In a few hours a verdict is going to be read in LA, CA... regardless of the decision, there will most likely be a riot in Oakland, and people will be talking about drug addicted anarchists and rapper thugs ect... my thoughts and prayers are that this doesn't happen or at least isn't severe... it's lame and pointless and doesn't repesent the thousand of cool motherfuckers who live there...
what's really lame, is the media will not say a peep until the shit hits the fan, because peaceful streets are boring....



http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2010%2F07%2F08%2FBAM21EBDOD.DTL

Help us out - what criminal case is this?

If there's a riot in America...there ought to be a Stones concert going on during.

andrews27 wrote on Jul 8^th, 2010 at 5:47pm:

Help us out - what criminal case is this? If there's a riot in America...there ought to be a Stones concert going on during.

my bad, just added the link above... my point is, the case has become secondary to peoples desire to just go out and fuck shit up...

cue sly stone...........

Your jumping the gun Pdog.No pun intended. I've been listening to news coverage of the events since the verdict was read, All is peaceful so far. Let's hope it stays that way and give people the benefit of the doubt. Needless to say however,the majority of the community in Oakland is not happy and does not agree with the verdict. But the city has been preparing for this very,very carefully.

sweetcharmedlife wrote on Jul 8^th, 2010 at 7:10pm:

Your jumping the gun Pdog.No pun intended. I've been listening to news coverage of the events since the verdict was read, All is peaceful so far. Let's hope it stays that way and give people the benefit of the doubt. Needless to say however,the majority of the community in Oakland is not happy and does not agree with the verdict. But the city has been preparing for this very,very carefully.

a gun pun... there's already been riots and more threats of violence that will be the usual lglass breaking, lighting mail boxes on fire...

07-08) 17:22 PDT LOS ANGELES -- A jury found former BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle guilty today of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the New Year's Day 2009 shooting of an unarmed train rider, finding that he had acted with criminal negligence when he fired a single shot into Oscar Grant's back at the Fruitvale Station in Oakland.

The Los Angeles jury reached its verdict at 2:10 p.m. today, after 6 1/2 hours of deliberations that began Wednesday morning when an alternate juror was seated to replace a panel member who had gone on vacation.

Jurors were given four options when the original panel began deliberations Friday. They could have convicted Mehserle, 28, of second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter or involuntary manslaughter, or they could have acquitted him.

The involuntary manslaughter verdict indicates that jurors concluded that Mehserle did not intend to kill the 22-year-old Grant but had been criminally negligent when he drew his gun. The former officer testified that he had mistaken the pistol for his Taser as he sought to subdue Grant following a fight on a BART train, a shooting that was captured on video by five other riders.

Mehserle, who had been free on bail, was remanded into custody and led away in handcuffs by bailiffs after the verdict was read. Dressed in a gray suit and blue shirt, he turned to family members sitting in the front row of the gallery, including his parents, and said softly, "I love you guys."

Members of Grant's family murmured in discontent as verdicts acquitting Mehserle of second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter were read. There was little reaction from them when the former officer's conviction was announced.

But outside the court afterward, Oakland attorney John Burris, representing the family, said Grant's relatives were "extraordinarily disappointed" by what he called "a true compromise verdict."

"The system is rarely fair when a police officer shoots an African American male," Burris said. "No true justice has been given." Grant was African American and Mehserle is white.

Burris said the family believed the former officer should have been convicted of murder. "All have seen the video and understand the tragedy that has taken place," Burris said.

Grant's uncle Cephus Johnson said that "we knew from the beginning that we were at war with the system. ... We have been slapped in the face by this system that has denied us true justice."

Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley, speaking at a news conference in Oakland, said she was disappointed and frustrated by the verdict. "We believe Johannes Mehserle was guilty of the crime of murder," she said. "We presented the case that way, we presented the evidence that way, and the jury found otherwise."

Jurors left the downtown Los Angeles courthouse without commenting.

In addition to involuntary manslaughter, the jury found that Mehserle had used a gun during the crime. O'Malley cited that finding as an indication that jurors did not believe Mehserle's story that he had thought he was pulling his Taser.

Mehserle's possible sentence for involuntary manslaughter is two, three or four years, plus three, four or 10 years for using a gun. That means the minimum total sentence that Judge Robert Perry could impose would be five years, and the maximum would be 14 years.

Sentencing was set for Aug. 6. O'Malley would not say what sentence she will seek.

Mehserle's attorney, Michael Rains, could argue for probation, with no prison time. California law requires an increased prison sentence for using a gun during a felony, but it is not clear whether that law overrides another statute that allows probation for manslaughter in unusual cases.

Security was heavy in the courtroom as the jury filed in just after 4 p.m. Mehserle had entered a few minutes before, looking shaken and nervous. Grant's mother, Wanda Johnson, was in the second row of the gallery, her head bowed in apparent prayer.

When the "not guilty" verdict was read to the second-degree murder charge, Mehserle's father, Todd Mehserle, began to sob. One of the jurors also dabbed at her eyes.

Mehserle's shooting of Grant was witnessed by dozens of New Year's revelers, most of whom were on their way home from a fireworks show in San Francisco. It prompted a series of protests, including one that mushroomed into a riot in downtown Oakland.

Alameda County prosecutor David Stein said during the trial that Mehserle had "lost all control" of his emotions and shot Grant intentionally in the back after briefly trying to handcuff him. Grant, who had a young daughter, was unarmed and on his chest.

Taking the stand near the end of the trial, Mehserle testified that he had decided to use his Taser on Grant because he saw Grant put his right hand in his pants pocket and believed the Hayward man might be reaching for a gun.

Mehserle said he had accidentally pulled out his pistol and fired a single shot before realizing he had grabbed the wrong weapon.

Mehserle's Taser was positioned to the left of his belt buckle. The right-handed officer's gun was on his right hip.

Grant had been detained at about 2 a.m., along with four friends, for fighting on a Dublin-Pleasanton train. He and a second man were soon placed under arrest by then-BART Officer Anthony Pirone, who said they had resisted him. Stein, the prosecutor, argued that the arrest itself was unlawful because Grant had cooperated.

Video footage played repeatedly in court showed that as Mehserle raised his gun, Pirone had his left knee on Grant's neck. Pirone's left hand was pressing Grant's head into the platform, and Pirone's right hand was holding Grant's right arm - the same one Mehserle said he had struggled with - behind his back.

The shooting brought on a tumultuous period at BART, which has a full-service police force of about 200 officers. Police Chief Gary Gee retired late last year, and outside auditors criticized the transit agency for the way it trained, supervised and disciplined cops.

Mehserle resigned soon after the shooting and never spoke with BART internal affairs investigators.

Pirone and his partner the night of the shooting, Marysol Domenici, were fired earlier this year by BART - Pirone for his actions on the train platform and Domenici for the way she reported the incident to investigators.

BART agreed in January to pay $1.5 million in a civil settlement to Grant's daughter, Tatiana Grant, who is now 6. Grant's mother and several of his friends who were with him when he was shot still have pending lawsuits.

The trial was moved to Los Angeles in part because of the tensions the killing caused in the East Bay. Some community leaders, activists and others believe the shooting underscored a larger problem of police officers abusing people of color with little accountability.

There were no African Americans on the jury that convicted Mehserle of involuntary manslaughter. Seven jurors identified themselves as white, three identified themselves as Latino and one identified herself as Asian. One juror declined to state a race or ethnicity.

Many police officers around the state also followed the trial, with some expressing concern that a fellow officer could go to prison for making a mistake under pressure.

The defense put much of the blame for the shooting on poor training at BART - particularly Taser training, which Mehserle received a month before the shooting - and on the character of Grant, a parolee who had spent time in prison.

Rains, the defense attorney, argued that Grant never stopped resisting Mehserle's efforts to handcuff him before he was shot.

The case marked the first murder prosecution of an on-duty Bay Area police officer. Prosecutors rarely file charges against police for shootings. A Chronicle review of police use-of-force cases around the country found just six cases in the past 15 years - not including the BART shooting - in which murder charges had been filed.

The cases, involving a total of 13 officers, typically resulted in large civil payouts to victims' relatives. However, none of the officers was convicted of murder and most were acquitted or cleared altogether. One pleaded no contest to manslaughter and got three years in prison.



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2010%2F07%2F08%2FBAM21EBDOD.DTL#ixzz0t8nGng6U

Be warned, this is graphic and may disturb you...
murder or manslaughter, you decide?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZTbJH6BNaU

and after this happened, the shooter fled to Nevada and had to be extradited back to CA.

live SF feed, if anyone wants current breaking news.

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/livenow?id=6498350

Again Pdog. Your initial reaction and the title of this thread are greatly exaggerated. I live here. I have a pretty good fucking idea what's going on. As opposed to being 2000 miles away. Things remain peaceful. Their are demonstrations in Oakland. Some blocking of traffic. But nothing more serious than that. When the sun goes down,their is always the danger of things changing. But the local authorities do seem to have a good handle on things at the moment.

Pdog wrote on Jul 8^th, 2010 at 8:04pm:

live SF feed, if anyone wants current breaking news. http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/livenow?id=6498350

You can feel the tension watching this live feed. I lived out there during the Rodney King riots.

Bingo wrote on Jul 8^th, 2010 at 11:34pm:

Pdog wrote on Jul 8th, 2010 at 8:04pm: live SF feed, if anyone wants current breaking news. http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/livenow?id=6498350 You can feel the tension watching this live feed. I lived out there during the Rodney King riots.

1 significant differerance in this case however. No Riots.  As calm as things could be under the circumstances. Appears to be holding. So again Dog your headline on this thread is way off base.

sweetcharmedlife wrote on Jul 9^th, 2010 at 12:26am:

Bingo wrote on Jul 8th, 2010 at 11:34pm: Pdog wrote on Jul 8th, 2010 at 8:04pm: live SF feed, if anyone wants current breaking news. http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/livenow?id=6498350 You can feel the tension watching this live feed. I lived out there during the Rodney King riots. 1 significant differerance in this case however. No Riots.  As calm as things could be under the circumstances. Appears to be holding. So again Dog your headline on this thread is way off base.

sorry you dissaprove, but there were riots already over this murder, and people were calling for a riot in advance... i think my words spoke to how i feel, i have family and friends living in oakland.

There was some rioting, but nothing like it could have been at least...

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/07/bart-verdict-scores-arrested-in-oakland-after-protesters-loot-stores.html

I think manslaughter was the correct verdict, you're looking at poor training and ultimately a really tragic mistake on the part of Mehserle.  But I hope he gets a solid prison sentence so a message of accountability can be sent to the police in this country.

Pdog wrote on Jul 9^th, 2010 at 7:01am:

sweetcharmedlife wrote on Jul 9th, 2010 at 12:26am: Bingo wrote on Jul 8th, 2010 at 11:34pm: Pdog wrote on Jul 8th, 2010 at 8:04pm: live SF feed, if anyone wants current breaking news. http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/livenow?id=6498350 You can feel the tension watching this live feed. I lived out there during the Rodney King riots. 1 significant differerance in this case however. No Riots.  As calm as things could be under the circumstances. Appears to be holding. So again Dog your headline on this thread is way off base. sorry you dissaprove, but there were riots already over this murder, and people were calling for a riot in advance... i think my words spoke to how i feel, i have family and friends living in oakland.

OK man.Yeah I know they rioted before. That's why they were so prepared this time. Fortunately,everybody appealed for calm and for the most part it prevailed. We'll see if it holds. Osacar Grant's family is now calling for federal civil rights charges against Mehserle. But for the record I happen to agree with the verdict. I think he panicked in the heat of the moment and made the wrong decision.But no matter how much time he does in jail,his life is basicly over as well.

i disagree with involuntarily... as far as the verdict... just based on all the testimony, video and that he fled after... the real shit has yet to come, the sentence. this may very well be the most justice in a case like this, regarding law enforcemnt being charged with crimes against blacks...
I am curious, why you think the officer even needed a taser, there was no resistance, the victim was being cuffed and his neck had a leg on it, and the killer was on the victims back... if the victim had a weapon, there was no way it could be used and a taser wouldn't have been what a police officer would go for... the victim never resisted, the cops were very agressive, and if a perosn is afraid or scared of cops, they dsoesn't give the police the right to use excessive force. Bad training is not a defense for a person murdering someone... I'm glad my friends and family are safe. For what it is worth, everyone I know back in the bay, is pretty pissed at the verdict... somewhat relieved there wasn't an acquital, but still not enough, and I agree... I'm a bit prejudiced, because I have been on the recieving end of angry cops abusing power... and with that said, I have many friends and family in law enforcment who I love and respect... I do have alot of compassion and understanding... with great power comes great responsibilty.

That's the thing, in my opinion the verdict [voluntary vs. involuntary] itself is less important in this case than the actual sentence he is given, that's where any message will come through loud and clear.  

It's not crystal clear in the videos [and, trust me, I've studied this case a great deal] what Grant was doing exactly while he was down on the ground.  But if Mehserle had actually used his taser instead of his gun, obviously we wouldn't be talking about it right now.  I think what the Mehserle case is part of is a larger, more recent phenomenon regarding the use of tasers -- where police were once "trigger happy", now a strong case can be made that they've become "taser happy".  And just as with deadly force, we're eventually going to start to see a lot stricter regulations related to using the taser.  

PDog
When the sentence is passed down, things really have the potential to get ugly. The max he can get on the involuntary manslaughter and gun charges is 16 years. If he doesn't get the max. . .look out!
MM

"Their verdict suggests they believed Mehserle when he testified that he had mistaken his pistol for his Taser"

Oh come on...

monkey_man wrote on Jul 9^th, 2010 at 1:26pm:

PDog When the sentence is passed down, things really have the potential to get ugly. The max he can get on the involuntary manslaughter and gun charges is 16 years. If he doesn't get the max. . .look out! MM

Yes, and why I started this thread before the verdict, not to mention the sentencing... I know alot of my friends back in Oakland were really worried last night.

I for one can not wait to hear what riffy has to say on the topic.

Starbuck wrote on Jul 9^th, 2010 at 5:23pm:

I for one can not wait to hear what riffy has to say on the topic.

He would probably say, the white cop was trying to act like a native of Oakland and failed horribly showing how really white he is, being the white guy he is, he shot the guy to appear to not be a white guy from Nebraska or Canada or some other place where white people live, then he went Nevada and played rap music until a local showed up to sell him crack, while wearing white face.

anyone not understanding my above post, read the first post in this thread: http://rocksoff.org/messageboard/YaBB.pl?num=1278396233 then re-read my post, it'll make sense, unless you're white.

Starbuck wrote on Jul 9^th, 2010 at 5:23pm:

I for one can not wait to hear what riffy has to say on the topic.

I'd guess Riffy would be talking about the time he went to vacation in Oakland but actual stayed in Piedmont. He'd tell you that he had tried to convince the people in Oakland that he had a lot more in common with them and that they shouldn't hold it against him for staying in a gated community. He'd tell the people in Jersey that he he really got to know the people of Oakland even though he never set foot outside of Piedmont. Just my guess. . . .  ;)

monkey_man wrote on Jul 9^th, 2010 at 6:03pm:

Starbuck wrote on Jul 9th, 2010 at 5:23pm: I for one can not wait to hear what riffy has to say on the topic. I'd guess Riffy would be talking about the time he went to vacation in Oakland but actual stayed in Piedmont. He'd tell you that he had tried to convince the people in Oakland that he had a lot more in common with them and that they shouldn't hold it against him for staying in a gated community. He'd tell the people in Jersey that he he really got to know the people of Oakland even though he never set foot outside of Piedmont. Just my guess. . . .  ;)

you made the post I wanted to make... ahaha. i just tinkled a little...

monkey_man wrote on Jul 9^th, 2010 at 6:03pm:

Starbuck wrote on Jul 9th, 2010 at 5:23pm: I for one can not wait to hear what riffy has to say on the topic. I'd guess Riffy would be talking about the time he went to vacation in Oakland but actual stayed in Piedmont. He'd tell you that he had tried to convince the people in Oakland that he had a lot more in common with them and that they shouldn't hold it against him for staying in a gated community. He'd tell the people in Jersey that he he really got to know the people of Oakland even though he never set foot outside of Piedmont. Just my guess. . . .  ;)

and Obama sucks with teeth...

Yay... fucking... YAY!!!


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128409603&sc=fb&cc=fp


Justice Department To Investigate BART Shooting
by RICHARD GONZALES


EnlargeEric Risberg/AP
A worker with the Downtown Oakland Association sweeps the sidewalk near graffiti painted by protesters outside a drug store in Oakland on Friday. The federal government said it will investigate now that officer Johannes Mehserle was convicted Thursday of involuntary manslaughter, touching off angry protests that damaged stores and netted dozens of arrests.
text size A A A July 9, 2010
For the past several months, many in Oakland's black community have urged federal authorities to investigate the New Year's Day 2009 shooting of Oscar Grant by former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle as a hate crime.

On Friday, a Justice Department spokesman said that the civil rights division will review the case along with the U.S. attorney's office in San Francisco and the FBI.

The lumbering, 6-foot-5-inch and 250-pound Mehserle was led out of a Los Angeles County courtroom in handcuffs Thursday after having been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the slaying of the 22-year-old Grant on an Oakland train platform last year.

Mehserle, who had been a relative rookie with just two years' experience under his belt at the time of the shooting, is one of the first San Francisco Bay Area cops to be convicted of killing someone in the line of duty. He faces a sentence of between two and four years in state prison for the manslaughter conviction. He faces an additional three to 10 years for having used a gun in the commission of a crime.

Mehserle will be sentenced on Aug. 6, and his defense attorney, Michael Rains, indicated that he plans an appeal. Rains asked the judge to release Mehserle pending sentencing, but Judge Robert Perry said no. Suddenly, Mehserle found himself on the receiving end of the handcuffs.

The case was heard in Los Angeles, and not in Oakland, owing to the pretrial publicity and the racial dimensions of the incident. Mehserle, 28, is white and Grant was African-American.

After the verdict was announced, protesters took to the streets, damaging at least a dozen businesses. Police said they made 83 arrests throughout the night for violations that included failure to disperse, vandalism and assaulting a police officer.

'I'm Going To Tase Him!'

The controversial shooting occurred as Mehserle and another officer, Anthony Pirone, were trying to subdue Grant, whom they suspected of having been in a fight on a BART train in the wee hours of Jan. 1, 2009. The disturbance attracted the attention of dozens of witnesses, including several who had video cameras.

Video Of BART Shooting
Viewer Discretion Advised: Contains Harsh Language And Graphic Images
The footage is shaky, grainy, and sometimes difficult to make out. However, at least two recordings clearly show Mehserle and Pirone on top of Grant, who is lying face down on the platform. Suddenly, Mehserle stands, draws his weapon, and fires a single fatal shot into Grant's back. It appears that Grant's hands are behind his back immediately after the shot was fired.

In tearful testimony, Mehserle said that just before the shooting he yelled "I'm going to Tase him!" before mistakenly drawing his handgun.

Alameda County prosecutor David Stein argued that the shooting was intentional and that Mehserle had lost control of his emotions. He said that Mehserle should have known he had his gun in his hand because the officer carried it on his strong side — his right — and the Taser was carried on Mehserle's weak, or left side. The Taser is yellow and a couple of pounds lighter than Mehserle's handgun.

Stein pounced on another reason Mehserle should have known where his Taser was: The officer had been on the train platform for less than 2 1/2 minutes before the shooting. And in that brief period of time, Mehserle had already pulled out and reholstered his Taser two times as a warning to Grant and his friends.

Their is a very easy way to avoid getting shot by the police.....Don't commit crimes.

sweetcharmedlife wrote on Jul 9^th, 2010 at 6:57pm:

Their is a very easy way to avoid getting shot by the police.....Don't commit crimes.

and what crime did the victim commit? and he's not just shot, he's dead. he didn't even resist the police, he had almost 500 lbs of human beings on him... was his crime being young and out partying on new years...
the police have never shot innocent people before...wtf?

70% arrested last night, not from OPD... BART police, are not affiliated with Oakland Police. O'Reilly is covering the arrests last night... fuck!!! never has ever, mantioned this case before. Sure loves to cover the black panther in philly in 2008 at a polling station.

sweetcharmedlife wrote on Jul 9^th, 2010 at 6:57pm:

Their is a very easy way to avoid getting shot by the police.....Don't commit crimes.

Dude,
You live in the East Bay, I know you've seen the video of the shooting. . .what threat was Oscar Grant, lying cuffed, on the ground to the 3 BART cops on top of him?!?!?!?!? What crime was he convicted of ?? If you are saying being near or involved in a brawl on NYE makes you a legitimate target for being shot by a cop then the world must be a scary place for you. . .
MM

monkey_man wrote on Jul 9^th, 2010 at 8:25pm:

sweetcharmedlife wrote on Jul 9th, 2010 at 6:57pm: Their is a very easy way to avoid getting shot by the police.....Don't commit crimes. Dude, You live in the East Bay, I know you've seen the video of the shooting. . .what threat was Oscar Grant, lying cuffed, on the ground to the 3 BART cops on top of him?!?!?!?!? What crime was he convicted of ?? If you are saying being near or involved in a brawl on NYE makes you a legitimate target for being shot by a cop then the world must be a scary place for you. . . MM

from everything I have heard, he was actually trying to diffuse the argument that the cops came too check out... no violence had occured as far as  I know, just some dudes being chesty... not only was he not a criminal, he was doing good...  "if you want to not get shot, don't commit a crime" you may really want to re-think what you said, especially after getting on my case for the thread title, which was what the media were calling for... maybe you missed that in my post...

http://isoaklandburning.com/

monkey_man wrote on Jul 9^th, 2010 at 8:25pm:

sweetcharmedlife wrote on Jul 9th, 2010 at 6:57pm: Their is a very easy way to avoid getting shot by the police.....Don't commit crimes. Dude, You live in the East Bay, I know you've seen the video of the shooting. . .what threat was Oscar Grant, lying cuffed, on the ground to the 3 BART cops on top of him?!?!?!?!? What crime was he convicted of ?? If you are saying being near or involved in a brawl on NYE makes you a legitimate target for being shot by a cop then the world must be a scary place for you. . . MM

Well I live on the peninsula. But that's besides the point. Ok,you and Pdog put yourselves in Mehserle's spot. Ignore the grainy unclear video you have seen. You are in the middle of a chaotic situation. On NYE when security is hightened anyway. You get a call about a large number of people in a fight. You try to sort out the situation. You detain some suspects while you have a large hostile group of people yelling at you. You have a guy underneath you who starts to squirm around. Your not sure what he's trying to do. You want to contain that person. In a split second you make the wrong choice. Everybody talks about Mehserle's record of violence. But Oscar Grant also had a record violence and resisting arrest. Not saying Mehrsele should go scott free. But it was a tragic mistake. It wasn't that long ago that 4 Oakland cops were murdered pursuing a suspect. Tell me,your on that platform wearing a uniform and have a split second to make a decision. Do you do the right thing? Do you really thing Mehserle stood over Oscar Grant and thought "I'm going to kill me a black man"?

sweetcharmedlife wrote on Jul 10^th, 2010 at 12:42am:

monkey_man wrote on Jul 9th, 2010 at 8:25pm: sweetcharmedlife wrote on Jul 9th, 2010 at 6:57pm: Their is a very easy way to avoid getting shot by the police.....Don't commit crimes. Dude, You live in the East Bay, I know you've seen the video of the shooting. . .what threat was Oscar Grant, lying cuffed, on the ground to the 3 BART cops on top of him?!?!?!?!? What crime was he convicted of ?? If you are saying being near or involved in a brawl on NYE makes you a legitimate target for being shot by a cop then the world must be a scary place for you. . . MM Well I live on the peninsula. But that's besides the point. Ok,you and Pdog put yourselves in Mehserle's spot. Ignore the grainy unclear video you have seen. You are in the middle of a chaotic situation. On NYE when security is hightened anyway. You get a call about a large number of people in a fight. You try to sort out the situation. You detain some suspects while you have a large hostile group of people yelling at you. You have a guy underneath you who starts to squirm around. Your not sure what he's trying to do. You want to contain that person. In a split second you make the wrong choice. Everybody talks about Mehserle's record of violence. But Oscar Grant also had a record violence and resisting arrest. Not saying Mehrsele should go scott free. But it was a tragic mistake. It wasn't that long ago that 4 Oakland cops were murdered pursuing a suspect. Tell me,your on that platform wearing a uniform and have a split second to make a decision. Do you do the right thing? Do you really thing Mehserle stood over Oscar Grant and thought "I'm going to kill me a black man"?

what a narrow view... the police are held to the higher standard... do you know why they were called? Do you know if the had ID'd any of the men being held? Had there been any violence or was it just yelling and the risk of a fight? Grant was on his stomach, with a 250 lb man on his back and another with his leg pinning his neck, if he squirmed, it was from pain, and the force was excessive and Mehersle by his own testimony had threatened to use his taser and pulled it out twice, there was nothing warranting its use to begin with. A citizen has a right to speak while be questioned by the police, in order to provide explanation, and in this case, to possibly respond to an unwarranted threat of being tased by the police. Are we putting the victim on trial? The officers hadn't identified him, so whether he was a wanted felon or just a guy out, doesn't matter. He was being cuffed and not resisting, and they shot him, a taser wasn't even needed, which had already been threatened to be used... but there was no cause for tasing, the police were the agressors and the only ones who were violent and threatened and used violence. I'm going to kill, is what he thought, cold blooded hatred, black is just an issue because we have had many abuses over the past 200 years we need to address and correct! Could have been a man of any race, that it was a black man, in america, only sheds light on what has been a lopsisded sytem of justice for crimes against blacks by law enforcement and groups and individuals. You say put myelf in Mersehle's place, Ok... he is held to a higher standard. He choose this position of public service, and is sworn to serve and protect and with all the immense power he has, comes great responsibilty... otherwise people die. He was not just untrained and unprofessional, he was also a dick and a coward, and still is... he ran after the crime and even on trial now is doing everythnig to avoid justice. I hope he gets the max sentnce and I look forward to the new investigation of civil rights abuses. The very ones you seem to think are irreleivent, like blaming a victim for a past offense, even though, there's no law allowing a right to be revoked (like life and liberty) because you have a history? So lame... maybe you prefer street justice by cops, but not citizens.... that grainy video, also has 100 eye witnesses, who were shouting at the police to stop, because they saw the abuse and injustice. I personally have seen  men  show compassion and love and also witnessed men act with violnce and evil onto each other, and sadly, it has been the same men at times. Too bad black and white, and so black and white!

sweetcharmedlife wrote on Jul 10^th, 2010 at 12:42am:

monkey_man wrote on Jul 9th, 2010 at 8:25pm: sweetcharmedlife wrote on Jul 9th, 2010 at 6:57pm: Their is a very easy way to avoid getting shot by the police.....Don't commit crimes. Dude, You live in the East Bay, I know you've seen the video of the shooting. . .what threat was Oscar Grant, lying cuffed, on the ground to the 3 BART cops on top of him?!?!?!?!? What crime was he convicted of ?? If you are saying being near or involved in a brawl on NYE makes you a legitimate target for being shot by a cop then the world must be a scary place for you. . . MM Well I live on the peninsula. But that's besides the point. Ok,you and Pdog put yourselves in Mehserle's spot. Ignore the grainy unclear video you have seen. You are in the middle of a chaotic situation. On NYE when security is hightened anyway. You get a call about a large number of people in a fight. You try to sort out the situation. You detain some suspects while you have a large hostile group of people yelling at you. You have a guy underneath you who starts to squirm around. Your not sure what he's trying to do. You want to contain that person. In a split second you make the wrong choice. Everybody talks about Mehserle's record of violence. But Oscar Grant also had a record violence and resisting arrest. Not saying Mehrsele should go scott free. But it was a tragic mistake. It wasn't that long ago that 4 Oakland cops were murdered pursuing a suspect. Tell me,your on that platform wearing a uniform and have a split second to make a decision. Do you do the right thing? Do you really thing Mehserle stood over Oscar Grant and thought "I'm going to kill me a black man"?

Your writing comprehension is fine through-out your opinion, why at the very end, in bold, does it drastically change?

Bingo wrote on Jul 10^th, 2010 at 8:52am:

sweetcharmedlife wrote on Jul 10th, 2010 at 12:42am: monkey_man wrote on Jul 9th, 2010 at 8:25pm: sweetcharmedlife wrote on Jul 9th, 2010 at 6:57pm: Their is a very easy way to avoid getting shot by the police.....Don't commit crimes. Dude, You live in the East Bay, I know you've seen the video of the shooting. . .what threat was Oscar Grant, lying cuffed, on the ground to the 3 BART cops on top of him?!?!?!?!? What crime was he convicted of ?? If you are saying being near or involved in a brawl on NYE makes you a legitimate target for being shot by a cop then the world must be a scary place for you. . . MM Well I live on the peninsula. But that's besides the point. Ok,you and Pdog put yourselves in Mehserle's spot. Ignore the grainy unclear video you have seen. You are in the middle of a chaotic situation. On NYE when security is hightened anyway. You get a call about a large number of people in a fight. You try to sort out the situation. You detain some suspects while you have a large hostile group of people yelling at you. You have a guy underneath you who starts to squirm around. Your not sure what he's trying to do. You want to contain that person. In a split second you make the wrong choice. Everybody talks about Mehserle's record of violence. But Oscar Grant also had a record violence and resisting arrest. Not saying Mehrsele should go scott free. But it was a tragic mistake. It wasn't that long ago that 4 Oakland cops were murdered pursuing a suspect. Tell me,your on that platform wearing a uniform and have a split second to make a decision. Do you do the right thing? Do you really thing Mehserle stood over Oscar Grant and thought "I'm going to kill me a black man"? Your writing comprehension is fine through-out your opinion, why at the very end, in bold, does it drastically change?

Why are they comparing OPD to BART Police... OPD and BART are seperate Police Jurisdictions, since BART covers an entire transit system covering many city's, but doesn't patrol any streets, respond to residence or business. As far as I know, they are not even 911 dispatched in any circimstances, but there may be exceptions and and in those case, there's a chain of command and I beleive the local law enforcement is in command.
The rational that b/c the victim had been arrested before and was realesed from jial, trumps that he had a job and a child and the police at the time knew none of this, but in retrospect, according to sweetcharmedlife, somehow justifies the killing...

Unfortunately, living in NYC, cops get away with killing most of the time, if not all the time. As a 7 year old, I had two cops pull there guns on me. Amadou Diallo was shot 41 times, he was unarmed and the cops received no jail time.

I had to disassociate from friends of mine who are cops. There view of life or lack of view on life was just too much for me to hear/see.

Like every profession, there are good and bad, most professions remove the bad, the cops seem to not mind the bad, or maybe it's the city that doesn't mind the bad?

Bingo wrote on Jul 10^th, 2010 at 10:09am:

Unfortunately, living in NYC, cops get away with killing most of the time, if not all the time. As a 7 year old, I had two cops pull there guns on me. Amadou Diallo was shot 41 times, he was unarmed and the cops received no jail time. I had to disassociate from friends of mine who are cops. There view of life or lack of view on life was just too much for me to hear/see. Like every profession, there are good and bad, most professions remove the bad, the cops seem to not mind the bad, or maybe it's the city that doesn't mind the bad?

would it be aprapo to start quoting sympathy for the devil lyrics?

Bingo wrote on Jul 10^th, 2010 at 8:52am:

sweetcharmedlife wrote on Jul 10th, 2010 at 12:42am: monkey_man wrote on Jul 9th, 2010 at 8:25pm: sweetcharmedlife wrote on Jul 9th, 2010 at 6:57pm: Their is a very easy way to avoid getting shot by the police.....Don't commit crimes. Dude, You live in the East Bay, I know you've seen the video of the shooting. . .what threat was Oscar Grant, lying cuffed, on the ground to the 3 BART cops on top of him?!?!?!?!? What crime was he convicted of ?? If you are saying being near or involved in a brawl on NYE makes you a legitimate target for being shot by a cop then the world must be a scary place for you. . . MM Well I live on the peninsula. But that's besides the point. Ok,you and Pdog put yourselves in Mehserle's spot. Ignore the grainy unclear video you have seen. You are in the middle of a chaotic situation. On NYE when security is hightened anyway. You get a call about a large number of people in a fight. You try to sort out the situation. You detain some suspects while you have a large hostile group of people yelling at you. You have a guy underneath you who starts to squirm around. Your not sure what he's trying to do. You want to contain that person. In a split second you make the wrong choice. Everybody talks about Mehserle's record of violence. But Oscar Grant also had a record violence and resisting arrest. Not saying Mehrsele should go scott free. But it was a tragic mistake. It wasn't that long ago that 4 Oakland cops were murdered pursuing a suspect. Tell me,your on that platform wearing a uniform and have a split second to make a decision. Do you do the right thing? Do you really thing Mehserle stood over Oscar Grant and thought "I'm going to kill me a black man"? Your writing comprehension is fine through-out your opinion, why at the very end, in bold, does it drastically change?

My point was,I don't think Mehserle concsiously thought about killing the guy. A tragic mistake and he'll pay for it.

sweetcharmedlife wrote on Jul 10^th, 2010 at 1:31pm:

Bingo wrote on Jul 10th, 2010 at 8:52am: sweetcharmedlife wrote on Jul 10th, 2010 at 12:42am: monkey_man wrote on Jul 9th, 2010 at 8:25pm: sweetcharmedlife wrote on Jul 9th, 2010 at 6:57pm: Their is a very easy way to avoid getting shot by the police.....Don't commit crimes. Dude, You live in the East Bay, I know you've seen the video of the shooting. . .what threat was Oscar Grant, lying cuffed, on the ground to the 3 BART cops on top of him?!?!?!?!? What crime was he convicted of ?? If you are saying being near or involved in a brawl on NYE makes you a legitimate target for being shot by a cop then the world must be a scary place for you. . . MM Well I live on the peninsula. But that's besides the point. Ok,you and Pdog put yourselves in Mehserle's spot. Ignore the grainy unclear video you have seen. You are in the middle of a chaotic situation. On NYE when security is hightened anyway. You get a call about a large number of people in a fight. You try to sort out the situation. You detain some suspects while you have a large hostile group of people yelling at you. You have a guy underneath you who starts to squirm around. Your not sure what he's trying to do. You want to contain that person. In a split second you make the wrong choice. Everybody talks about Mehserle's record of violence. But Oscar Grant also had a record violence and resisting arrest. Not saying Mehrsele should go scott free. But it was a tragic mistake. It wasn't that long ago that 4 Oakland cops were murdered pursuing a suspect. Tell me,your on that platform wearing a uniform and have a split second to make a decision. Do you do the right thing? Do you really thing Mehserle stood over Oscar Grant and thought "I'm going to kill me a black man"? Your writing comprehension is fine through-out your opinion, why at the very end, in bold, does it drastically change? My point was,I don't think Mehserle concsiously thought about killing the guy. A tragic mistake and he'll pay for it.

He did threaten to tase the men being held, twice before the shooting, the only thing they did was be vocal, no violence or danger to the officers, which isn'teven a non-lethal weapon situation, let alone a call to discharge a fire arm... He had no control over his anger, and used lethal force, that is murder. A person doesn't have to have a thought or even pre-mediatation to commit a murder. You think it was an accident. I don't based on evidence, testimony and the officers prior conduct. The man shouldn't have even been allowed to carry a weapon or be in any tense situations.