to do with several people’s need to lash out, it’s easier to label this a racially motivated shooting than to accept it for what it really was. Here’s what I observed:
1) Oscar Grant went out with friends on New Year’s Eve to party and have a good time, just like millions of others across the country (race, sex, and religion aren’t a factor)
2) Oscar Grant and his friends were pulled from a train for an altercation that took place (the passengers were of every race, sex, and religion). You could hear the racial slurs coming from several black males on the train as they were removed and seperated from the other passengers.
3) Oscar Grant’s friends get searched without incident or a scratch.
4) Oscar Grant leaned back against the officer when he was told to lay down to be searched. The officer had to put his weight on top of Grant to get him to start leaning forward. A second officer had to take his hands (and they were uncuffed) and stretch them out in front of him to get Grant into the prone position. Grant resisted and the second officer was forced to put his knee in his neck and shoulder area to hold him down for search. The first officer then began to search Grant and he began bucking and resisting harder. The second officer was forced to reposition and try to regain control of Grant. A third officer saw the struggle and went for Grant’s left arm.
5) Grant started moving his left hand towards his jacket, where the officer hadn’t been allowed to search and clear him of any weapons he might have. The third officer tried to secure the arm, but Grant was already there.
6) The first officer reaches towards his weapon-side to either grab his pistol or handcuffs, but saw Grant’s left hand moving towards his jacket and got to his feet and retreated in response to the impending threat.
7) Officers 2 and 3 continue to struggle for a split second and officer 1 draws his weapon and fires a single round into Mr. Grant. Officers 1 and 2 both stepped back and stared at the subject, either in shock or to assess whether he was still a threat or not, I can’t speculate there. He stops struggling and the officers are able to handcuff and restrain him.

Those are simple facts that anyone can follow as you watch the videos that have been posted on the news and youtube. There’s no deviation from the actual events with no feelings for either side. Now for my opinion:
1) had Mr Grant allowed the officer to search him without resisting, he would be here today.
2) had Mr. Grant stopped when the officer commanded him to stop, he would be here today.
3) had the officer waited until a gun was produced and he started shooting, it would have been too late and at least 2 officers and at least as many citizens would have been wounded or killed. The officer reacted and stopped a potential threat before it could materialize. Had it gone the other way, and 2 cops were killed and 2 passengers were killed, there wouldn’t be as much controversy as there is with it being the way it is now, which is an absolute shame. I get so sick of hearing all the black racists remarks about how this is “such a cruel injustice and we need to unite!” (has nothing to do with Americans needing to unite, just the black community… another topic which I have much to say about… it’s our community and I don’t care what color you are, you’re still my neighbor and the majority I am close friends with), then at the other end of the ignorance pool you have the white racists with all their ignorant rhetoric and trash talk who spurn an already wounded community into anger, chaos, and hysteria. Isn’t what happened to this young man already tragic enough? I have never met a cop that has bragged about shooting anyone, every single one of them has been put in therapy to help them cope with it, and some don’t survive. That young man’s face is going to be in that officer’s mind every single day for the rest of his life. He did what he felt was necessary to protect the greater good, and it’s going to haunt him until the day he dies. Isn’t that enough? Or has there not been enough bloodshed for your liking? I’m seeing several killer types, and that officer isn’t one of them. I can only assume had Grant produced a gun and started firing, that those that are bashing that officer for his reaction would be doing the same for him “letting” the subject kill 4 ro 5 more people. Like a pack of crazed hyenas, just thirsting for violence and blood. If you want to be mad about something, get angry at Grant. He had a daughter at home to think about and in my mind, should have been home with her instead of out partying with the boys. Where was his wife? I ran the crime stats for Oakland, specifically within a 1 mile radius of the Fruitvale Station, and I pulled up 319 violent crimes in a 30 day period. These officers see 10 violent crimes a day on average, just in one square mile. Don’t you think in a 2 year period, that this officer had seen someone resist arrest and pull a gun before? I bet every one of those officers had, and probably 75% of the citizens on the train as well. That’s why his friends sitting beside him didn’t freak out when the officer shot him. He saw Grant resisting and knew what was coming. Bottom line is, if you get stopped by officers, they’ll treat you with courtesy as long as you treat them the same way. If you resist and become combative, red flags are going to start flying, especially if you’re in heavy clothing that can conceal a weapon. Also, you can’t expect these officers to “just know” if a person is armed or not, they don’t have x-ray vision. If an officer is patting you down for weapons, let them finish the search to verify you don’t have a weapon, that way everyone stays in the know and everyone goes home. They aren’t doing it to “punk” anyone, they do it for their safety and that of the community they serve, which includes you. Had there not been an incident in the first place, the officers would have never been made to have contact with these young men. Had Grant let the officer search him, the officer then WOULD HAVE KNOWN he didn’t have a gun and never would have been shot and killed. This is a tragic loss of life and my prayers go out to his little girl and his little girl only. I have no respect for the aunt, the mother, or the attorney (so much for facts, but that’s what they do and they do to the tune of $300/hr). Anyone else who tries to twist this into something darker and uglier than it already is has no sympathy or respect from me. Pay attention people, the facts ARE in the video and it IS conclusive, all you have to do is open your eyes without any hate or contempt for anyone’s color, age, location, or occupation. They say that the truth will set you free, drop those chains of hate and live free, we owe it to one another. Thanks for listening and as always: Peace, love, and good happiness stuff
Kenny, on March 4th, 2009 at 10:39 am Said:

Christopher, no one else has made as much perfect sense as you! I’m sure that the hatemongers will continue to scream ‘foul’ though. Thank you for laying it out truthfully and factually.
Serenity, on March 4th, 2009 at 10:10 pm Said:

Christopher, some of your points are right but alot of them are wrong. Oscar was my cousin and my brother was there that night. Oscar never struggled with the police and he was actually the peacemaker that night for all that are talking shit. He did what he was told and even begged for his life. His past record has nothing to do with his death so evryone needs to quit bringing it up, that officer knew nothing about him that night when he pulled his gun and shot, so his past is irrelevant. And you say you only feel sorry for his daughter how could you be so cold, his mother lost her only son that night, his sister lost her only brother, and his fiance lost the love of her life so how could you be so cold hearted. Thats all I have to say for you ignorant ass people and I pray for you that you will be saved when the time comes to cross that gate.
Serenity, on March 4th, 2009 at 10:16 pm Said:

One more thang for the person that made the comment about Oscar starting a fight that night that Jordan Fumar was killed Oscar was not even there that night so get your facts straight.
Darryl, on March 5th, 2009 at 1:28 am Said:

There is no excuse for an unarmed man to be shot in the back by a police officer while being restrained and subdued. That goes all across the board from white to black. I think some people just need to be on the other side for the simple fact they want to be objective but in doing so you are just making yourselves look ignorant. This is cut and dry. If you look at the tape there was nothing to justify a shooting. To all those people whom say there was nothing wrong with what happened I’m sure you would have a different opinion if that was a friend or a relative of yours that you loved and cared about. I guess since this isn’t the case it’s easier to be disrespectful to the situation and blurt out the first idiotic thing that comes into your little brains. The idiotic thought of this being justified is just that… idiotic.
Latrice, on March 5th, 2009 at 8:15 am Said:

Serenity,
I am sorry for you and your family’s loss. Its sad to see that people are so iggnorant that they feel that a unarmed man should be shot. I looked at the videos, and I heard when he was begging for his life. I heard it all, and it saddens me that people, such as Christopher, try to jusify what the policeman did. If Grant was resisting arrest all the officer had to do was tase him. He did not have to shoot him and take his life away. There is no jutifing what the officer did, he shot a man that was handcuffed, and laying o his back, which means he had no way of defending himself. So no matter what people say, and no matter how they twist and turn things, the officer was in the wrong, and we all know this. For Christopher, no this isn’t a race thing, it’s a power thing. Because of the fact that the OFFICER shot Grant it’s ok, and he’s going to get off, just because of the color blue. Once again for Serenity I am sorry for your loss, you and your family are in my prayers.
Christopher, on March 5th, 2009 at 10:40 am Said:

Hi, Serenity. I meant no offense to you or his sister. I didn’t even know you two existed until I read your posting on here, I was just angered at what I saw from Oscar’s aunt and mother in the video I had access to. Had it been my child, I wouldn’t have been able to do an interview, much less a televised interview, without breaking down and crying uncontrollably. To me, it appears like they are trying to turn the tragedy into a fight and I have zero respect for anyone that belittles the true heart of the matter. However, I’m still convinced had Oscar let the officers search him without fighting against them so they could KNOW he didn’t have a gun and wasn’t a viable threat to them or the others on that platform, he would be here right now. I keep hearing people say he was handcuffed before he was shot when he wasn’t, I’ve heard people say he was being cooperative with the officers when he wasn’t, and I’ve heard people say he was unarmed and shot which he was, but no one (not even the officers) knew that until after he had been shot. I didn’t find out until the news report the next day, that’s way too late to have changed the events of that night. I’m curious who KNEW he was unarmed before the shooting, several people seem to know more than what I’ve been provided with. I didn’t see Oscar begging for his life, I saw him pushing against the officer that was trying to search him, they struggled and a 2nd officer was required to get him to lay down to be searched, where Oscar continued to fight and nearly bucked them off forcing the 2nd officer to try to reposition to gain control of Oscar. Then a 3rd officer saw the struggle and Oscar’s hand going for his jacket, they jumped in to try to hold him down and he still kept fighting. When Oscar’s hand (and YES it was uncuffed) went into his jacket, the 1st officer withdrew and pulled his weapon, issued an order, then fired a round into Grant. It wasn’t until he stopped struggling that handcuffs were put on him. And just to clear all the uncertainty up, it wasn’t a race thing, or even a power thing, it was a safety thing. Safety of the officers and the other citizens on that platfor that night. Absolutely NO ONE knew Grant was unarmed until AFTER he was shot, and the officer wasn’t taking any chances and did what he had to do, not what he wanted to do, to insure the safety of everyone else. THAT is why he looked confused after he shot, not because it wasn’t a taser. We carry ours on the opposite side of our duty weapon, our cuffs go behind our guns. The reality of having to shoot this young man became surreal and the officer experienced a moment of shock, like a bad dream. I’m suprised with him being a rookie that he didn’t collapse afterwards. I know there’s alot of minds out there clouded with remorse and even hate that keeps them from being able to see the facts, and I can’t fault anyone for that, but the only thing that’s changed in my mind is that I now include Serenity and Oscar’s sister in my prayers. May God bless you all and heal your wounded hearts throughout the days to come. I wish you nothing but the very best, Oscar’s little girl will need you all to be strong for her and I pray that through the anger, hurt, and hatred that you find that strength she needs.
apple, on March 6th, 2009 at 3:33 pm Said:

soooooooooo sad and he was innocent and as the youth riots it dosent make things better it only ads salt to the wound.
Christopher, on March 6th, 2009 at 4:00 pm Said:

I agree, Apple. The only thing that could make this tragic event any worse is for someone else to get hurt or killed over something as simple as not paying attention to the facts and acting out of anger. I’ll keep the people there in my prayers. Take care, be safe, and have a great weekend.
Jbad, on March 8th, 2009 at 4:30 pm Said:

Now is the time to reserve your spots for the next round of riots…when they find the cop not guilty and all the gang-bangers start burning and busting shit up again…
Christopher, on March 9th, 2009 at 6:50 am Said:

One of the people I’ve been debating about this with advised that the officer pulled his weapon and yelled, “clear back, I’m going to tase him”, if this is true then he’ll most likely get negligent homicide charges with very little time or a lengthy probation, not that it makes anything better, just putting all the possibilities out on the table.
Al, on March 17th, 2009 at 9:57 am Said:

This was an intenal act. As they say give some people a badage and gun and it goes to their head. What kind of evaluation did they give this person before they hired him. It was no mistake, a person knows where his gun is and the feel of a gun. I know because I carried one. I was taught the safe use of firearms while in the miltary. He had to have been taught the samething or better. Hopefully something will be done about this. But from what I see they want to sweep it under the rug.
Aaron Smith, on March 18th, 2009 at 11:09 pm Said:

COPS = Criminals On Public Sites
Dean, on March 18th, 2009 at 11:17 pm Said:

This is a 1st degree murder, 2nd degree murder, and the fact that he thought he was using a tazer, that makes it a 3rd degree murder. This police officer shall be convicted for all three murder degrees.
Ron Blodgett, on March 21st, 2009 at 10:38 pm Said:

I’m very surprised that more officers aren’t murdered every year with so many acts like this taking place. I have friends who have been unjustly persecuted and prosecuted just so that the police can establish dominance or protect themselves from civil lawsuits. They will commit crimes and tell blatant lies under oath and are rarely prosecuted for it. Police protect their fellow officers first, the wealthy second and the rest of society third.
Gbaby, on March 21st, 2009 at 11:21 pm Said:

It a hard call. For some cops it’s hard and for some blacks it’s hard. Just like all black men aren’t lazy thugs and gangsters, all cops aren’t bad. Truly this cop should be brought up on criminal charges accident or not, he ended a life. He don’t get to decided who lives and who dies no matter what Oscar had in his background. I don’t know Oscar and I don’t know this cop and neither does anyone here on this forum. All we know is what we can see on the video. I feel bad that this young man had to die, but being a motherof two teenage boys, and considering Oscars’s long history of violence and jail, I moved out of the inner city to keep my boys away from people like him and I am a black woman. One the other hand it is also hard for cops. Where I live a white police officer was shot and killed by a 16 year old black man and the officer was trying to help him by returning him home to a parent and not arresting him for driving without a license. Now how fast do you think another cop will be willing to reach out out and help another black young man? It’s a catch 22, I feel bad for the family of Oscar, but sometimes we can make things bad for ourselves and look to blame others.
KeKe, on March 22nd, 2009 at 9:55 am Said:

And now four white cops murdered by black Lovelle Mixon. My advice to white cops: leave Oakland. Find jobs elsewhere. Think of your families, guys. Leave the protection of blacks to blacks. Like in Zimbabwe and South Africa. That way your kids will have a father. And the blacks can rejoice that there won’t be another “Oscar Grant” incident at BART stations.
ftroop, on March 22nd, 2009 at 11:24 am Said:

Fatherless families with young children have a greater chance of developing those children to be criminals than they would if the father was present and committed to the development of the children they spawn. Who is Oscar’s dad? Where is he? Oscar acted as ‘big brother’ to his sister six years his senior? Why, because there was no father in the house. Now we have Lovelle, who was, I’m sure, similarly deprived. The solution to black crime is the family; a father and a mother, totally committed to the children they produce. There should be zero tolerance by women of child bearing age of men who will not be there to raise their children. Think how Oscar’s mom feels? Maybe this wouldn’t have happened. Now think of Lovelle, and maybe this wouldn’t have happened.
Bill, on March 22nd, 2009 at 11:41 am Said:

KEKE, COULD NOT AGREE MORE… THIS IS ALL A LIE. GRANT HAD A LONG CRIMINAL RECORD as usual and YOU WILL NOT SEE SHIT COMING FROM THE HOODLUMS IN OAKLAND. You are NUTS if you want to patrol in a black area… NUTS!!!! Let them hire Sharpton or the Nation of Islam. I would LAUGH when a call came out I would show up so late. Blacks love this shit. It is a distraction from the fact they have ruined every city in America along with the school system no matter how much money is wasted. WHAT A JOKE. You want to be an officer? Go to a white or Asian area. Let the hood kill off the hood. Worthless garbage.
Fenrir, on March 22nd, 2009 at 4:48 pm Said:

And now four white cops murdered by black Lovelle Mixon

———

I’m infinitely glad to read that. I’m living more than 5 years in CA and had many contact with cops (my criminal record is empty). They’re complete scum! Disrespectful and provoking behavior is their standart. I hope, more CA pigs will be wormfood soon!
Idriss Stelley Action and Resource Center, on March 22nd, 2009 at 9:52 pm Said:

Let’s stop the madness

the aount of pork and pig lovers posting on this site is simply going off the roof…

Well. our condolences to the damily of the ALLEGED kiiler and the 4 dead officers anyway.

Dearh is never the answer.
Gbaby, on March 23rd, 2009 at 7:07 am Said:

To Bill

It’s amazing that people in 2009 are still as ignorant and blind as you are. True Oscar had a long history of violence and that is terrible. But all blacks don tear down the school and neighborhood. I live in a surburban neighborhood with whites, blacks and Asains. I am an educated black woman with three black children. Two teenages who have never been in any trouble, no kids, and bothe are honor roll college bound kids, who will probably be making more money than your children, God forbid you have any. But it’s still amazing that ignorant white folks are still afraid of the educated blacks in America. How would you like if if your son or daughter was wounded by a criminal and emergency units too their time responding because of the neighborhood the incident occured, you would be outraged. And not only that, I see plenty of white trash criminal out their too. I see just as many white white men locked up for rape and molestation as black men for murder. Maybe you need to go read a book or do some research and learn something. Maybe your next comment won’t be so idiotic.
Bill, on March 23rd, 2009 at 8:12 am Said:

Hey, Gbaby… my comments are based in fact. Every city with a large black population has MAJOR crime problems. DC, Atlanta, LA, Detroit, Baltimore, St. Louis, Philly, Norfolk, Miami and on and on. You have your head in the sand if you don’t think so. Do I think all blacks are trash? No. Not even the majority. But too many are and that is the real problem.You ever hear of a black school or neighborhood where white parents go “gee, that is such a nice school, I want to send my kids there.” Never. The other way around is common. And there is NO comparison in crime rates between blacks and whites- not even close. These are facts but I really don’t blame you for not knowing it because our fake news media and politicians cover it up. Go to http://www.colorofcrime.com and learn.

And don’t lecture me about kids and your kids making more money. Ya Ya. Who cares. Rappers make a ton of money and they are still worthless garbage. You do not know the statistics at all because you probably don’t want to. I don’t blame you. Idiotic? Only a person that denies the obvious is an idiot. All this political correctness is a fraud. If Oakland was mostly white or Asian do you think the crime rates would be higher or lower than they are now? How about it? We both know the answer now don’t we. Show some courage and check out the website which is based on gov’t statistics. Would NEVER patrol in the hood. They are not worth it. Fear of educated blacks? You kidding me… that is every white person’s dream instead of these hip-hop, foul mouth, dumb as shit lowlifes pumped out by “baby momma’s” while daddy be chillin on the corner or jail. Don’t ever compare crime statistics of whites and blacks. There is no comparison. Read and learn. And yeah, I’ve dated black women and yeah, they say the same damn thing. This huge LIE cannot go on. Black crime, out-of-wedlock birthrates, destruction of schools all have gotten WORSE since the 1950′s despite tons of money pumped in. It is a culture gone haywire. A fact of life no matter how much you don’t want to hear it. Like blacks don’t know what I’m saying is true? Please.
Christopher, on March 23rd, 2009 at 8:59 am Said:

This is to EVERYONE of EVERY COLOR. We’re getting way off base here. The subject is Oscar Grant and not the black or white population. What we have here is an American kid that happened to be involved in not only violent activity but drugs as well. He got in a fight with American kids on the train and got pulled off by American officers. When they tried to search him he resisted (turned out he had crack cocaine hidden in his anus) and didn’t allow the officers to complete a search clearing him of weapons, so he remained a threat as long as they didn’t know. Then when the officer tried to grab his cuffs to subdue him Grant jerked his hand away and towards his unsearched jacket. A rd American officer saw the threat and dove for his arm, but was too late. The first officer retreated and drew his weapon and fired a wounding shot to his lower back, the round went through and hit the floor, then ricocheted back up and entered his heart, delivering the killing wound. It was AFTER he stopped struggling against the officers that they were able to cuff him and complete the search. The officer’s reaction was in response to the potential threat to his fellow officers as well as the passengers on the train platform. I’ve heard people cry that he wasn’t armed, no one knew he was unarmed until AFTER because Grant wouldn’t let the officers search him. I’ve heard people cry that he was face down and no threat to anyone, we train to shoot from the prone (face down) position with great effectiveness and had he pulled a gun, there would have been dead officers as well as civilians. I’ve heard people cry that he was murdered, the officer didn’t straddle his legs and put the pistol to the back of his head and squeeze, instead he retreated and fired a round into his lower back, an immobilizing shot, it was the ricochet that killed him, call it an act of God or freak accident, whatever, it was far from murder. I’ve never seen so much anger and contempt not just for the incident, but the arguements and where they led, come out of something that wasn’t malicious. Is it a horrible thing? Hell yes it was. Was the killing intentional? Not at all. Did Grant have a reason to resist? That’s up to him, I don’t think it was worth his life, but had he been caught with the cocaine, he would have been facing 20 years. He gambled and ended up losing. There’s a family that has no father, brother, or cousin now. Show some respect, please.
Bill, on March 23rd, 2009 at 9:32 am Said:

http://www.colorofcrime.com
Christopher, on March 23rd, 2009 at 9:49 am Said:

In response to the morons that keep posting things about wishing more death to the criminals and the cops, keep it up, you might just incite a war between the good guys and the bad guys. Maybe that’s what this country needs is a good cleansing. Criminals will protect criminals and cops will protect everyone else, this should be really good. I think I’ll side with the cops since my cousin was raped and murdered by a drug dealer from Dallas 4 years ago. Sounds pretty stupid if you ask me. I think the hate-mongers are waiting for that “break through” moment when they have something to substantiate their hate and false hysteria. I bet they probably have had run-ins with the police that have either got them put in jail, fined, or just made them look like a punk and now they’re waiting for that one “shining moment” to justify their hate. Sorry to disappoint you, but this isn’t it. However, the piece of crap that killed the 4 officers…. now there’s something to get mad about. He did it out of hate, not to protect anyone but himself. I say we hunt him and his family down and kill them all…. oh, but wait, that sounds like something an idiot said earlier…. what a moron! I’m a native American that makes just under $65k a year as an investigator (I get paid to pay attention to details and facts), my wife is Portuguese and makes $54k a year as an assistant manager of a bank, our kids are all honor roll students that have never touched drugs, done anything to harm anyone, and show respect for all adults. Do you think my kids will EVER have a run-in with police? Probably not. Do you think my kids will EVER resist being searched by an officer? Absolutely not. Do you think my kids will EVER be arrested or possibly shot? Not only no, but HELL NO. They’ve been raised better than that and are better people than that. If you don’t want your kids getting stopped by police, teach them to do right. If you don’t want your kids being arrested by police, teach them to say no to drugs and violence. I don’t want to hear about how “we don’t get the same advantages as so and so”. I went to public school and graduated (same as anyone else with a little help from my mom and dad when I didn’t understand), I then joined the Navy and worked as a hospital corpsman, collecting 37 college hours along the way (same as anyone else with the same drive and desire to succeed in what they do), then I went to college and got my ADN with the money I got from my service to my country and worked as a nurse in the ER for 3 years before I got tired of seeing women and children being carted in all busted up and broken by drunken husbands and abusive fathers, that’s when I decided it was time to get on the “preventative end” of things and became a deputy sheriff. I did all of these things without any special aid, handouts, or scholarships. I had plenty available, but my drive and focus was enough to put me on the right path with the courage and commitment to see it through without anyone else helping me. What does this have to do with anything here? We ALL have the responsibility to make decisions that decide what happens to us in life. It’s my personal opinion (being Christian) that life is just boot camp for a greater service to come and how we do here decides our success there. Do you want to know why there are more black men in prison than white men? More black women have children out of wedlock than white women do. Offensive, isn’t it? 9 out of 10 kids that come from broken homes are less confident, more angry, and confused than those who come from a family where the mother and father are active in the child’s life. Don’t take this as an attack or bible thumping, these are proven facts by regular everyday men of knowledge. If you want to address a problem, here it is. Not just black men, but ALL men, need to MAN UP and start taking responsibility for their children. A mother can keep them alive and teach them 50% of what they need to know to become a good person, but it takes a family to raise a child right. You want to know why the majority of the prison population is young black men, look at their fathers. They are the reason their kids are so full of hate, so misguided, so disrespectful, so violent. I know alot of young black men that read this and don’t have a father in their life are saying, “screw him, we don’t need him. I’m all the man my family needs”, I’ve heard this a hundred times if not a thousand, you’re wrong. God didn’t intend for it to be this way and I pray that you don’t follow in your father’s footsteps and repeat his mistakes. It wasn’t him having you that was a mistake, it was him leaving you that was his ultimate failure. Don’t be angry, accept that he was weak and know that you’re a better man. Find a good woman, love her and respect her as a part of you and have children and raise them the way you always wanted to be raised, surround them with love, comfort, and security. They’ll grow healthy and wise knowing they were loved, and in turn will be able to do the same because you set the right example. And for those young men that don’t have faith in God, don’t despair, because He has faith in you and so do I. It is time for change and we, as a people, need to do it starting from the beginning. If you have a child out there already and the mother’s married to someone else, let your child know you’re a part of their life and want to be there for them anytime, day or night. That’s what a real father does, he loves his children unconditionally. I learned that from my father, who learned it from his father, who learned it from our Father. Plant the seeds of change and nurture them to maturity, I promise there will be better days ahead.
Gbaby, on March 23rd, 2009 at 11:20 am Said:

Bill

You know what, I have to agree with you on a lot of things in your lasr post. And it is sad to say that yes in the inner city the crime rate is sky rocketing. This is the reason I moved out of Detroit. Didn’t want my boys to be another statistic. But on the other hand these few inner cites don’t make up the entire population of America. They are just as many white men locked up for violent crimes as black folks. Fact of the matter is crime is crime no matter who committs it. And yes it is a fact that white men make the majority of the population of criminal locked up. Now that’s a fact you need to read up on. Let’s not forget Columbine, white kids from middle class homes. Those kids toting guns to school is no different from black kids toting guns to school. I don’t have my head in the sand about anything, true enough crime in the inner cities are terrible, but crime is everywhere. We have had a spree of violent carjackings here and yes it is a white male the police are looking for. Now to make a statement that whites don’t committ crimes is just plain silly. Let’s not forget blacks are a minority here. So how can a minority ever out number the majority. You are the one with your head in the sand if you think there are more blacks committing crimes than white. Let’s not talk about all the white collar crimes committed by “white folks”. How many blcks do you see in Federal Prisons or did you forget about that. Just because it isn’t a violent crime, it still a crime all the same. But that goes overloked by America. And I don’t know about the kind of money dumb ass rappers make, but my sons have no aspirations of becoming rappers at all. They are educated young men who will be productive,law abiding member of society, justlike their mother. And as for having babies out of wedlock, I see just as many white women with more than one baby daddy as blacks, that’s just the demise of society now. I see white women at the grocery store with food stamps toting three and four kids and not a father in sight for these kids. So how dare you speak on a matter like that. I know my facts I have lived it for far too long, but ignorance is what keeps anyone from rising above wheather black or white. And who gives you the right to say that inner city youth are not worth it. Even with all the bad things going on in the schools and the city. They are some good kids out there that needs a helping hand to rise. When Cobo Center in Detroit was redesigned some years ago, the architech who designed was a black man who graduated from Mumford High School in Detroit. I graduted from an inner city school in Detroit and I am very successful now. And so did my mother who holds a Master’s degree and very prestigious title with a large corporation. So Bill, even though I can agree with you on some aspects, I still think maybe you need to some more research and stop being so narrow minded. Why don’t you take some of your time and energy and spend it on a kid whould could use a strong role model.
Gbaby, on March 23rd, 2009 at 11:31 am Said:

To Christopher

I am a black living in America, and I would say I would have to side with the good guys myself. True enough we hear stories of corrupt cops and things of that sort, but humnas are humans, no organization will ever be perfect. I am sorry about your cousin. Sad to say that things like this do happen here. The one thing as a black woman I am sick oand tired of are all these balck men out here who say they can’t be anybody or do anything because of the white man. Bullshit, get up off your lazy ass and make a way for yourself. And you are right even if he was be singled out by the police, if he had nothing on him they would be noproblem with a search. I have been pulled over by white cops and yes probably because I was black. But you know what after running my name and seeing I had no warrants, I have insurance, registration and my car isn’t stolen, the officer’s comments “Have a good day ma’am”. It’s sad to see so many young black men go atray in society then want to blame it on others and the media hypes it up. Sure it was a terrible thing that happened to Oscar, but if he had never gotten into a fight or had cocain stuck in his asshole, the fact of the matter is he would still be alive. Sometimes we bring terrbile thing upon ourselves.
Gbaby, on March 23rd, 2009 at 11:36 am Said:

Christopher,

One thing I have to disagree on is the babies born out of wedlock. I worked for a community service before and let me tell you, the white girls in there getting the free handouts outnumbered the blacks. Now I don’t know how it is in Texas but here in Michigan, the whites outnumber the blacks in the free population and in the jails. Yes the number of young black maled in prision is on the rise and yes ALL men need to step up and take care of their kids. But as I stated before blacks are a minority in America and ther is no way the minority can ever outnumber the majority.
Christopher, on March 23rd, 2009 at 11:42 am Said:

Gbaby, I’m not sure if you were addressing me or Bill on that one, but I have to disagree with you on the numbers of black and white criminals. I’ve worked in law enforcement for over 13 years and the statistics are staggering. As for the children being born out of wedlock, I’ll stand behind that until the day I die. I’m not saying that black women are the only ones that have to endure this. I said ALL men need to step up and take responsibility for the life they have created. I can assure you that the young white men that I have dealt with in my small community are of the same cloth. They have the same anger issues and are confused about how to get headed in the right direction. I have spoken with all of these kids and given them all the same advice my father gave to me. Use your head before you use your hands or your mouth. Think about the consequences of your actions before you commit to them, and I can say that out of over 200 kids that I’ve had to deal with, I’ve only been called back out on 2 of them, the rest have made great efforts to better themselves, not just for their self but their families that depended on them as well. However, I can’t be the father figure or role model to the entire state or country for that matter, but I do what I can when they need me. I’ve grown up in Oklahoma, but lived in Chicago for 4 years and have seen the dark side of the city (namely Division Street and Cabrini Greens), and every single one of the guys that I met had the same story. They were stealing and robbing to take care of their families who couldn’t make it on a single income. They were fighting because they were angry, and justly so. I’m just a big ol’ Boy Scout always looking to do a good deed and help everyone when I can. I can tell when people are hurting and these young men today are screaming out for help before it’s too late. As for me taking some time and being a strong role model, I have been for the last 18 years and can’t tell you how good it feels to have a young man approach me and my family in the mall and tell me thanks for pointing them in the right direction. It baffles my wife and my kids eat it up, but the real reward is in the smiles. I’m sure if you look in the DOJ records you can get all the statistics on prison populations, I’m sure it varies from state to state, depending on the saturation of each group. Don’t let it discourage you or disappoint you, but let it inspire you to put the word out that it’s time for change. Take care, be safe, and as always God bless you and your wonderful family.
Gbaby, on March 23rd, 2009 at 12:20 pm Said:

Christopher,

It is wonderful that you are such a help to these young men and not the comment about being a role model was not meant for you it was for Bill. I wish more men had your mentality and took the time to reach out to our young childre. What puzzles me the most, is that a lot of people will so much energy into tearing these kids down with criticism, but not many are willing to help put them on the right track. Especially since the kids are our future. These are our futre doctors, lawyers, congressmen, engineers and so on. I’ve lived in the inner city myself and decided to move my family out. But even still without their dad being around I managed to raise wonderful boys. My oldest son isleaving for college next year to study Forensic Science at Boling Green in Ohio, he’ll be 17 in July. And my 15 year old was selected last year to Travel with People to People on a European Education Exploration for 21 days this summer, he’s bee honor roll sinced he was in the 7th grade and he’s a Sophmore now. Yes I am a proud mom so I tend to rattle on from time to time. And yes this is the time for change. I would like all of my young black males to stand up and start to take responsibilty for their actions. Just wish more people had the mindset of yourself. Keep doing what you’re doing I think it’s wonderful. You take care too and be blessed :)
Christopher, on March 23rd, 2009 at 12:59 pm Said:

It wasn’t always that way. When I first started in law enforcement, it was hard to get my point across that what they were doing not only hurt their victims, but them too. I remember when the Columbine shootings happened and the schools went on high alert all over the nation. They started putting us in the schools as a deterrent to any other activity of those likes and I got to know about 350 students that were in an alternative program. They’d already been kicked out of regular schools and this was their last chance at getting an education. I won’t take alot of credit for the way these kids turned out, as we had a fantastic staff to show those kids they were worth way more than they were giving themselves credit for. That goes for the About Face Academy too, great bunch of teachers with the right frame of mind to help the kids conquer their problems, and the majority were anger issues stemming from their family life. Most were single moms, granparents, and abusive fathers (which I took particular interest in and didn’t mind letting them know that their kid had a friend that didn’t like bullies… I’m 6’3″ and 275# so you can imagine the look on their faces when they got called up to my office when I found marks on their body). I love helping people, especially those that want help, nothing is more rewarding to me. I think you’re an incredible woman to have beat the odds with your boys and I can’t commend you enough for raising them with good values and pointing them in the right direction. Tell your son that is getting into forensics that he better get ready for a world of heartbreak, it about beat me down several times. You see things that you can’t leave at work and they’ll follow you until the end of time. Even to this day (and I’ve been working fraud for over 4 years now) I can’t erase the atrocities I’ve worked. It’s impossible to imagine people being capable of doing some of the things these monsters have done. But, tell him to not get discouraged, he’ll be their voice and he’s vital to bringing them justice. I’ve seen numerous women in your same shoes take the easy path and let them run wild, slack on the discipline, and even teach hate. You are truly a diamond in the rough and you have my utmost respect. If you EVER need anything, feel free to let me know. It would be my honor to assist in any way possible. My email address is CaptAdams35atHotmaildotCom (had to sneak that in there since they filter out email addresses. Congratulations on a tough job very well done! I’ve got to get back to work, but will be more than happy to continue our discussion when I get caught up (I’ve been slacking today…. flu bug and all ;)
Bill, on March 23rd, 2009 at 1:18 pm Said:

Gbaby and Chris as well… this issue is not going away. I have nothing against you at all. You are raising your kids the right way and thus, you are leading by example. I know that. I know you don’t “like” what I said, G, but it is the truth. When did I say there were no white criminals? They are just less per-capita… as in far less. You think white people defend their trash the way black people do? No. If a white lowlife is caught and thrown away, well, most whites could care less. Blacks? Forget it. They make a hero out of a savage that killed cops or don’t say a THING about the large black crime rate or black-on-white crime rate. You left Detroit, huh? Good move. Basically, you left a city that is very black.. that is what you did. I don’t blame you if you want to save your kids which is what you did. But this is not EVER going to end until so called black leaders and fake white liberals that run most cities make as big a deal about the everyday black crime as we do when a police officer shoots a black perp.( usually justified)or if some white guy yells out the “N” word.

Detroit was once a nice city and then the riots came and slowly went down as whites left. That is a fact. No sane white person would live in Detroit. A white kid can’t go to a mostly black school while the opposite is common. It is not even CLOSE in terms of kids being born out of wedlock. Black women/kids are at 70% and increasing. Whites have gone up, too. Around 20-25% due to a culture that promotes it. But don’t compare the rates. Hell, there are so many black women available it’s not even funny- with kids and not married. I’ve lived in many cities- Philly, NYC, Boston, etc. Same deal.

Many inner city kids are not worth it. Just the way it is. I was a teacher for a while and it’s true. This is true because of the mindset that has made blacks perpetual victims which is a lie. Meanwhile, in one generation you have Asians come here and blend into society with no problem. You can’t live a life of hip-hop wannabee, knock up women, hate whites, hate the police, dress like a clown, speak poorly and expect anything out of this life. And I don’t care about the job a person does for a living. No job is a bad job. It is the way a person conducts themselves. Blacks too often do not conduct themselves in a proper manner. I can ring those bad cities off forever and ever. The crime stats do not lie. Our prisons are now MAJORITY black and Hispanic. This is according to FBI and Department of Justice Stats. Anyway, there should not be a comparison of blacks and whites in crime because there are many more whites yet the stats are about equal. GO look for yourself if you dare. You ran from a black area and I don’t blame you. I don’t hate black people… I hate niggers. Just like I hate white trash punks. Difference is whites don’t defend their trash and blacks do. No more victim-hood mentality for black people. It has not worked. This is a great nation with TONS of opportunities for black people. Hell, we just elected a president who is half black. Until crime rates come down this will not go away. And I am sure you are a good person. You are not my issue. But too many blacks are. You know the pain it is for whites to see areas/cities they once lived in turn into crap once the racial make-up changes? It is painful to see a once nice area fall to crap. As far as you and your sons… shoot for the stars. This is the greatest country by far and I wish more black people followed that path instead of hip-hop loser-ville.
Gbaby, on March 23rd, 2009 at 2:31 pm Said:

Bill,

Ok you got me on this one, lol. I’m reading what you’re writing and it’s like damn I did move to get away from the niggas. And hey whoever don’t like it can kiss my ass. I moved out of Detroit because a man was shot on my lawn while my kids were outside playing. the man was a crackhead trying to rod somebody. That scared the living daylight out of me. I made the decision right then and there to give my kids better. I was raised in Detroit but it was different when I was growing up to say the least. I have to agree balck people think sticking together means upholding you when you do wrong. Just like the case with the Mayor Kwami Kilpatrick. All the scandal he was involved in and he had the nerve to be outraged when people in the black communities didn’t want to support him after he was exposed. Oh you can find that story online…. But I feel in my heart that while all kids can’t be saved, we can save some if we take the time and let them see that there is more out here than gangbanging and thuging. I guess as a black woman in America it really hurts to see so many black men go astray. But you are right, there is no excuse. Obama pulled himself up by the bootstraps, he came from a broken home and his mother was not rich. he drfied all the odds and made something of himself. Even if he were never elected President, he still did well for himself as Senator. Hell these guys now can’t even hold down a job at McDonalds. But the one thing I would really like for you to ponder on is this. America needmore strong willed and strong minds such as yourself. And we have to instill this in our youths. Maybe, just maybe if we believed, had a little more faith and reached out, maybe we can save some, not all, but some of our distressed youths. And by the way, I have absolutley nothing against you either Bill, I respect your opinion as with others. Long as you’re not preaching hate, I can repect anything you put out there. I actually had a good time with you and Christopher here.
D, on March 23rd, 2009 at 3:44 pm Said:

how surprising to come across this article and blog, that months later and after much information has made it to the public that a headline would still read “Oscar Grant…Peacemaker”. I thought the Bay View was a NEWS paper not a opinion spin machine.

OG was a thug. those cops were there for a reason that night. what happened was a tragic accident, not an execution.

you want to know what an execution looks like? how about two Oakland moto cops shot in the head? that was no accident, that was no self defense, THAT was MURDER.

the black community will get no respect from anyone, including themselves, until they start working to stop black on black violence first. there are no riots, no calls to action, when one black man kills another. destroying the businesses of hard working black families in a bullshit excuse for ‘attention and justice’ is just PATHETIC. those honest people had nothing to do with it but thugs will be thugs no matter what and they don’t give a damn whose car they set on fire or whose business they destroy because they are too busy being thugs to care. its bad when a white person does something to harm a black person but when a bunch of black thugs ruin the lives of another black its ok? and these people scream that they want respect?

try showing a little first to every person around you. EVERY person.

Oscar Grant was running around acting like a thug with drugs hidden on him. Lovelle Mixon was driving around, avoiding reporting for his parole and carrying an assault rifle. stop elevating assholes to sainthood and instead celebrate the people in your communities who are strong examples of a positive lifestyle!

my grandma used to say “Don’t Borrow Trouble”. its still good advice.

and stop expecting to wake up one day and magically be EMPOWERED. I dont care if you’re white, black or purple- you want respect, EARN IT. stop blaming everyone else for your own bullshit and stand up, take responsibility and make better choices.
Bill, on March 23rd, 2009 at 4:21 pm Said:

D, whites have contributed to this mess as well. By not demanding equal treatment for all people. You can’t treat a white person harshly and turn your back on a black person for the same act or worse. This happens every damn day. And the media sets it up. You can be damned sure there will be a riot in Oakland if the officer is not convicted while the everyday crime goes without a peep. No protests. Nothing. Just wait for a whitey police officer to do something and then and ONLY then will there be a problem. It is a culture promoted by white liberals, Democrats, media, Hollywood, schools, black leaders, etc. What kills me is if a black person actually looks a little deeper and gets away from the whitey is bad routine, the black person is badgered as being some sort of sell-out, oreo, Republican, whitey, etc. IT is a totally distorted reality. For G baby, Chis, D and everyone who gives a damn, do a search on an article called ” A Rage in Oakland” by Stanley Crouch. Read it and take it in because this is what is really going on. We can no longer go in this direction. You will have entire cities finished off, schools bombed out, hate spreading nation-wide. People have to be treated equally… warts and all. Speaking of the large black crime rate is treating people equally instead of pandering, hiding, making excuses the way so many pathetic white liberals and “don’t wanna hear it” blacks do. This is NOT going away until the hard work is done.
Gbaby, on March 23rd, 2009 at 4:56 pm Said:

Bill and D,

You know I have to agree with D. It’s time for blacks to take resposibility. This in not a situation where the three balck men were gunned down by police officer after coming out of the bar for the youn man’s bachelor party in New York. Now those guys should be the ones on this board we should be demanding justice for, and if memory serves me correctly one of those offiers were black. I as a black woman is really sick and tired of black men using “The White Man” as an excuse to be a failure. No matter where you come from or what you do in life, the ultimate decisin to be a loser or a faliure is yours. If these men were so mislead then why do they run when the police come? Because they know what they are doing is wrong. We are all born with an instinct to know right from wrong, but if we decide to use that instinct in one’s own decision. I don’t blame it on the whites, the blacks, the asians or anyone. The self destructive course a lot of people are on, is because of SELF.
GW, on March 23rd, 2009 at 11:02 pm Said:

Seems sad that the mother of his child is upset that she may have to be in court on her “BIRTHDAY”……..

PLEASE
Christopher, on March 24th, 2009 at 7:17 am Said:

All I can say is AMEN! It’s been a long time coming and everyone needs to start putting forth some effort to becoming better friends, neighbors, citizens. Once we have our own lives in order, then we can start planting seeds of hope and encouragement in those who aren’t strong enough to do it on their own. In this instance with Oscar Grant, I can guarantee you had he grown up in Oklahoma, he would have been a completely different person. The peer pressure is still there, but the positive and loving nature of these people is absolutely amazing. I’ve done some research on Oakland and the crime rates are horrific. I ran a check on the 1 mile area surrounding the station where Grant and his friends got in the fight and it yielded 319 violent crimes within a 30 day period! It’s a jungle there and the law of the jungle is kill or be killed. These kids don’t have a chance at changing to something better until the area changes to something better. There’s a city to the east of Oklahoma City, called Midwest City, and there used to be a mall there where we hung out and had fun as kids. We would play games at the arcade, buy rock candy by the bagfulls, and sneak up behind each other with wet paper towels and smack each other in the face. Since then, the gangs in that area have all but killed that mall, the local stores, restaurants, even the gas stations. They’ve destroyed that city’s economy. Hundreds if not thousands of jobs have moved away to avoid the robberies, shootings, and gang fights that errupted everywhere at any given time. Hard working people got tired of trying to enjoy an evening with the family only to have their movie interrupted by a melee over what color someone’s bandana was. The theater struggled for a few years until the owner finally decided to cut his losses and closed up. Dillards, gone thanks to shoplifters and mall violence. JC Penney’s moved closer to the Air Force Base. Actually, everything north of Reno Avenue pretty much turned to shit (excuse the French). There’s an area there now that they refer to as “Murder One” and the kids think it’s cool…. seriously, what the hell are we teaching these young people? To hate, kill, steal, maim, vandalize? When I was their age I was thinking about baseball and bicycles, now it’s fighting and sex (these are 12 and 13 year old kids). When the parents came to pick up their kids they blew me away when they would say, “why’d you get caught?”! No wonder these kids are turning out like crap, their parents are shitheads (excuse the French again, sorry). My grandfather always told me, “no matter how much you polish a turd, it’s still just a piece of shit”. Anyways, I have to get back to work, I have days worth of things to get off my chest. Maybe we need to start something like the CPC (Concerned Parents Coalition) and start a nationwide action to get our kids back on track. Something’s better than nothing. Take care and God bless to you all.
Gbaby, on March 24th, 2009 at 6:06 pm Said:

I agree. The kids are ignorant because the parents don’t teach themn anything. No respect, or self respect. The parents are just as young as the kids. I’m a young parent, but I had parents and grandparents in the picture. Gas stations have a 2 kid limit or paost signs ni kids before 3 pm. wow that’s such a shame. Yess these ignorant kids are detroying the cities and they thinks it’s cool to steal, vandalize and hurt people. I hate to see what their kids will turn out to be.
John Monteforte, on March 25th, 2009 at 8:07 pm Said:

I have no criminal record at all. My life hasn’t been easy since I was born I encounter bad problems and distress of all kind, including money problems. However, I have always respected the law, I have been stopped by police and myself and my car has been searched, that is fine, no offense taken, I have been given many speeding tickets, I hated it, specially the last one: $300 and the police was very authoritarian, the Police was right every time, I did cooperate with them every time, and I am proud of it. I faced the truth like a man and didn’t break down in anger or hysteria. I love decent people of all colors and walks, and I hate crime, no matter what color the person behind the crime is. Lately, Lovelle Mixon, with records of been a rapist, even with 12 years old girl and also having the record of arm robbery, he was shot and killed by police after murdering 4fine policemen in Oakland, despite of that some strange people are defending Mixon, I am sure are not his victims or his victims families: many of them black people. By the same talking, People should learn to face the truth, Oscar Grant was a convict, with bad criminal records, irresponsible with his daughter and the mother of his daughter that made her pregnant and dumped her. If Grant would not have opposed any resistance from the begining, in all probabilities he would still be alive and well and if he would have taken responsibility, he would be on his way to a complete recovery, despite of his intense drug traffic that must have injured a lot of people, specially black young people. Criminals should fully pay for their actions and innocent, decent citizens should be protected without regard of color or gender.
Tom Dockery, on March 28th, 2009 at 1:30 pm Said:

Eugenics is the only hope for humanity.It works pretty well for horseracing.
Tamarius Washington, on March 28th, 2009 at 2:58 pm Said:

The elephant in the room is the fact that, in 2008, more than a hundred black men were killed in Oakland alone, by other black men, NOT by law enforcement. Where is the outrage? There is none. Why? Because it’s much easier for the black community to cast non-blacks as the source of their troubles than to look at themselves and admit “we kill a hundred times more of our own than the white man kills.”
Christopher, on March 30th, 2009 at 9:43 am Said:

I don’t know where the outrage is, Tamarius, but it breaks my heart to think that those kids go through life day by day on borrowed time. Not from disease, starvation, or other common yet tragic causes, but because one of their own neighbors, schoolmates, or friend of a friend of a friend felt enough anger or hate to take their life for whatever rediculous reason. I continue to pray for this country and that city daily.
Andy, on April 3rd, 2009 at 9:37 pm Said:

Does anyone know what’s up with the Oscar Grant case? I hope that cop-criminal gets what he deserves!!!
Juan, on April 4th, 2009 at 10:18 pm Said:

This is a response for all those that have stated this, “He thought he was using a Tazer, in fact, when he shot him and saw that he had actually shot him, his expression was like, what did I do?” Other people say that the cop is a human being and made a mistake like everybody else do. My answer is that there are a lot, and I mean a lot of people in JAIL for making human MISTAKES. Saying in a court-room that what you did was a mistake, then, the jugde will say, Ok, you have to pay for your mistake by encarceration or whatever the punishment is, and there they are serving a long sentence. Bottom line, YOU MAKE A MISTAKE YOU PAY FOR IT. THIS COP MUST PAY FOR HIS MISTAKE AND PERIOD!!! THIS IS THE TIME FOR OTHER PEOPLE TO UNITE WITH THE BLACK PEOPLE AND RAISE OUR VOICE!!
cest la vie, on April 9th, 2009 at 1:15 pm Said:

That’s life, all! We all have responsibilities.

To all the black folks, don’t martyrize Grant.

Here is a grown man, a father, with a record, going out on new years eve at a time trouble can brew any minute. He is a 22 y.o man that has a penchant for trouble. His actions showed a lack of brains to be honest. Now he leaves his daughter fatherless and his wife a widow. He could have prevented this.
He should have stayed home with his family and watched the celebration from tv. It’s what a responsible, mature father does.

No, he did not deserve getting shot at. But, the black communities need to step up and guide folks like Grant to be smarter and make smart choices.
Shame on the cop, it’s been written he’s a hot head before.

But folks, don’t martyrize Grant. He made his choice and the real people suffering are his family and the cop’s family.

START HELPING YOUR OWN KIND AND EDUCATING THEM TO MAKE SMART CHOICES ALREADY!
John Monteforte, on April 12th, 2009 at 4:00 pm Said:

I have been stopped by police, they were looking for a burglar, I cooperated fully and I had no problem whatsoever, they followed me to the house that I was going to visit, talked to the home owner and everything was very civil and civilized, not one bit of a problem. I can tell you this much, Grant has destroyed many lives through his drug trafficking, he was not the most cooperative person with the bart police, he is an ex-convict on probation, not exactly mother Theresa. The idiots go into a rampage, destroyed property of small business people that work their butts off to make ends meet, plus they have the gall to lash against the lady executive from bart by throwing red paint, that is stupid, she doesn’t have any thing to do in judging the officer in question, is the court that passes judgment, any elementary school kid knows that. Besides, in many countries drug traffickers would have gone to jail for a long time or outright executed, USA is to soft with criminals and as a consequence the innocent pays dearly.
I love all races if they are not criminals, I hate all races if they are criminals. Our country is broke and in Chaos it is time to have better judicial system that does nothing by fatten the damn pig lawyers like the attorney for Grant suing bart for 25Millions and get many of millions in his own private account, I do not want to pay more for the bart ticket, the fare is increasing again. If you want to make a better country make a drastic change in the Judicial system where the innocent is protected, and the criminal is condemned, and get rid of the damn attorneys the few left shouldn’t make more than 100 thousand dollars a year, after all they have proven to be scums, most of them. THIS IS THE TRUTH.
it aint overt till its over, on April 22nd, 2009 at 5:40 pm Said:

well tha police is minus 4 ha ha ha think twice before pullin over people in tha ghetto
Christopher, on April 23rd, 2009 at 11:37 am Said:

I’m guessing, It Ain’t Overt, that you feel the police need to start shooting first and asking questions later? Especially in the ghetto? Then there would be almost as many killings as the gangs commit, what would be the point? Are you just trying to thin out the population so you can get a better deal on real estate? Find a better job? That comment makes no sense. I’m going to think twice about donating money to the programs that educate you with this nonsense.
da gurl, on April 29th, 2009 at 5:19 am Said:

HONKIES!!! This is some bull shit police can’t just do watever they want thats bein a hypocrite. wat gives him the right to kill sombody and get away with it, i mean if they can do shit like dat then i wanna be one. thats just not far they go all out and protect their little scared ass HONKIES but we dont get shit. Fuck da white man! My PRESIDENT IS BLACK! OBAMA ALL DAY!
da gurl, on April 29th, 2009 at 5:30 am Said:

i agree with darryl too! shit fuck wat happened in da past think about wat happened at dat present time. it aint no cops job to try and get revenge or watever, he cant kill who he think deserve to die he aint no GOD. fuck a mistake, thats just an excuse. and like darryl said, if it was a white kid and a black cop then wat would the comments be forreal and i bet thats sumthin yall really thinkin bout.
Christopher, on April 29th, 2009 at 6:08 am Said:

Da Gurl… all I can say is “WOW”, you have some serious issues, hun. I would try to understand where you’re coming from, but from the looks of it, I don’t think I want to go there. There’s a thin line between anger and hate, you seem to be straddling it. May God bring you peace and understanding in this tragic time.
Christopher, on April 29th, 2009 at 6:59 am Said:

As for if it were a black officer and a white kid resisting, it would have been the same outcome. The officer would have thought he was hiding a weapon and trying to go for it and shot him. The only difference would have been the white people wouldn’t have started riots and destroyed people’s cars and businesses. I suggest anyone using Oscar’s death as a platform to commit crimes get their heads straight before they do go cowboy on you. You can only push an issue so far before someone says enough is enough and starts returning the favor and giving you a taste of your own medicine. Being native indian, I can see both sides and neither is right. The facts are still the facts, no matter what colors you introduce into the scenario. Had it been a white kid and a white cop, the same thing would have happened. Had it been a black kid and a black cop, same thing. His friends got searched without causing any trouble and they didn’t get shot. He resisted being searched and he resisted being handcuffed, that made me think he was hiding something too. It wasn’t until after the news came out the next day that I knew he didn’t have a gun. And it wasn’t until 3 days later that I knew he had crack and had a criminal record. After hearing that, it was clear why he was fighting against them searching him, he didn’t want to go back to jail. In the end, it comes down to Grant fighting for his freedom when all he had to do in the first place was stay away from the drugs, maybe even stay home with his daughter (that’s what loving fathers do), and let the officers search him without fighting back. Everyone would have gone home safe and sound and this never would have progressed to this level. I know how officers think and I thought the same thing, “GUN”. Why else would the officer have backed away and shot him if he just wanted to “murder” him? He could have stayed on his legs and put the gun right up to the back of his head and blew his brains out. It was evident that there was an issue as soon as they were pulled off the train. He didn’t want to sit down, he didn’t want to lay down to be searched, and he sure didn’t want to be handcuffed. Why was he the only one that took more than one officer to try to search him? His friends didn’t have anything to hide and they got searched without any problems. They did exactly as the officer told them and they didn’t get a scratch on them, it’s really that simple. It’s New Years Eve, people are all over drinking, some are carrying guns, it’s a high violent crime area, gangs run rampant there, the officers were already on high alert to begin with, then you add a fight on the train between 5 guys and dozen others, then red flags start going up. Then you have a guy that keeps running his mouth, not following instructions and resisting being searched, and really big red flags go up. Did it look like the officer enjoyed shooting Grant? His face looked like he was in shock or scared. Hardly the actions of a “murderer” and for anyone to label the officer a cold-blooded killer is doing nothing more than making things worse. His job is to protect people and that’s what he thought he was doing. He shot Grant in the lower back (which would have hurt him badly and possibly destroyed his intestines, but it wouldn’t have killed him). It was the ricochet off the floor that killed Grant, a one in a thousand chance. You can chalk it up to a freak accident or act of God, but don’t feed into the BS the hate mongers are trying to spread. It doesn’t do anyone any good to continue down that road, especially the youth. Anyone reading this, keep this in mind, police aren’t surrounded by nice people all day. There work day is full of drug dealers, thiefs, and violent criminals. When they tell you to lay down so they can search you for weapons, just do it. Don’t ask questions, don’t resist, and definitely don’t jerk your hand away like Grant did. Anyways, I’ve said my piece and then some. Take care, be safe, and as always, God bless.
Kenny, on April 29th, 2009 at 9:43 am Said:

Most of you idiots are nothing more than typical ‘chip on your shoulder’ blacks who want to blame the whites for your worthless lifes! And Da Gurl , what an idiot you are. Your Mr. Obama is 50% white!!! And I guarantee if push comes to shove, he will take the white mans view of things!
Albert Monteforte, on May 28th, 2009 at 11:06 pm Said:

I don’t understand why many Afro-americans are sanctifying Oscar Grant, been that Grant was a drug dealer that destroyed a lot of young lives, mainly Black teenagers lives. And now his lawyer find an opportunity to make a lot of money for himself, playing the righteous lawyer, while BART is broke and raising the fare that you and me have to pay, while the scum bags want to suit BART for 25 million dollars, most of the money would go to the attorney, of course. How stupid can people be!!! My advise is forget Grant and move on.
Christopher, on May 29th, 2009 at 8:14 am Said:

While I agree, Albert, that glorifying Mr. Grant is wrong, I have to disagree with you on forgetting about him. I’ve spoken with his cousin and sister and they’re beautiful people that loved him despite his life choices. I think we should all remember him and the consequences of making similar choices has, not just on him but his entire family. I would say friends, but they didn’t really seem that moved at his loss, which is really tragic. But, you’re right about the absurdity of his family’s lawyer pushing for $25 million dollars and trying to make it a civil rights violation when the videos clearly show him resisting not one but 3 officers and jerking his hand away in a manner that any officer in that situation would have taken as a potential threat. You ask, “How stupid can people be?”, they’re as stupid as the irresponsible media makes them. You can’t expect good things to come of edited or omitted information, especially when people put so much stock into the news being balanced and factual. I hope I haven’t offended you. Take care, be safe, and God bless.
Adolf Hitler, on June 1st, 2009 at 4:23 pm Said:

LIE DOWN WITH DOGS, GET UP WITH FLEAS
this guy was a hardened criminal.
Hanh Nguyen, on June 10th, 2009 at 1:15 pm Said:

I just want to say that its a horrible thing to have to witness there is no crime that is worse then one where it is on camera and off camera that a man was shot and killed on camera to show that (killing) wether it was staged and on stage that crimes that have to do with color and money wether it is asked of the person to do things that are not what god said for him or her to do to his or her self its sad that when a man that is a peace activist a father with a 4 year old daughter someones boyfriend someones son make peace with with Oscar Grant i’m sure his voice can still be heard today and that he is at peace where we are still here to be what god has put for us to be together and the man that shot Oscar Grant a bart police officer along with other police officers were all on camera at the time of the shooting so there is a lot of evidence on what happens to the futures of these men and women. For the rest of their lives they all have to say and feel that they have committed such an awful crime and we will all be here to keep up with how a man and women can be free from all the sins and things that they say they that they will can and can not be true. so does committed mean that in other words what has been taken from the life of Mr. Oscar Grant is sin? why would any man have any kind of sin? The man that pulled the trigger now has sin. And for the lives that Oscar Grant left behind they are there to describe their son her boyfriend their daughter their granddaughter. So where do you see fairness?
Christopher, on June 10th, 2009 at 1:56 pm Said:

I can appreciate where you’re coming from, Hanh, and I appreciate the question that many people get stuck on. “Where do you see fairness?”…. There is NO fairness in killing someone, but death isn’t biased. The odds of the round ricocheting back up off the floor and through Mr. Grant’s lung were 1 in a 1000. Some will dismiss it as a freak accident and others will call it an act of God, either way it wasn’t the intention of the officer that shot him. What most people have overlooked is the basic elements of the shooting, and have added theories and opinions to the mix of an already horrible situation. It was New Year’s Eve, there was a fight on the train, the officers had just come from a man with a gun call, Grant resisted, the officer lost control of Grant’s arm, Grant moved his arm towards his jacket, the officer took it as a threat that he may be going for a gun, the officer retreated to safety and fired an immobilizing shot into Grant’s lower back. This was the recipe for disaster and the most tragic thing that could have been imagined happened. You have to keep in mind that Mr. Grant didn’t cooperate and didn’t let the officers search him to clear him of having any weapons. It wasn’t until after he had been shot and quit struggling that they were able to handcuff him and search him to find that he didn’t have a gun. It went from bad to worse and then the riots afterwards only compounded an already tragic situation. I haven’t spoken with his girlfriend, but can imagine the hurt and anger she’s dealing with and my heart and prayers go out to her as well as his little girl, his sister, and cousin. They’re all great people that deserved alot better outcome in life than this.
Bubba Gump, on June 18th, 2009 at 12:15 pm Said:

I am truly tired of the media circus the grant family’s lawyer and his goons are making of this whole thing, money is all that is driving these people. Grant wasn’t murdered, it wasn’t pre-meditated. Too bad he was shot, sad the child he fathered won’t get to see him anymore…but really, how ofter did she see him anyway??? He and his bunch of thug friends caused problems on the train, grant acted up and got what he deserved. Get over it and find something better to focus on. You people, for sure, wouldn’t make such a ruckus had grant been White and the officer black. You’d give the black a medal and say it was all the victims fault. Own up to what you people do…get real jobs and act like the rest of society.
Родион, on June 18th, 2009 at 3:57 pm Said:

Занятно. Значит надо какие-нибудь поправки вносить.
Words, on July 31st, 2009 at 11:56 am Said:

wow…after reading some of these comments I can not believe that some one would come on here and disrespect Oscar Grant’s mother, wife and child. Weather it was an accident or not Oscar Grant was murder and there is no coming back from death. Most of yall need to look at it like if it were your son, husband or father then your opinions will changes and the fact that yall are saying it is ok because Oscar Grant did time in prison is sickening it is wrong to judge someone soley based of their past…we all have a past good and bad no one is perfect..It just shows how Sick American socity truly is we became numb to justice and equality.
One less, on October 17th, 2009 at 10:52 pm Said:

It is funny that Oscar’s old man is in prison for life and he is suing BART for familial loss.. LOL Darwin wins again..
Anthony Kohlien, on November 6th, 2009 at 2:57 pm Said:

This pains my heart to hear about such a tragedy. We (people who care) must not let his death be in vain. Oscar was a modren day martyr and we must make sure the world knows that things like this still happen! May GOD bless the people responsible for this website; and condolences to the berieved family.
This incident is not only about race but it is a reflection of our percieved “brotherhood”. We still are not accepted as members of the American family and in extreme cases as such; the human race. Issues like this must be addressed on the Presidential level. I wonder if this has entered President Obamas’ range of awareness????
Gbaby74, on November 6th, 2009 at 4:17 pm Said:

Condlences to the family yes, but this guy is far from a martyr. He there causing troulble, maybe excessive force was used but the bottom line is if he had not been causing trouble the altercation would not have taken place in the first place. I tell you one of the thing I hat as a black woman in society is when black folks act a damn fool, make situations uncomfortable for those around them by being loud, beligerant and disrespectful then when they are arrested or approached by the police it turns into an issue of race. Bullshit I’m sure this news has reached the President, but I;m sure he is not a supporter of this guy just like he did not support Kwame Kilpatrick in the stupid things he did. We as the black race need to wake up and check ourselves instead of blaming every single thing that goes wrong in our lives on the “white man”
BriGuy, on November 25th, 2009 at 12:35 pm Said:

Oscar Grant was a peacemaker, huh?

Is that why he just got out of jail 4 months earlier for dealing drugs, and has other felonies under his belt? This all coming from a father of a daughter…what a great example.

And Johannes Mehserle, who just had his first child the day after the shooting…is that what a man who is about to be a father decides to do? Go shoot some guy, because he hates blacks? Yeah right!

It was a mistake. Mehserle made a dumb mistake, and although he should never be able to wear a badge again, should NOT be charged with murder.
not my real name, on January 7th, 2010 at 9:39 am Said:

It was definitely an accident, and their should definitely be consequences, but Oscar Grant was involved in a fight, he was the one resisting arrest, he was the one that made this horrible accident possible.

Also the protesters the week or so after were all dumb as hell. Wrecking peoples lives because they’re upset.

Also I agree with the guy above me that there should not be a murder charge.
Marien, on January 12th, 2010 at 10:23 am Said:

BriGuy,

I personally thing that your wrong. Yes your right he giving his daughter a bad example but just because he has a record of felonies doesn’t mean he ain’t human. To my understanding it doesn’t matter he has pay his time for what he done and no one should be judging that. he pass is his pass present is now. And if everyone who has a record could be abuse for charges that would mean that everyone can do so. no i don’t think so. He is only 22 and berly having fun and what if he was there at the wrong time in wrong day when he got charge? He was just trying to do what the governmaent told him to do, to not drive under the influence for new years and what happen he gets killed for doing as told.

Mehserle might had done a mistake becuase in the video his face look like oh shit what did i do. but if he doesn’t get charge of murder for a mistake then this country has being doing the wrong thing to others. And beside have u thought of why was he gonna use his layzer gun if Oscar Grant was already following the rules? thing about it and if anyone else got something to say about my thoughts let me know at my yahoo mail:
marien_sanchez023@ymail.com
CaptAdams35, on January 13th, 2010 at 9:47 am Said:

Marien,
While I agree with you that the loss of life well overshadows his past, we can’t dismiss the facts that led up to this tragic event. The officers had just gotten a man with a gun call 30 minutes earlier and were responding to a call for help from the train operator. The gang fight, or brawl if you prefer, was escalating to the point that threats of shootings and death were reported by the passengers on the train. The officers pulled the parties out of the train and separated them from the crowd and followed procedure by searching them for weapons. It wasn’t until Mr. Grant resisted, refused, and fought them that the big red flags started going up and a second officer was required to force him to comply and be searched. How could anyone know that he was hiding cocaine instead of a gun? They didn’t have x-ray vision to tell what he was trying to grab in his jacket. Instead of waiting for him to produce a gun, narcotics, or even a tv remote, the officer retreated to a safe distance and drew his weapon so he would be at the ready if a gun did emerge from Grant’s jacket. I think he accidentally discharged his weapon in the rush of the moment and don’t think he intended to pull a taser at all, as they are carried on the off-side from their duty weapon so that they DON’T get confused with the other. There are several things that could have kept this from happening: Oscar could have stayed at home that night with his little girl, Oscar could have gotten off the train with the other people when the fight started (if he wasn’t the one that started it in the first place), Oscar could have complied with the police and told them he had the cocaine on him instead of trying to hide it (he didn’t know they had just come off a man with a gun call and that they would be on alert for him trying to reach into his jacket), with it being New Year’s Eve they had bigger fish to fry than a street thug with a little coke on him, and lastly the officer could have employed the use of force continuum more effectively. He may have broken Grant’s arm when he tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t have lost control of it allowing Grant to put it under him in his jacket leading them to think he was going for a gun. A broken arm seems alot more acceptable than death, especially in this instance. Remember, Grant put himself in this situation and his actions ultimately dictated the end result. Had he merely complied and let the officers check and clear him of having any weapons, this NEVER would have come to this. Now to the point of “murder”, it wasn’t a cold blooded act, anyone watching this can tell by the look on the officer’s face that he did NOT want to shoot. At the very most, I can see manslaughter, but expect a jury to see it as an officer trying to defend himself, his fellow officers, and the passengers on that platform from a potential shooter. Keep in mind, NO ONE (not you, me, the passengers, or those officers) knew it was drugs instead of a gun that he was hiding until AFTER he had been shot and they were finally able to cuff him and search him. Hope you don’t think I was trying to shoot you down, you have a very valid opinion, but the facts can’t be dismissed by emotions. Wishing you the very best.
frustrated with this, on February 6th, 2010 at 7:08 pm Said:

Man this whole thing is bullshit. OK first of all why would an officer purposely kill someone with so many witnesses? Obviously with all the states I’ve seen it was a fucking accident. U forget to see how the officer acted afterwards…he was fucking mortified! Stop being so fucking closed minded just cuz it was a white officer and a black man. Even Grants own FRIENDS is helping the officer’s case by saying that he warned Grant he was going to be tased. And Grants attorney(whatever his fucking name is) is mad that BART is trying to defend itself with what Grant’s friends say. Oh so Bart isn’t allowed to defend itself when a black community is bashing them with hella shit? Fuck that! Think outside the fucking box. I’m white and I support blacks but to be honest the way Grants attorney and people acted to this with rioting and not opening their mind, I have no sympathy for the black community anymore. You dont fucking deserve it. I think its bullshit how you can’t see it’s a fucking accident and a tragedy but they are trying to put an innocent man in jail for life for a fucking involuntary manslaughter. Stupid ass Grant family was for trying MURDER LOL. Go for what you will win and that’s INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER. NOT Murder…with Murder you’re gonna fucking lose cuz he didn’t intentionally murder him. And another thing…..what is up with people of color always “going there”? Its so fucking old. I’m just venting my frustrations with this shit. So FUCK Grants attorney. Trying to get 50 mil and thinks he can fucking get on Bart for defending itself from Grant’s friend’s statements. No they are not snitches, they are telling the fucking truth and that piece of shit attorney can fuck himself for trying to get more money out of it.

Now I know i’m going to get a lot of negative feedback, but I can give 2 shits about it. I do give my condolences to the Grant family, but I just need to throw it out there so they can see that all this is just an accidental death. Keep ur mind open people and not the whole blacks and white cops thing. Seriously fucking old.

And to all the close minded assholes, go fuck yourself with the Grant attorneys greedy fucking cock.
annoyed at the world, on February 21st, 2010 at 5:04 pm Said:

Wow, it’s pretty interesting to see of the comments here, some disrespecting Oscar and his family…… yet some saying the “truth” and some opinioned comments just really annoying and disturbing….. Personally, the police officer whats-his-name… is human and makes mistakes… but i do believe that he should be charged with murder… and in front of so many people and then ALSO…. taking away their video cameras and cell phones…. for…. “evidence”? yeah….. i suppose it’s debatable whether he did it just because he didn’t like his skin color or whether it was a genuine accident…. and come on people.. put yourself in Oscar Grant’s shoes… it’s extremely sad when you think about it.
annoyed at the world, on February 21st, 2010 at 5:06 pm Said:

and also…. who cares about his past…? nor criminal records. he is still human. that goes for the police officer too.. but racism and prejudice is something that really ticks me off. -from an EDUCATED 13-year-old
Scott, on February 21st, 2010 at 10:38 pm Said:

… A young girl will grow up without her father. … Grant being in prison then, a couple weeks after getting out, being out at 2 a.m. sounds ALREADY like his little girl was growing up without a father. “Peacemaker”?!?! You’ve got to be freakin’ KIDDING me. This is criminally negligent homicide at best. No way it is first degree murder.
R2 D2, on February 22nd, 2010 at 8:55 am Said:

Oscar Grant’s death was obviously something that never should have happened, whether or not he was a criminal or a “street-saint”. Police brutality should not and will never be tolerated in the US. What’s funny to me though, is the fact that when others die from police brutality, nobody makes a big deal. It’s just because the media has blown it up into something it wasn’t. Oscar Grant was no saint. None of us are. Oscar Grant made mistakes, and so do all of us. He was normal. So why do you all care so much about this one isolated incident of police brutality when it happens every single day?
The BART officer did shoot him by mistake, but he did take evidence which he shouldn’t have done. Oscar Grant was brutally executed. Nobody deserves that.
Pablo, on March 1st, 2010 at 12:31 pm Said:

(1) Grant didn’t deserve to die, but please stop labeling him as some sort of angel. He was a known gang member and a convicted felon.

(2) Know the difference between 1st and 2nd degree murder before you start bitching about what Mehserle should be charged with.

(3) Let investigators investigate. If you’ve made up your mind based on a few cell phone videos, that’s fine. Don’t expect professionals to be as impatient or stupid.

(4) Mehserle chose not to speak with investigators, and to retain counsel. He later pleaded not guilty and demanded a jury trial. These are our CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS people. If you don’t like it, tough shit. If it bothers you so much, go protest at any county jail and you’ll find hundreds if not thousands of others going through the exact same process.

My opinion: The shooting was an accidental homicide. I don’t think Mehserle will be convicted of murder. Manslaughter maybe.
Hannah, on March 5th, 2010 at 1:41 pm Said:

PEACEMAKER??? hahahhaha thats all I can say to that statement.
Peacemaker hahah
CaptAdams35, on March 12th, 2010 at 12:09 am Said:

Hannah, the media’s no different than commercial entities. They make their money by what they are selling. If they can take a turd and polish it up nice and pretty, it’ll sell. When America sees “Peacemaker executed”, it sells without needing any founding or facts and incites anger, rage, and a need for vengeance.

I have no doubt that Mr. Grant was trying to keep the peace that night. He had crack cocaine on his person and wasn’t wanting to draw attention to himself as he had just gotten out of jail for the same offense. This explains why he fought so hard to keep them from searching him. Unfortunately for Grant, it was New Year’s Eve and the officers had just come off a man with a gun call. In the same situation, I would have thought he was concealing a gun also and reacted accordingly to protect myself, my fellow officers, and the bystanders on the platform.

As for the “execution” I have a very biased POV on this as the use of force did NOT start with a weapon, but rather verbal commands. The officer ordered Grant to lay face down to be searched just like the others involved in the melee, but he didn’t comply, to which he was physically led to lay down, to which he resisted. When it takes 2 officers to force a subject to comply with a simple search, that subject is resisting. It wasn’t until Meserhle lost control of Grant’s arm and allowed him to jerk it away that he was forced to retreat and draw his weapon. The reports from witnesses said they heard the officer yell “Gun, gun!”. Where anyone in their right mind would consider this an act of murder or execution is beyond comprehension. You don’t retreat to a safe distance to murder someone, you do it to defend yourself. Keep in mind there were dozens if not a hundred people on the platform that were all potential targets if Grant did draw a gun and start shooting randomly to escape arrest. Had this played out that way, I’m sure there would be several families suing BART for not protecting them from a violent gunman with a known history in that area.

In closing, I think Grant was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, only a peacemaker when it benefited him. And the officer didn’t murder or execute him, he killed him in attempt to stop a potential catastrophe of bigger proportions. 2 seconds isn’t much time, especially to decide if the guy you’re searching is fighting to get his hands away to either flee or find a weapon. I pulled the crime stats for Fruitvale and the surrounding 1 mile radius, absolutely staggering. Over 90 violent crimes each month. Here, we consider that a crazy year and couldn’t imagine that much violent behavior in a month’s time.

With all the evidence collected from the camera phones (and YES it is evidence), the statement from the Medical Examiner’s office, as well as the witnesses (including 2 of Grant’s associates) this is a tragic case of manslaughter in the 2nd degree.

I know alot of you have this cowboy image for us, that’s not why we do the job. We work the long hours for ridiculous pay because we are wired to protect the good from the bad, that’s what we do and that’s who we are. Anyone who thinks this officer shot Grant for any other reason than to protect is dead wrong, period.

I’m available to answer any REAL questions about the process or procedures. Take care, be safe, and God bless.
Michael, on June 25th, 2010 at 6:30 pm Said:

father and peacemaker? not a chance, but he did not deserve to die for fighting cops and being a thug, it is sad he was not at home with his 4 year old kid being a "father" instead he chose to be a troublemaker on public transit. Whether the officer goes to prison for a long time or a short time will not bring him back. If every rioting thug gets to tear a piece of Mesherle's flesh off his bones it won't bring Oscar back. There is a lesson to be learned here, don't mess with cops, don't mess with people. If the cop say stop doing what you are doing get on the facking ground and shut up. Death is not reversible whether it is intentional or through a series of mistakes. RIP Oscar and I hope many young people will learn to behave better instead of resorting to more violence an provocation. Mesherle will not be the first o the last officer to shoot a young suspect, why not revent officer shootings by not doing dumb shit? Or not. At the end o the day the police can and will use deadly force. It is part of their job. Have a nice day. Bring peace and love in Oscar's memory, not hate.
john smith, on June 25th, 2010 at 7:34 pm Said:

fuck that toad that cop prabably saved lives cleansing that nigger off the streets
Harry Sawari, on June 26th, 2010 at 5:06 am Said:

It's a tough call, a man died here. Even if this man provoked the police and was a criminal, did he deserve to be killed ? No.
Daniel Boone, on June 29th, 2010 at 12:11 am Said:

Screw that punk. He was a trouble maker. He put himself in that position. The family couldn't be happier. They are drooling over how much money they can get. If they could have 5 million dollars or have him back to life what do you think they will choose?
casper51, on July 1st, 2010 at 4:52 pm Said:

I go by what I witness in life, what I see and read and especially if I am pretty clear on facts, I go by how people judge what I judge. I know many blacks get turned down because they are black,treated certain way because they are black ,looked at a certain way because they are black.Years ago it was mainly because of prejudices. Now,I believe 95% is for that reason BROUGHT ON BY OTHER BLACKS. The blacks that create violence and problems all over. It may not be right but thats the reason most are looked at the same way. As is with Pit Bulls,they aren't all bad but when you see or have bad experiences with them, you don't trust any of them. Then you see things like this, don't find him guilty of murder (dont get our way)we will riot and burn down the city. That is acting like animals and unfortunatly threats and violence seems to be the answer for blacks that don't get there way. Where is the anger with black on black murders? That never gets answers except somehow its the whitemans fault or the police. I feel for the good ,honest black people out there, I really do.Its a mess that will never get better.
casper51, on July 1st, 2010 at 5:04 pm Said:

I want to make sure I read this correctly, when you referred to Grant about everyone makes mistakes and does things in a lifetime they regret but doesnt mean they should be put to death?I assume thats for every race right? I agree 100% because no matter what, I do not believe the officer had intentions of pulling out his gun and killing Mr Grant. I think it was a terrible mistake that he will pay for his entire life. Yes he should get convicted of a crime but not murder. Again, I agree with your first paragraph, this was a mistake. No human with morals would burn down a city with thousands of innocent people and property just because the verdict is what they don't agree with, do you agree? And to steal a businessmans belongings and smiling as you do it, is that fair or does it punish the system in some way? Our society it close to being in the toilet and I see no changes coming, to bad
casper51, on July 1st, 2010 at 5:15 pm Said:

I can't tell you the number of times I've been arrested. If you keep your mouth shut, you are not going to get tazed, you wont get shot, and you wont get your butt kicked. The police could be 100% wrong for arresting or charging you but believe me, even if you showed him absolute proof of your innocence you are still going to jail if arrest was originally what he had in mind. You get the facts straight when you go to court cuz he won't let you go hisself. Just don't argue with him cuz you won't win. I you got a pocket full of dope, if you arent searched you won't go to jail. Thats because you listened to the cop and did not resist. Criminals know that and they know to keep there mouth shut so they won't get searched. You heard the croud,they were loud and unruly. If your son is there, tell him not to stay with the crowd and holler injustices at the police, tell him to go about his business and get on the Bart and leave.
casper51, on July 1st, 2010 at 5:47 pm Said:

You are just using facts. These hard heads only believe facts if they favor them. If the Bart platform was empty except for the folks being detained/arrested. Nobody would be dead or tazed or shot. The crowd, as does whenever a black person is being arrested, works themselves into a frenzy therefore causing the arrestee to react. He then hears the support and wants to resist even more. Everyone can hear how objective the crowd was,that was before the shot.They had no idea why these guys were detained,could of been for slicing a families throat for all they knew. No different than police chases on TV.the crowd cheers for the guy running from the police. Not knowing if he raped and murdered one of there own family. Its a you crowds mentality now with the police. Your facts are great but these folks are followers they don't go with facts they go with what the homies. Black on black hundreds each yr. they will somehow blame the whites or police for that too. Shame on there souls.
casper51, on July 1st, 2010 at 6:00 pm Said:

I had to watch video after video until I could finally find Mr.Grant. How everyone sees clearly all this is hard to believe. I have no doubt he got shot in the back but come-on, to try and convince the average non-biased person that watches the videos that the police made a circle around this guy, just so nobody could see when one of them shot him in the back? GET REAL This is no different that the OJ conspiracy (LA police/lab/detectives etc)all were out to set him up? These cops weren't all buddies that trusted eachother enough to allow a BART cop murder someone with a hundred witnesses?And if the verdict isn't 1st degree murder we will burn down innocent folks businesses (after we steal what we want out of the store while smiling) what does that have to do with a verdict? I say, continue following the crowd and you will never be your own man, you will still be a slave as your ancestors were.
casper51, on July 1st, 2010 at 6:29 pm Said:

I watch this video about 10 times and still cant tell which officer shot the MrGrant. I couldn't tell if he was struggling or not. What I did see was, a few guys sitting up I assume cuffed,police around them. Then the crowd does what crowds do they start hollering at the police when someone is getting arrested. Grants friends walk up to the police to question them I guess (the girl recording video said this, not me).What I take from this, crowd gets loud, Grant sees/hears support for him so he struggles some, the Bart cop gets nervous, reaches for gun?taser? whatever but he discharges it and kills Grant. Witness said, one officer grabbed Bart cops shoulders as if to ask, what happened or why did you do that? We all know that type of look. The Bart cop had the look (according to witness)he was shocked as soon as it happened like he didn't expect it or something. This girl you can tell, is siding with Mr. Grant. So given that, she is being honest when she says Bart cop was shocked. Murder 1st degree? NO, involuntary manslaughter? yes
replyingtoanidiot., on July 8th, 2010 at 7:32 pm Said:

Wow, You just help deminish your cause with this Ignorant comment that has no thought proccess behind it. That's the kinda of comment that you accuse others of being racist for. Keep up the good work moron.
MacMan, on July 8th, 2010 at 10:39 pm Said:

Obviously this is an extremely sad situation for all. It seems to me that manslaughter is the correct call. I won't demean anyone's reality. However, rioting and more violence really only makes things worst in the inner city, especially for the young and old. Despite our differences we need to spead peace.
Jim, on July 8th, 2010 at 11:30 pm Said:

I wonder if Grant drove one of those terrorist boom cars with the massive subwoofers that keep people awake at all hours? Society could sure stand to be trimmed of those thugs.
Matt, on July 8th, 2010 at 11:46 pm Said:

Exactly! Just like Rodney King, people are using a thug as a marter for their cause and are spinning facts extremely far out of proportion.
Blueeyestoo, on July 9th, 2010 at 3:18 am Said:

Johnson is a phony name.
Blueeyestoo, on July 9th, 2010 at 3:19 am Said:

She looks like Rose Ann Parker, she was in town about the time Richard Ramarez was, you know who is the daddy!
Blueeyestoo, on July 9th, 2010 at 3:23 am Said:

He dumped the kid off, she picked him up, with their church. Several small children were missing from that area several years ago, They are highly suspect. We wondered where the sweet little boy had gotten to–their church. Who knows what he had been doing–
Blueeyestoo, on July 9th, 2010 at 3:24 am Said:

Lucky break!
kalena, on July 9th, 2010 at 6:24 am Said:

omg…grw up
kalena, on July 9th, 2010 at 6:26 am Said:

i agree
Young Jeezy, on July 9th, 2010 at 8:22 am Said:

RIP Oscar Grant that little xKn!&&3rx!!!!!!!!!
bgums, on July 9th, 2010 at 4:45 pm Said:

yoouse spellin is niice
Praise OPD, on July 9th, 2010 at 5:25 pm Said:

Well said, why is it that it's always the black man being the victim. When the 4 Oakland Police officers were killed (RIP) by the parolee hiding in the apt. People praised the Parolee for commiting such a horrific deed. Justice against cops they said. Yet, what those people failed to realize was that he was a parolee on the run for commiting rape on a minor. Stop blaming the cops and other people for your son's f*&#ed up decisions, its not racial it's your son choosing to be a criminal and getting caught.
I blame the media for part of the racial uprising, everytime they talked about the verdict they always said white cop shot black unarmed man. It should have just been Cop shot criminal.
The most racist people in the world are in oakland from what we saw last night. People were talking about hundreds of years of depression. It's a joke.
John Bloch, on July 9th, 2010 at 6:10 pm Said:

Oscar Grant, criminal scumbag is accidentally shot while fighting with police. What a moron.
Carmela, on July 9th, 2010 at 6:32 pm Said:

The man was on the ground, contained and unarmed. He was shot in the back. He had no criminal record. John, Bloch, there is no way to confuse a gun for a tazer, particularly if you are a police man. They are on COMPLETELY different parts of the utility belt.
Jim Crowe, on July 9th, 2010 at 1:29 pm Said:

OSCAR GRANT IS A SCUM BAG . THE LITTLE PUNK DESERVED ALL THAT HE GOT. HIS FAMILY ARE A BUNCH OF CRIMINALS WHO ARE HUNGRY FOR CASH AND LIMELIGHT. HE’S LUCKY THAT HE GOT SHOT BY A COP CUS NOW THEY CAN SUE BART !!!!

I CAN’T STAND THIS BIASED NEWSPAPER. YOU IDIOTS CRITICIZE EVERYTHING THE NON-BLACK COMMUNITY DOES. SHUT UP AND GET A REAL JOB
OscarGrant, on July 9th, 2010 at 10:05 pm Said:

Peacemaker with a criminal record of guns, violence, evading police… c'mon people.
allresponsible, on July 9th, 2010 at 11:59 pm Said:

I just have to say that I have been completely immobilized with feelings of maddening misrepresentation, inflammation of racism, and ultimately muzzling defeat in my attempts to bring a more balanced voice of reason to this complexity of this case and verdict here in the Bay Area… and the only thing to spark a light of hope, honesty, and validation for the healing I see as so urgently necessary between ALL races (but especially black and white) is your responses Christopher, and Gbaby's to them. Wow. So glad you both spoke up. I feel like unfortunately the only way any of us feel safe to do that is completely anonymously online, or worse "behind closed doors", which of course only represses and perpetuates racism in the end rather than resolve it.

I tried to express the fact that while IN NO WAY did Oscar deserve to be shot (though I understand your view on the greatest good, given the risk he may have been armed/reaching for a weapon, Christopher), he was absolutely visibly resisting arrest, plus had a serious criminal record including possession of firearm he was just out of prison for. The resist of arrest occurred after apparently fighting on BART before the incident on the Fruitvale platform. The crowds surrounding this incident were also loud, unruly, and all over the place disrespecting cops audibly as they tried to address the situation they were called to.

All this said, the fact is that black people (particularly black men) are CONSTANTLY harassed and historically have even been murdered without cause by police officers. The problem is that the statistics on young black men and possession of weapons is a reality that cops will naturally, instinctively consider (as I do after being caught in the crossfire of gang shootings and nearly losing my life here in SF, then witnessing 3 gang-related homicides all committed by this demographic) when confronting them, particularly in an arrest-resisting situation in Fruitvale of all places.

The part about him having cocaine stuck in his anus is new information that also doesn't get presented anywhere here in the Bay in the land of "white people are homicidally racist and always have been" and Oscar was "an innocent, unarmed peacemaker." The interesting and oddly patronizing part to me is that the most racist (toward whites) statements I have heard have been from WHITE people in this situation. Most of my black contacts agree that this shooting was likely accidental, and being blown way out of proportion into a "black men are innocent victims" issue.

Now I will absolutely concur that black men started out in this country and continued for much of our history to indeed be innocent victims. In fact as anti-violence as I am, I very well may have shot back if I was present for the assassination of MLK. But more recently, it is seriously ridiculous what is happening with so many black guys with the rise of gang-culture/gangsta rap glorifying a life of violence, misogyny, and materialism. And black women, where is your self-respect to listen to and co-sign on this "bitchez and hoez" dehumanization of your sisterhood? Sitting in my SF apartment writing a letter to someone I love the other day, I heard the following chorus BLASTING into my window from the street: "FUCK BITCHES, GET MONEY, FUCK BITCHES, GET MONEY". What affect do you think that popular music is having on our collective psyche as men AND women?

PLEASE don't ignore all the longstanding psychological research showing a crystal clear relationship between violent media and actual violence either… This is a complex issue and I feel like the only way it is going to get resolved is if we ALL start taking responsibility for our behavior- from violence to racism that exists in EVERY group. Not everything can still be whitey's fault forever can it? We have a fucking half black president yet white people are still all racist? Really? Obama himself said young black men don't always act in the most likable ways, and need to take responsibility for some of the antagonism they evoke. Regardless of race, I value kindness, respect, and love above all. I thought those were qualities transcendent of race, religion, or creed?
Eve, on July 10th, 2010 at 12:53 am Said:

what is wrong with you no one should have die..You are sad.
julie, on July 10th, 2010 at 2:52 pm Said:

No family should have to go through this;;;
the cops appology means nothing to the family i am sure;;;
prayers for the family!!!!!
lynflores, on July 11th, 2010 at 1:48 am Said:

you are correct. Manslaughter, not murder. Mr. Grant was not the angel his family is making him out to be. Twenty two years old and having already been in prison twice! come on! I pray for the families involved. However, Mr. Grant was no angel.
lynflores, on July 11th, 2010 at 2:00 am Said:

Talk circulating about how the "white cop" was racist. Sounds to me like you are also a racist with your comment about "whitey." Let's not be a hypocrite now. You are correct however, no one deserves to die. I don't think Mr. Grant (rest his soul) was exacting an angel as his family makes him out to be. What we need to do is pray for the families involved and move on. Rioting and making a fool of ones self is not going to bring back Mr. Grant. If one wants respect, one must give respect. Crying "victim" is so old – nobody care to hear about it.
lynflores, on July 11th, 2010 at 2:09 am Said:

God bless you. However, stop crying victim – it gets old. We all make our choices in life and must suffer the consquences of the bad choices we've made. Move on and do something positive for your community it will bring happiness to your heart.
lynflores, on July 11th, 2010 at 2:14 am Said:

Contemplate what you just wrote. How ignorant is it – pretty darn ignorant. No you do not hope to God that anyone gets shot. Pray for all involved in this situation. Think before you write something so ignorant. God Bless you and help you.
CMM, on July 11th, 2010 at 7:01 am Said:

But WHY point that out ? Technically he is a peace maker, He tried making peace with the police. He is dead now, You should respect that.
Tyrone Nigger, on July 11th, 2010 at 7:24 am Said:

Oscar Grant was a convict and felon and an irresponsible father who should have been home taking care of his child, not causing trouble on BART. His father is also a murderer. The reason the jury in the Mehserle trial was all white was because you cant find a black man in California without a rap sheet
Taviteh, on July 11th, 2010 at 4:00 pm Said:

None of this would have happened if Grant had cooperated with police officers. He resisted arrest, and refused to comply. See, when you fight with police you open the door to the possibility of something going wrong. The cop deserves to go to jail, of course, but none of this would have happened in the first place if Grant had not resisted. And yes, he resisted arrest. I watched the video. People on here that are claiming that he did not resist arrest are lying, or have not watched the video.
Sheila, on July 12th, 2010 at 8:37 pm Said:

I'm sick of this mess. No, Oscar shouldn't have been shot. But hello! It was AN ACCIDENT people. Enough already. I don't want to see this family given any more air time, no conferences, NOTHING. I don't believe his family would have accepted the cop's apology under ANY circumstance, time or otherwise. I believe THEY are the haters and the racists. And the more they open their mouths, the more it shows. Curses to those who MADE THIS AN ISSUE OF RACE. How DARE you. This should be seen as an action happening between TWO MEN. Not one black man, and one white man. TWO MEN. Burris should also be ashamed of himself. He is preying on the family's weakness to further his agenda and rake in some more cash possibly for all of them. ENOUGH.
Sheila, on July 12th, 2010 at 8:49 pm Said:

where is Oscar's father??
Dave Hanna, on July 13th, 2010 at 4:18 pm Said:

Hey, If Oscar Grant had been white we would have never heard of the trial outcome. I remember during the huge upset over the infamous Rodney King beating that sheriffs deputies in Kern County on video tape a white man viciously. The man had been accused of child molestation and was later found to be innocent. Lord have mercy if he had been a black man… they would've burned Bakersfield down.
Lid, on July 14th, 2010 at 12:44 am Said:

Oscar grant being a peacemaker….. He was a felon. Speak the truth grant wasn’t an innocent kid but he did not deserve to die. And for the cop those cops are always harassing young black men for no damn reason. But it was not murder that man did not shoot him intentionally. He should get a least 4-8 years. What about the other officers they should have part in this to. A harassment suit or something. That’s problems with oakland they blame it all on the young troubled but don’t help them out. It’s almost like they want it to never change. So many young people dying and for what drugs how you look at someone. If we had better education a better system someone who really cares about all these people doing what they can just to get by the next generation would benefit.
NONO, on July 17th, 2010 at 8:30 am Said:

YOUR RIGHT
HELL NOO, on July 17th, 2010 at 8:30 am Said:

SO RIGHT
SSN708, on August 23rd, 2010 at 3:05 pm Said:

Yes, he was a convicted felon, numerous convictions. Revisionist history at its best.
SSN708, on August 23rd, 2010 at 3:08 pm Said:

So full of shit. Grant was not complying, he had assaulted 2 officers and was resisting arrest! What if it were a white person? You mean like the several other taser / gun mixups that you never heard of? That 's right, it has happened at least 8 times, and most of the victims were WHITE! Never heard about any of those, have you?
SSN708, on August 23rd, 2010 at 3:10 pm Said:

More than fit a description, the train driver and witnesses pointed him out as the one who started tha fight. Also, he had assaulted 2 officers prior to being shot (prior even to being put on the ground on the attempt to cuff him). Do you think they would have been nicer to a White person who assaulted 2 officers? BS.
SSN708, on August 23rd, 2010 at 3:12 pm Said:

Grant was not handcuffed.
sfbayview, on August 23rd, 2010 at 6:18 pm Said:

Hello, SSN708. Out of all the nasty comments, I don't know why yours got under my skin – probably because it's simply not true. After seeing it today, I emailed our reporter in LA who covered the trial from start to finish. Here's what she said:

No, Oscar didn't assault any cops. The video "expert" Rains paid a boatload of cash to lie said the videos looked like Oscar Grant was "trying: to strike Domenici" and "tried" to knee Pirone in the groin.

And in court, under oath, the train operator said Pirone NEVER asked her if these were the ones fighting (the folks sitting on the wall with Oscar Grant) and she NEVER SAID they were the ones.

By the way, the train operator was a black woman; all the people of color at the trial testified it was not a fight, a tussle, an argument that couldn't get physical because there was no room to do anything, people too packed in. The white folks who testified (they called the train operator) said it was a fight, Rains (white guy) said it was a fight, and the ones who called the operator said it was "Blacks, Whites and Latinos" involved, but only reported the Black guys. Hmmm …

Mary Ratcliff, editor
San Francisco Bay View
Unknown, on November 3rd, 2010 at 11:19 pm Said:

You're being prejudice right now. You're being prejudice toward white people. And no one should speak like they know all about this case because they don't. For all we know, the people speaking on behalf of the two are being bias. And FYI, racism is when one believes that their race is superior and believes they have a right to rule others not of the same race. So be careful on your choice of vocabulary and don't use words you're not familiar with.
Mr.Concerned, on November 5th, 2010 at 2:37 pm Said:

WHoever wrote this piece is way off base and did not even bother to practice any sort of real journalism. Grant was no Peacemaker, and the way this piece is written, totally designed to instigate the race card, when obviously that had nothing to do with it. They were pulled off the train because all of them (Grant included) were causing trouble on the train. And all reports state he wasn't pleading with the cops, but being a jerk to them and making the situation all that much worse. I think this whole situation will have a dire affect on the protection of the community. while sad and maybe the Bart cop did od something wrong, but this whole case sets a precedent. If a cop makes a mistake, He/She can go to Jail. If I were a cop, and someone was in trouble and came down to the point where I would have to pull a gun to save a life, I'd be thinking twice about pulling that gun…. and that may be the victims life right there. Why does no one think of that side of it all???
lilly, on November 5th, 2010 at 6:21 pm Said:

its NEW yrs day. Alcohol, blacks, and whites dont mesh well.another reason why im surprised that alcohol is legal and prop 19 didnt pass fk. anwyas ;(( RIp OScar Grant but wasnt he suppossed to be at home with his baby mama and lil daughter… idk much about peacemaking as it seems
leroy, on November 6th, 2010 at 9:03 am Said:

Right on! what good peacemaking father does that. Also, Grant is apparently a great dad, posthumously i guess, since statistics overwhelmingly point to black fathers not sticking around with their baby's mamas or their kids, let alone being a great father.
leroy, on November 6th, 2010 at 9:05 am Said:

This article's purpose is to add fuel to the racial unrest in our nation. Nothing but a fabrication intended to move people to protest/riot.
leroy, on November 6th, 2010 at 9:08 am Said:

also, he should have been raising a daughter instead of spending the last few years in and out of prison. A good father would've gotten his priorities straight.
oscar, on November 6th, 2010 at 5:57 pm Said:

you are all full of shit-calling this murder, execution. to hell with all of you
Natalie, on November 7th, 2010 at 10:51 pm Said:

He was a felon, not an angel
J Mason White, on November 8th, 2010 at 3:10 pm Said:

Aren't your people criminals from another county ?
Getting off the boat & been Killing ever since In the name of Superiority… So you think!
Death is to good for all you raciest Caveman !
Your history has rang true savage your a savage!
Shanel, on November 14th, 2010 at 7:43 pm Said:

stop painting him as a "peacemaker" he was a CONVICTED FELON. Recently out of prison. That doesn't sound like a peacemaker to me. And weren't the Bart Police there because he was involved in a fight on the train? Again, doesn't sound like a peacemaker to me.
Oscar Grant, on November 29th, 2010 at 9:18 pm Said:

Grant served two state prison terms for various felonies including a conviction for drug dealing In 2007, San Leandro police stunned him with a Taser to subdue him after a traffic stop, in which he threw the pistol into the air and ran. He was sentenced to 16 months in state prison.

In the motion for bail, Mehserle's attorney, Michael Rains, stated that toxicology testing of Grant's blood revealed the presence of alcohol (0.02%) and Fentanyl, a potent pain reliever. The coroner's bureau said the pathologist's autopsy protocol would be finalized in March 2009.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BART_Police_shooting…

Oscar Grant was a Piece of S**** and the world is a better place without him.

Eventually Oscar Grant would have harmed someone and Mehserle is a hero for purging that loser from the human race.
TheREALTruth, on January 13th, 2011 at 5:26 pm Said:

"No, Oscar didn't assault any cops. The video "expert" Rains paid a boatload of cash to lie said the videos looked like Oscar Grant was "trying: to strike Domenici" and "tried" to knee Pirone in the groin."

SORRY, but you are DEAD wrong on this, because Daniel Lui's video (the video that CATCHES Grant in the act of SMACKING DOMENICI'S HANDS AWAY FROM HIS FRIEND) is readily available as a compliation video on YouTube from the L.A. Times. All you have to do is VIEW IT and you will see Grant putting his hands out and onto Officer Domenici's arm as she reached for the friend standing next to him on his left; immediately afterwards, Pirone rushed Grant (BECAUSE of what he did to Domenici). Ifyou want to be willfully blind to these *facts* after having watched the video, then there's no hope for you and your "reporting".
guest, on February 15th, 2011 at 5:56 pm Said:

If he didn't harm any one but himself, he was a peacemaker and lets not forget, a dad a husband, a son etc. And there was no reason for the shot they had him on the ground If he was a threat he should of been handcuffed. what he did wasn't police procedure….. On top of that he was a Bart police trying to show off
Amber, on May 9th, 2011 at 3:38 pm Said:

And society is better for it!
sadly, on May 24th, 2011 at 1:15 am Said:

One day, none of this will matter. The cop that shot this young man, will be held accountable, the man that is dead today will have to answer for his past. What we must remember is that these are two human beings that were a part of a true mishap that day and it doesn't matter what any racist, or any lazy "no gooder" remotely thinks about it at this time. Two lives were blemished that day, and still hatred is seems to be all some of you can think about. In a funny way, neither of them are thinking about any of you who are making those loose and thoughtless comments…The way I see it, some of you could have pulled that trigger that day and your hearts are going to send you straight to hell…
Guest, on May 24th, 2011 at 1:20 am Said:

Sir, sadly you will eat your words for such a calouse response…I am sure that your record is pristeen…Yea, right…
ILoveOakland, on June 11th, 2011 at 2:00 pm Said:

haha man did he put you in your place. Dont you just feel stupid! Assuming that the man was white haha maybe you shouldnt be the editor of this newspaper?? I had no idea that the SF Bay View employed racists
ILoveOakland, on June 11th, 2011 at 2:11 pm Said:

disgusting
Alan, on July 11th, 2011 at 5:18 am Said:

This is nothing new and quite common. Remember, the police are here to protect the rich and powerful. As long as Americans stay divided, we are bound to repeat travesties.
Revolution is a good thing every so often. Its time for one now.
dontcommitcrime, on July 16th, 2011 at 4:34 pm Said:

What about your peacemaker Johntue Caldwell?
SF Sucks, on August 22nd, 2011 at 10:56 pm Said:

BART protesters are selfish f#cking, hipster idiots who probably could not spell "BART" if you spotted them the "B", "A", and "R".
nae, on October 7th, 2011 at 8:10 pm Said:

i agree with u
nae, on October 7th, 2011 at 8:19 pm Said:

wowz smart of u tyo say
NAENAE, on October 7th, 2011 at 8:31 pm Said:

oscar grant wasnt a bad preson its alone of people n jail tht do shit but they dont have to die i mean tht cop had to just shot him for WHT SHIT I MEAN JUST TO DO IT THT WASNT KOOL NOW IF A BLACK PRSON SHOT A MEXICAN OR WHTEVER U WANNA CALL IT PRESON IT WELL BE CRAZY TO NOW THIS IS A LIL DIFF BECAUSE HE DIDNT DO SHIT HE WAS TRYN TO FIND OUT WHY HE WAS GOING TO JAIL THTS ALL HE DIDNT TRY TO HIT OR SUCK THE COP SO WHY SHOT HIM I MEAN HE WAS LISTENING TO EVERYTHING THEY WAS SAY BUT A COP IS GO BE A COP THEY FEEL LIKE THEY GOT THE GUN SO THEY GO TO USE IT BEFOR REAL I MEAN HE DIDNT HAVE TO DO THT N BY ME LOOKING AT THT IT MADE ME CRY LIKE DAMN THTS FUCKIN UP BUT (R.I.P OSCAR GRANT)
Bam, on October 31st, 2011 at 10:04 am Said:

its always a racial thing, always has to be a black man versus a white man. White people dont keep the racism alive, black people do, cant you just let the racial part of it go
Bam, on October 31st, 2011 at 10:07 am Said:

maybe if you did some productive with your life and lived with an open mind you wouldnt be such a target.
Bam, on October 31st, 2011 at 10:14 am Said:

You know if people in tough cities dealt with victims of drive by shootings like they have dealt with this, then we would deff live in a better world. Everyone is so quick to bash the police, but yet when they are in trouble, who is the first person they call? The police…You people need to get a life, stop blaming others for your issues. Were human we make mistakes. It wasnt racially motivated, it was criminally motivated. Maybe if grant shut his mouth and did what he was told that night, he would still be here, but no he has to act like a jackass and ruin another mans life forever. So stupid. Bay area people need to get a grip on life. Your all so stuck up and liberal.
MICHAEL, on November 26th, 2011 at 8:28 pm Said:

This is why Oakland is not desired to be lived in anymore, or have bussinesses set up in. The hard truth is you blame cops all day which is honestly retarded and emnotionally crippling. Cause you say nothing about all the gangster rap and drugs being pushed in your neighborhood. GORW UP OAKLAND, FUNNY MY FATHER WASNT VERY WELCOEM IN THE 70S CAUSE HE WASNT BLACK AND WASNT A CRIP. I THINK THE WANNABEES AND GANGSTERS ADN THEIR COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS ARE MOSTLY SCUM OF THE EARTH DO US A FAVOR AND MAKE OAKLAND A SEPARATE COUNTRY AND SEE HOW LONG YOU LAST. I NEVER PLAN ON MOVING BACK TO THAT DISGUSTING PART OF CALIFORNIA '' THE BAY AREA''
Günstige Private Krankenversicherung, on January 20th, 2012 at 2:06 am Said:

It’s actually a cool and helpful piece of information. I am glad that you just shared this helpful information with us. Please stay us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.
breezy, on March 13th, 2012 at 1:54 pm Said:

murder nigga
kkk all day, on March 13th, 2012 at 1:55 pm Said:

god damb niggers he dessevered what he got burn niggers burn
Tamera Beetley, on March 30th, 2012 at 8:30 pm Said:

Wonderful goods from you, man. I have understand your stuff previous to and you’re just too excellent. I really like what you’ve acquired here, certainly like what you are saying and the way in which you say it. You make it enjoyable and you still take care of to keep it wise. I can’t wait to read far more from you. This is actually a wonderful web site.

Topics

Links

Popular Tags

Archives

Feeds