Here are two videos and photos of the Oscar Grant shooting by a BART station police officer in Oakland, California. The incident of a police officer shooting an unarmed black man has resulted in escalating riots in the city of Oakland.
Oakland Riots
The riots in Oakland have centered around the city’s three downtown BART train stations, As a consequence, they have been closed for stretches and the city has experiences the usual vandalism that accompanies civil unrest such as smashed windows and overturned cars. 100 people were arrested overnight while Mayor Ron Dellums, himself African-American, has been slow to appreciate the crisis.
Still, despite the perceived similarities between this video and the Rodney King beating in Los Angeles, the Oakland riots have paled in comparison.
BART police are different than Oakland police, something the rioters do not seem to understand. They police the entire transit system in the Bay Area as part of an independent transit authority. It is a BART police officer who shot Oscar Grant, not the Oakland police officers who were also present. Despite good training standards, most of them function like security guards and are unaccustomed to confrontations.
The videos are disturbing as is always the case when you see someone shot. They are also very unclear, so it is premature to draw too many conclusions from them.
The officer who shot Oscar Grant, 27-year old Johannes Mehserle, reportedly refused to cooperate with the internal BART investigation, probably on the advice of attorneys. He resigned from his job earlier this week. So as of now, the public only has one side of a story which ultimately may not have a strong second side. Any justification by Johannes Mehserle will wait for later, perhaps for a trial or plea agreement.
As usually happens, justice will be served via the legal process in Oakland which is stacked against the police. Still, people riot when they feel the establishment will not serve their needs. That is a false impression in Oakland as it is in most inner cities. And that unfortunate problem is mostly the fault of civil leaders and community organizers who preach a victimization mentality. Barack Obama is in a unique position to speak forcefully about this issue, but will he rise to the challenge?
As biographical information, Oscar Grant III was a 22-year old African-American resident of Hayward, California, which is the adjacent city directly south of Oakland.
Videos and photos below:
Photos of Oscar Grant shooting:
Oscar Grant BART Shooting Photos
Videos of Oscar Grant shooting:
Oscar Grant (Video 1)
Oakland BART shooting (Video 2)
We will have riot videos later so bookmark and return.
January 8th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
FYI, there are 8 BART stations in Oakland, not 3 as stated in the article.
Also, you state “As usually happens, justice will be served via the legal process in Oakland which is stacked against the police.”
Can you name me one time in recent history when a police officer in the Bay Area has faced criminal charges over an on duty shooting? There have been numerous occasions of people being shot by cops in the Bay Area, many times in suspicious circumstances, and many times the victim was shot in the back. When has a cop faced criminal charges? When has a cop been convicted? Do some research on Jerrold Hall if you want to know some of the history behind this.
And comparing the riots to the Rodney King riots is inaccurate. Those riots broke out after all of the officers involved were acquitted. In this situation, there have been no criminal charges pressed yet. I fear for what may happen if no charges are pressed or if the officer is acquitted.
January 8th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
No one is saying there is or is not 8 stations.
The riots are happening around those three stations.
And even if I’m wrong, who cares ?
No one offered an example of injustice towards cops, and they shouldnt have to if you take the article in its proper context which is saying that with the atmosphere caused by community organizers police are usally constrained in the field by stupid rules of engagement. Which is more than likely what this is about.
The perp was probably deemed to be worthy of such force but until it goes to court no one will know.
“And comparing the riots to the Rodney King riots is inaccurate. ”
The author did not compare the riots to the Rodney kning riots.
The author actually said that they did “not compare”
What was said was that the “video” had ” perceived similiarities”
So what are you cryin about ?
January 8th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
There is not a police officer alive that isn’t aware his every move is being videotaped by someone, some thing. I choose to believe the officer when he said his gun discharged accidentally. If not, then I would label him suicidal. Sometimes, an accident is just that…end of story.
Over the years it’s become painfully obvious that quite a few people want to do away with our Police…and just do as they please.
I have tremendous sympathy for Grant’s family and wish they didn’t have to endure this. I also wish they had enough respect for the young man to wait til he was buried before filing another lawsuit.
January 8th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Aaron I’m talking about the legal process, not the police department itself. The courts are entirely different and this will become a criminal and civil matter before the courts.
And yeah, three downtown stations is the way people think of BART, the transfer points in the city. Besides, Fruitvale belongs in San Francisco doesn’t it?
Look at police officers like soldiers. You are going to have some issues since people are people, but on balance they are extremely well trained in keeping you safe in a dangerous occupation that deserves some slack.
Did the guy look like he was reaching for a weapon? Was it an accident? You don’t know, but there are plenty of witnesses include the other officers who will inform the courts. He appears extremely uncooperative up to that point which is going to greatly increase the risk that certain movements will be misconstrued. And as JoAnne says, it might just be an accident.
January 8th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
It will be sad if the officer is punished and the criminal goes free until he is killed committing a crime. I would not be a police officer in Oakland or any other large city simply because not matter what, someone wants to judge what you did. I was not there, but I would rather take a chance at shooting someone I felt was a threat to me then be a dead hero.
The fact that criminals are criminals seems to escape the minds of people. They don’t have regard for the law and they don’t care who gets hurt or killed.
What do the other criminals think that rioting will do? They are not the brightest group of people. Would they be rioting if the guy had been white?
The best way not to get shot or beaten by the cops, is not to commit crimes and don’t hang out with people who do. But if you choose to, you better be ready for this to happen. If if is your lifer or my life, I will do whatever to protect mind over yours.
And the article said “city’s three downtown BART.”
Who cares. These train stations are thriving with criminals because they have nothing else they know how to do. Someone needs to clean up the mess the liberals have created.
January 8th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends (Life, Liberty, Pursuit of Happiness), it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, IT IS THEIR DUTY, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
January 8th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Me.
That doesnt mean that punks can riot when their panties are in a bunch over knee jerk reactions to situations when they dont what the facts are.
And it most certainly does not give them the right to destroy any property that is not theres or injure innocent people.
You say provide new guards for their future security.
These punks have no replacement for what they want to tear down except for anarchy.
I dont see how you can apply any of what you wrote to whats nothing but a bunch of punks looking for an excuse to break sh*t, loot, raise hell and take whats not theirs.
Do you think the average person who engages in these activities would even be able to understand what you wrote ?
January 9th, 2009 at 2:53 am
“The officer who shot Oscar Grant, 27-year old
Johannes Mehserle, reportedly refused to cooperate with the internal BART investigation, probably on the advice of attorneys. He resigned from his job earlier this week”
Why did he resign and why is refusing to cooperate with investigators.
Mehserle should be arrested and brought in for questionning.
January 9th, 2009 at 6:39 am
Mr. Unite us.
Its prudent of anyone to not say anything in these cases until hes talked with his counsel.
Theres nothing suspicious about someone facing a manslaughter or murder rap to shut his yap until the evidence is in. As the author said, cops usually dont get a fair shake in Oaklands court system and seeing as how the public is looking to hang this guy before they know the facts only an idiot would start yapping away before he is required to do so.
So far it looks like they have no valid reason to hold him otherwise he would be questioned.
His resignation could be due to the simple fact that he feels terrible and just doesnt want to be a cop anymore, we dont know, and neither do you.
January 9th, 2009 at 8:33 am
The reason I made that statement is because more and more the police are going around and killing innocent people and then claiming that they were in a heated situation and they were concerned for their lives.
Well if these officers were concerned with their lives they should have gone into another line of work. The job of being an enforcer of the law is dangerous and can include being killed. To me that is the same thing as a fireman claiming he didn’t go into the building because there was a fire and he might get hurt.
Until the police clamp down on these loose cannons we will continue to see more Oscar Grants, Kathryn Johnstons, Robbie Tolans, and all of the other isolated instances of police shooting first and worrying about the consequences later and in most instances, the police just say the officer was scared. Well maybe if some of these officers weren’t such cowards, more innocent people would be alive.
Let’s remember what G. Gordon Liddy taught us. Aim for the head, because they don’t have body armor there.
January 9th, 2009 at 8:37 am
Those who defend the shooting, those who allege the system is stacked against the police, and those who believe the police are constrained by stupid rules of engagement, and those who assume those who are seized by police are all criminals, either don’t understand our system, do not want to understand our system, or are driven by their politics.
Stupid rules of engagement - In a city where an unarmed man, pinned face down by three officers, is shot in the back and killed, thank God for the stupid rules of engagement otherwise how many unarmed United States Citizens would be killed by the police who are hired to protect and serve.
System stacked against the police - Once again thank God for community organizers who challenge authority in the wake of police brutality. From where I stand they are the British citizen rebelling against the King for his abuses, random jailing and murders of our forefathers at the hand of his security forces. In truth the police in each instance get the benefit of the doubt in our government and legal system. The mayors and police administrators have a vested interest in finding the officer’s actions were justified - protects them against lawsuits. District attorneys have a vested interest in justifying the police action otherwise they may suffer the ire of the police unions and look weak on crime the next election. Judges are reluctant to find police abuse, or even violations of constitutional rights because they don’t want to look weak on crime, or be the judge that lets the “killer” get away because of police misconduct only to have the “killer” kill again. In the meantime, this fear and loathing to check police power fosters and environment where some elements of police forces, and sometimes whole divisions (LA Rampart) to engage in police abuse and corruption that threatens not just “criminals” but innocent citizens as well. It is the kind of environment where an officer draws a gun without justification, accidently shoots and kills someone, and people run out to defend the officer because the shooting was accidental and never question whey the hell he pulled his gun out in the first place.
“Criminal” - Let me just remind you all about the number of wrongly convicted death row inmates have now been released from prison. This shooting was not about police arresting criminals it about police officers doing their jobs and respecting the rights and LIVES of the people they encounter. If you haven’t suffered from the abuse of police officers yourself it may be a hard concept to understand. It is truly humiliating and painful to watch the police enter you grandparents home in the middle of the night without a warrant and beat them with their nightsticks, for no other reason then the could.
January 9th, 2009 at 8:39 am
“(W)hat country can preserve it’s liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon & pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants. It is it’s natural manure.”
- Thomas Jefferson
January 9th, 2009 at 10:13 am
If this police officer did shoot and kill Mr. Grant, he should face the other end of the law. While this is a terrible tragedy, why must there be protest.
What other ethnic groups riot when a member of their race is killed by the police. What does it accomplish?
Let the law work. Honor Mr. Grant with positive actions not negative ones. These protest may led to others dying and for what?
January 9th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Me;
“Well if these officers were concerned with their lives they should have gone into another line of work.”
Thats just stupid.
an officer is not allowed to be concerned for his life just cuz hes a cop ?
You hit it on the nose when you said “isolated incident”
Americas police forces are some of the most considerate and well trained in the world along with having standards for procedures that make other countries forces look like keystone cops.
It doesnt sound like you’ve spent one day of your life in any real life situation where your life was threatend or you actually had to react regardless of whatever rules percieved.
Anyway, it amuses me that you realize they are isolated incidents yet you choose to use this example where its clear that nobody knows anything pertaining to the facts.
It also amuses me that you and others on this thread are coming down on the police for rushing to judgement when yet you are willing to do the same when in defense of your position.
Hypocrites !
You dont know sh*t about what happened other than what you’ve seen on the tape but it has led you to go off on a tangent representing that this cop is somehow a bad one.
And its very nice that you quote statements made by men far more honorable than the punks on the street who are doing exactly what you accuse the police of doing yet their action are justified ?
These f*cking punks are not “taking arms” as Jefferson said, they are not doing anything but trashing other peoples property and making spectacles of themselves.
All they’ve done is create more paranoia and fear for the police who in return may actually end up shooting someone because they deserve it.
The family needs to take the dept. and the officer to court and sue the living crap out of them. When the state sees how much they have to dish out it would only be prudent of them to put into action some reformative measures in training their officers.
Thats how the system works if you want something done, not running around rioting in the streets destroying property of innocent people.
Bad behavior has never justified more bad behavior and theres a difference between ‘rioting” and ‘protesting”
Now, as far as the tape goes, I believe that it was an accident. Why when in such close range while hes already clearly controlled by three officers would they shoot him ?
I saw no one standing up to take aim, no indicating posture that a shot was about to be fired,when the shot was fired all the cops stood back and froze in what looked like sheer bewilderment.
So, before all you bleeding heart anarchists go crying foul I suggest you not do the same thing yourself.
There are other atrocities in our system that deserve just as much attention, if not more.
Why are there no protests over a man who stole 50 billion dollars from hundreds of people, admitted to it, costing them their entire lifes work and yet he walks free while some kid getting caught shoplifting gets locked up for two weeks ?
And what really frosts my a$$ is that the majority of those who protest this officers alleged actions are liberals who at the same time condone and defend the actions of murdering dictators and terrorists, protest death penalties for convicted murderers and condone abortion.
January 9th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
First off I would never defend the actions of dictators or terrorists. In fact, anyone man who attempts to have dominion over another man should be publically tortured and the torture would only stop once they admit they are not worth to live on this planet, then they will be put out of their misery.
And any innocent person who dies at the hands of someone in authority, invalidates the authority that person was representing.
Once any police officer sees another doing anything illegal (killing someone, drunk driving, speeding, etc), the other officer should place them under arrest and the person should no longer be a police officer. Any person who is sworn to uphold the law needs to be held to a much higher standard because of the incredible amount of power they are granted. And when they use that power and a person dies who should not have, they should immediately be removed and punished.
The fact that this murderer has not yet been arrested shows how the people in authority are not concerned with keeping the peace, but keeping themselves employed.
Those who govern should fear for their lives that the governed won’t one day kill them all.
January 9th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Me, I said “the majority” and not specufically you.
That majority should be addressed as they are the ones out in the street raising hell.
The whole point is that you use the word “innocent” and yet guilt or innocence has not been determined yet.
So please, do not have contempt prior to investigating of those you accuse of contempt prior to investigation.
You do not know that he is a “murderer”.
If there was “malice” and “forethought” it would be muder.
You have nothing but the exact same thing you speak out against.
You are a hypocrite and the last person who should be placing judgement on anyone
January 9th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
My judgement reins above all MUAH!
January 9th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
The collective stupidity of those participating in the Oakland riot amazes me and leaves me speechless. I’m not in any way defending the actions law enforcement. But the idea of destroying your own community in protest clearly displays the lack of higher brain function humans were previously know to have. Destroying your fellow man’s property, automobile, or business places those rioters in the SAME class as a cop who shoots victims in the back. I wonder what the great Dr. Martin Luther King would say about the actions of those who have engaged in the breaking, smashing, and burning of property owned by the INOCENT. “Rats in a Cage� describes these uncivilized, sub human actions! Thankfully I do not live in Oakland because if I did, and some mob destroyed my car, or smashed my storefront, there would have been quite a few more shootings!
January 9th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
ME;
“First off I would never defend the actions of dictators or terrorists.”
Yet, you are one yourself by labeling a man with a crime he has not been convicted of, labeling him guilty and demanding he be arrested.
“In fact, anyone man who attempts to have dominion over another man should be publically tortured and the torture would only stop once they admit they are not worth to live on this planet, then they will be put out of their misery.”
I’ll bet your nightstand is full of black rubber.
ME;
“My judgement reins above all MUAH!”
I’ll bet you stare at yourself in the mirror while masturbating.
See ya.
Jerk.
January 10th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
I think people who try and frame this with typical middle class suburban sterotypes of crime are missing the real point. In the ethnc community of Oakland there is the kind of antipathy towards the police and authority that is seen as a war by the community, not a crime. When they act out the war part, they do not see themselves as being criminal, but simply defending “their turf” from the invading police. Until middle class suburban people see this, from the point of view of them being at war, they won’t understand all the bad behavior. Also if children are not brought up in families where good role model working faithful fathers are heavily involved in raising and disciplining them they will he at even higher risk of challenging any authority. And they will have poorer social skills in handling confrontations. So the rules of engagement for police to simply subdue up to the point of lethal force is a real danger, and here society has failed these angry passengers. Also the over reliance on hand tasers has created a mentality that its okay and easier to pull a taser gun on a suspect than to try and tame them some other way. People forget how humiliating it is for someone to be tasered, and how painful it is. If the threshold for an officer to pull the gun is simply because you are mouthing off at them it will be way overused. Occasionally two people, passenger and police will simply get into an impasse of angry personalities. Is that a crime? Do they deserve to be shot? You also have impaired, inebriated, abused, and various other types who lack impulse control who will simply get themselves tasered or shot over what was originally a tiny incident. This only reinforces the “us vs. them” conclusion on the part of both parties.
January 11th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Every American was shot in the back on New Year’s Day. This is about governmental legitimacy and democratic self-governance and whether, and to what extent, those things exist in our community and in our nation. We, the People, need to ask ourselves several questions. First, how much force must a public servant possess in order to carry out his role in the society? Second, must our public servants dominate us completely? Third, is it possible that batons and tasers are sufficiently forceful? And finally, does your average beat cop require the capacity to kill a citizen at any given time? At this point I think we would need to be convinced that he does. The bottom line is this: All legitimate authority derives from the People and the People will be heard. We will no longer be governed violently. We will no longer give our consent.
January 11th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
” People will be heard. We will no longer be governed violently. We will no longer give our consent.”
Yea well, it works both ways.
Why dont the people not give consent to having there city overun by thugs and drug dealers ?
Maybe the people in Oakland should start just a much a stink about having the highest crime rate in the country for decades.
Protest the inability of law enforcement due to ridiculous PC and rules of engagement.
I would say that the public is far more out of hand in Oakland than the police are.
If you’re so worried about the people, go after the criminals that are tearing apart the neighborhood they say they love so much.
The true anarchy is on the streets and in the gangs, and not whithin the police dept.
How many innocent people die due to gang violence in Oakland as compared to police mishaps ?
Chew on that for a while.
January 11th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Even Newt Gingrich talks about the citizen as a soverign in the US according to how the Constitution was written, where the “soverign” grants the state the right to perform certain duties. Naturally one of those duties would not be to kill them in a dispute. Hilary asks good questions. Why do we grant the right of a beat cop to escalate force to essentially a mandatory use of lethal force to enforce any law or dispute getting out of hand? I have watched training videos of police being instructed to immediately shoot a “dangerous”(I hope) suspect in the most lethal manner at close range. Self defense is different than the application of up to lethal force to bring in a suspect. Yet they blur those lines. Unfortunately people are passive as regards their policing here in the US. The empire itself has different notions than the constitution unfortunately and that document is interpreted with the State’s interests as predominante. There are a few niche allotments regarding civil rights and race, but in general the “citizen” is no longer considered a soverign, but as a mere problematic subject to be ruled and disposed with if a threat to the system.
January 12th, 2009 at 6:17 am
“Why do we grant the right of a beat cop to escalate force to essentially a mandatory use of lethal force to enforce any law or dispute getting out of hand?”
And I repeat myself.
Why do we tolerate the crime we see yet we get all upset when the police have these occasional mishaps ?
Of course the cops arent angels.
I’m not really too proud of it but I’ve been locked up more times than the average person, TRUST ME !!!
And so I am well aware of the tendencies they have to do stupid sh*t as it was me myself who spent 2 months in jail for opening the side of a cops face once.
I asked this officer to do me a favor and not handcuff me in front of my 7 year old son who has mild autism. It was non violent offense I was being taken away on and had been totally cooperative the whole time.
Instead, this prick officer handcuffed me right in front of my son where he right away went into a hysterical fit thinking he would never see me again.
I’ve studied Chinese Kempo for decades now.
I lost my temper and kicked him in the face.
As much as I’ve been on the other side of the law I can safely safe with better knowledge probably than most on this thread that the cops are not the ones that need to be focused on here as much as the real problem in itself which is the level of and type of crime they are up against.
If this officer is found to be guilty of intentional or careless actions then he should get nailed no doubt.
But I still think all you who are crying for some sort of revolution and are acting as if we live in some dictative police state need to pull it out of yer a$$ and take a look at the real problem that is a threat to your everyday life, and it most certainly is not a rogue cop that gets stupid once in a while.
The real problem is a society that day by day places less and less value on human life.
The benefits of our men in uniform far outweigh the occasional mistakes that come along with it.
Brian, you really need to drop the black helicopter paranoia.
“Why do we grant the right of a beat cop to escalate force to essentially a mandatory use of lethal force to enforce any law or dispute getting out of hand?”
Hilary and Brian.
We dont grant them this right.
The have a standard they must adhere to.
There is no cop that has the right to blow you away, use lethal force, unless you are a threat to him or others.
That is why if this cop is found guilty of such actions he will pay.
But so far all the nay sayers on this thread are doing exactly what they accuse the cop of doing.
And that would be the rush to judgement, contempt prior to investigation, you are ready to take this mans life awat from him without the facts.
You are no better than what you’re b*tching about.
Period.
January 13th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
You forget that the people killed by cops because they were driving on our roads from point a to point b are still people, with families and stories. How many confused harrys pay this price so a rare hard core armed to the teeth dope dealer gets nailed? I don’t think our citizens should be that vulnerable just driving their cars on our streets. The way the law enables officers to escalate force to lethal over noncompliance is insane. The overuse of tasers is torture. What else is it?