Rally for Justice for Oscar Grant

Is this confirmed? If so I will attend.

Just checking as I haven't seen anything more about it.

I hope the mayors promises did not placate anyone. The cops get away with murder every day. From Bobbie Tolan, the brother shot in Houston on New Years Eve; the brother shot in New Orleans 14 times on New Years Eve, to Gary King Jr., to Oscar Grant. We can't let the promise of one trial for one cop placate us when they murder folks of color every single day.

"The Coalition Against Police Executions has called for a demonstration on January 14 to demand justice for Oscar Grant. The protest will start at 4 p.m. at Oakland City Hall, with a planned march to BART headquarters to follow."

Title: Meeting Organize MLK Day March for Justice for Oscar Grant
START DATE: Sunday January 11
TIME: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Location Details:
Uhuru House, 7911 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland
Event Type: Other
The International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement calls on the people to come out to help organize the march on Monday, January 19th on the Martin Luther King Holiday for JUSTICE and REPARATIONS for the family of Oscar Grant III.

Unite with the following demands:

1. Jail and Prosecute Killer BART Cop Johannes Mehserle and Charge All BART Cops Involved With Accessory to the Crime of Murder
2. Reparations to the Family of Oscar Grant
3. Economic Development for the African and Oppressed Communities in Oakland
4. Immediate End to the Public Policy of Police Containment of the African and Oppressed Communities in Oakland
5. Immediate Release of All Arrested Demonstrators



http://www.uhurusolidarityoakland.blogspot...



IF THIS ISNT THE SAME PROTEST THEN WHY ARENT ORGANIZATIONS FORMING COALITIONS MARCHING TOGETHER SO OUR NUMBERS ARE GREATER

hi,

afaik, the cape event is weds, the uhuru event is today, and copwatch berkeley (not too far north of oakland) is hosting meeting mon night about forming an oakland copwatch.

if you want to know why there are all these separate events, i'll tell you- it's because they are needed. copwatching is separate for the struggle for justice for one person who's already been killed. uhuru has a certain way of looking at the world that very few others share, and they can be hard to work with. cape is a new group and they don't represent everyone (yet), and again, their events right now are very focused on one case.

there's not always a way for everyone to work together, and there doesn't have to be.

Future marches planned (so far):

San Francisco
Demonstration Against Police Murder of Oscar Grant
Monday January 12
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Civic Center BART station, downtown San Francisco.


Another, organized by Coalition Against Police Executions:
Oakland Rally for Justice for Oscar Grant
Wednesday January 14
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Oakland City Hall
1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza
Oakland, CA


And another, organized by the Uhuru Movement:
MLK JR. day March for Justice & Reparations for Family of Oscar Grant III in Oakland
Monday January 19
11:30 AM - 2:00 PM
Gather at 11:30 at OPD headquarters, 7th & Broadway; March down Broadway to 20th St. to BART headquarters, down Grand Ave to the columns at the end of the Lake for a rally at 1pm.

We hope this is peaceful. Some downtown residents and business owners are prepared to defend our neighborhood from rioters and hoodlums who attempt to victimize us. If the police can't do it, the locals will...

Peaceful demonstrations, yes! Militant direct actions, of all types, Yes! And yes, people should try not to fuck up innocent people, the cars of average people, or small businesses run by uninvolved people. However if you threaten the movement and especially if you act out those threats, you lose your status of innocence, and the people will deal with it. Now i believe that most of those threats are idle but if they're not, the people will defend themselves by any means necessary.

And remember, 1 human being is worth more than all than windows and cars in Oakland. Fuck reactionary vigilantes. No Justice, No Peace.

The above poster is of course correct that a life is worth more than a storefront or a car. However, businesses in Oakland struggle to make it already. This is clear by the number of empty storefronts. Throwing a brick through someone's window may be the straw that pushes them into bankruptcy.

The same goes for cars. Would you destroy your own car or bicycle out of principle?

We absolutely need to continue to demonstrate to bring justice. We should not, however, cause more harm to innocent people in the process.

This whole thing is out of hand. The police as a whole is not to blame. It was the actions of one individual not the entire BART Police.

It'd be cool to see some buildings occupied and transformed into a place for discussion and organizing. Course I'm all the way in Canada.

Print it, cut it, distro it. If you so choose. I think we were surprised last Wednesday and we still had a loud voice. With a little more preparedness I think we can be even louder. Express yourself how you choose, bring some accessible avenues to share with anyone who would so choose. Many tactics, one enemy.

I like the Black Bloc. Let's keep it strong.

Title: March for Justice & Reparations for Family of Oscar Grant III
START DATE: Monday January 19
TIME: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Location Details:
Gather at 11:30 at OPD headquarters, 7th & Broadway; March down Broadway to 20th St. to BART headquarters, down Grand Ave to the columns at the end of the Lake for a rally at 1pm.
Event Type: Other
On the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., join the struggle for justice and reparations to the family of Oscar Grant III and unite with the following demands:
1. Jail and Prosecute Killer BART Cop Johannes Mehserle and Charge All BART Cops Involved With Accessory to the Crime of Murder
2. Reparations to the Family of Oscar Grant
3. Economic Development for the African and Oppressed Communities in Oakland
4. Immediate End to the Public Policy of Police Containment of the African and Oppressed Communities in Oakland
5. Immediate Release of All Arrested Demonstrators

justiceforoscar.png
justiceforoscar.png


http://www.inpdum.org

this shit's stupid. If anarchist are going to call for more confrontational tactics we need to organize support for the people who are going to get the brunt of the repression while choosing targets that are clear and compelling (ie. cops, and the bart). after wednesday any broad call for "black bloc" without focus is an invitation for the cops to use provocateurs. if you're building for more direct action you have to be accountability to the black community of oakland/bay area. not just put on a mask and act out fantasies of greece, while capitalizing on other people's grief. what happened to intentional organizing, y'all?

It is a fantasy actually; a fantasy that has come alive! Anarchists are growing exponentially in numbers all over the world and are the only ones who are really standing up to confront the power structure i.e. government. We need to prepare for what is to come. There will be a lot chaos in the near future but it will be and has to be organized chaos. We must stay in touch with one another. Otherwise if we don't we'll end up losing momentum. On our spare time we should be reading, preparing, going to anarchist book fair, tuning into KPFA radio, keeping up on all the events planed on IMC or "indymedia.org", reprinting protest flyers and handing them out or posting them up on billboards, forwarding text messages about every protest and or myspace bulletins, forming affinity groups and sticking together. People are already doing these things and the number of people doing them is on the rise. This is how we build the movement. Online, cell phone, independent media, and word of mouth. Fuck relying on the system to correct the system. I have lost all faith. Anarchy is coming to America. It's all up to you! THE QUESTION IS HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT? IF EVERYBODY REALLY UNDERSTOOD WHAT ANARCHY TRUELY MEANT EVERY AMERICAN CITY WOULD BE UP IN SMOKE AND FLAMES. THAT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME BUT IT WILL HAPPEN. YOU MIGHT BE AN ANARCHIST RIGHT NOW AND NOT EVEN KNOW IT. ONLY WAY TO FIND OUT WHERE YOU STAND IS TO READ UP ABOUT IT. See yall in Oakland!

R.I.P. Oscar Grant

has it occured to you that the police pushed protesters into those neighborhoods? they could have dispersed the crowds westward from broadway, into the shopping and government district. but the cops would rather fire teargas in a residential neighborhood then give people a go at the starbucks and taco bell.

I'd suggest you don't try to "defend your property". just park somewhere else. I heard a shot come from an apartment complex last time, fortunately no one was hit, but somehow I don't think provoking a fight is such a good idea.

I'm going to have to agree with Anarchist Mother on this. Will you occupy buildings and use them as a center of organizing/discussion for outraged people of the community as they did in Greece? Will your tactics allow you to break through riot police lines as they did in Greece?

for autonomy and solidarity!

See everyone tomorrow. Solid(A)rity

I assume your protest will not be bothering those of us who commute on BART. We have nothing to do with your event, so you will, of course, have the good taste to leave BART alone.

dear anarchist posters: i fully support a call for diversity of tactics and *focused* property destruction - i.e. targeting tools & symbols of the state. but first of all, turning this march into a forum to advance your personal political agenda is disrespectful to the Grant family, who have specifically requested that no more destruction occur in Oscar's name. if you want to fuck shit up, why don't you organize a separate march that is NOT in Oscar's name, but rather aligned with the wider movement to end state power abuse and police brutality? and while you're at it, take some time before the march to educate folks on appropriate targets so they don't go smashing braiding salons and disabled folks' cars. that's not anarchy, that's pointless misguided chaos - and any good anarchist should know the difference!

As is obviously being expressed in this forum, it is important that we not only "diversify our tactics" but respect the parts of the community that deserve to be respected, because the innocent are not at fault in their entirety. The police, the government, the law, the city, the state, and the BART system are at fault. I heard someone telling someone else yesterday that a man on the Board of Directors said the community would "not like" what he was planning on saying in his so-called conclusive statement; this is beyond disgusting. We cannot accept anything less than justice, as has been repeated to so many times over. So to imagine that they assume that they can ignore us, that we will lay down, complacently, and accept a doomed fate as a community and as a society, is insulting.
I understand everyone has their own reasons for marching: Anarchists want to "smash the police state" (rightfully so in the face of brutality seen from Greece to Oakland to Gaza); many Blacks are so damn tired of being oppressed and harassed by the police that Oscar Grant was past the final straw for us; and many simply understand the brutal injustice witnessed everyday by this community and so many others. We must all march in peace and solidarity, taking action in an organized manner befitting an organized group of angry citizens who demand justice. I do like the suggestions that we should organize and talk throughout the rally, so as to stay connected and make sure we don't get divided.

R.I.P. OSCAR GRANT
NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE!

I understand the Black Bloc, and I understand the anger of citizens. I share all of this. From a neighborhood perspective, I cannot understand why we would compare the lives of one person (RIP Oscar Grant) to someone else's livelihood, car or business. Why would the Black Bloc take it upon themselves to decide whose car is damaged, or whose business is busted? Why not focus on institutional, direct, governmental targets? I keep reading responses here implying that people should not defend their property, should not protect their cars (or should park "elsewhere" -- away from one's home?), or their businesses and livliehoods. Why, so that people marching don't have to be accountable to the citizens and children in this neighborhood? So that one can get carried away in their anger and righteousness? I am old enough to have damaged corporate and government property, both in the dead of night and in the middle of a city intersection, but so much of this turns my stomach and I feel sad. I work in this neighborhood with youth, and it pains me to see "bring the rumpus."

I'll be honest -- I don't live in the neighborhood where I work. I come and go every day, and I own that. But, my students do ;ive here. How many of you bringing the ruckus are bringing it from out of town, or even from a different neighborhood? I'm not even concerned that I won't be able to get back home tomorrow night, but I am asking if people who damage the hood will be back to help me teach my youth next week, and clean up the neighborhood, and keep talking to the parents about how they are safe here in this neighorbood where there is already enough violence (both person-to-person violence and the emotional, institutionalized violence of urban poverty).

What kind of solidarity is this? I am really asking.

why protest violence with violence? why destroy the property of hard working oaklanders? why not fight the police instead of harming the innocent shop-owner or resident? is it because the innocent shop-owner or resident won't bust you in the chops but the police just might? those looking for trouble or a fight should storm bart pd headquarters. take it over.

They are petit bourgois, have no understanding of historical struggles and put people into confrontational situations that affect us all. Although i don't support the poltics of the UHURU group at least there is some intention to do mass outreach with the unions and to have try to bring out a large crowd who can march peacefully and attract more people to the streets. Anarchist don't have anything to lose, they're families are well off and they can care less to go to jail because they're popa will get them out. As a woman of color i am just disgusted with anarchists in this country, they are provocateurs and have no idea of how to organize a real militant group.

Weren't the ones burning cars down or smashing local storefront windows, were they? From my understanding they made an attempt to prevent these misdirected actions.

I went to protest the murder of Oscar Grant last night, but I heard some comments from several protesters that made me uneasy about their understanding of privilege. There were a lot of white middle class folks and white anarchists. I say that because if you're going to protest a racist murder it is your responsibility to understand your white and class privilege.

Among them, a white hipster in a fedora and some friends said and laughed "Dammit when are we going to smash the Apple store?!" To which I remarked, "Maybe before you do that you should recognize your privilege of being able to get away with it."

I got blank and scowling faces in return.

Oscar Grant is dead for doing nothing wrong, he died because he was black in a racist system.

If this white hipster was cuffed by a cop, chances are good that he would never have to face the violence that the black and brown community face on a daily basis.

If he was put in jail, he would have better chances of successfully taking on the legal system because he has assets of education, whiteness, and networks with other privileged people.

Protests against the murder of Oscar Grant will not be effective if a significant portion of the individuals and groups attending have little self awareness of their class and white privilege.

Sending more violence in the world with no specific goal will do nothing to disarm the BART police, end racism, or stop police violence.

When our community leaders wanted to speak to Oakland officials, what did Oakland Officials say? They told the community leaders, "We're not going to talk to you." However, after the destruction of some property, now they hear us. If people at the protest are going to cause destruction then direct it at the corporations destroying our community, NOT the poor mom and pop buisness. And don't let the police push you to the poor neighborhoods like they always do, so that we can worsen the conditions in our communities. Nonetheless after attending Saturday's meeting, I know community leaders like Rev King, Minister Keith Mohammed, Dereca Blackmon, and others will focus the community's anger into a sustained movement in which real change will become possible. We have organized and mobilized, so this Wednesday's rally will create a counter narrative to the media's portrayal of us as a bunch of vigilantes. See you there!

Starbucks is a chain that does a lot more harm to neighborhood businesses than all the rocks of all the "anarchists" could do. And, as a bonus, their CEO, Howard Schultz, is a major supporter of the Zionist Occupation Regime (ZOR, a.k.a. "Israel") in Palestine.

http://www.inminds.co.uk/boycott-starbucks.html

Keep in mind, though, that the workers at Starbucks are almost as much victims of Zionist scumbag Schultz as the Palestinians are, and most customers of Starbucks are ignorant and need education, so neither group should be seriously traumatized or physically harmed.

Many organizations such as UHURU, the Nation of Islam, and other church organizations have linked up with the Coalition Against Police Executions (CAPE), so that the force and numbers will be stronger. CAPE's info can be found on facebook.

Also, as we all remember, a lot of the people smashing citizens cars and local businesses were not protesters, but people who saw the march and joined or joined downtown (seizing an opportunity to get away with criminal acts not because of justice but on a rather selfish whim, in my opinion). If this takes effect again, which it probably will, does anybody have any ideas about what to do to try to contain the situation without furthering altercations between individual groups?

dear "flower":

it was the actions of one BART officer and the INaction of the other officers present when the shooting happened. ALSO, the problem is that they have not ARRESTED THE MOTHERF_ER/S!!!! The rioting & protesting will stop when justice is served and that man is arrested for murder & behind bars. No rest till then...sorry!!!

<3

there's no rioting right now yet the officer is still free. methinks cowards need the group to feel empowered enough to lash out at innocent targets while doing everything possible to avoid confronting those with badges, sticks, and guns. the protest is legit. the the anger and frustration are real. the senseless violence is nothing more than a destructive temper tantrum thrown by poseurs. protest but be productive.

Oh I agree with you 100% about the innocent targets. I guess I could have worded that better. I would never bash in a small businesses window or set already poor people's cars on fire. I don't condone that sort of action. Actions against the police who do anything BUT protect us & ruthless corporations they DO protect, yes!

I don't even know why I'm commenting on here. Enough with Kropotkin. It's 2009 already.

Enough with the "white middle class getting away with shit" rhetoric. It's important to note that every time you mention "the privileged white kids", you are giving the myth of white supremacy so much power. Give some credit to the incredibly brave folks of the Bay Area of all colors and all classes, who joined up and helped lead a disturbance fierce enough to get things moving; open BART hearings, mayoral interference, scum bag mainstream media has had to report every day.

People protest when they're demanding change and justice. People disobey because it is necessary. People start smashing shit when they realize that "we shall overcome" stopped working in 1963. Destruction of property is not violence. Peaceful protest is not cowardice. Generic assumptions create fear, doubt and paranoia, and all of these things weaken our movement.

BART riders, take the bus tomorrow, and for a long time.
Store owners, well...
OPD, be on your best behavior.
People, get ready.

yours in solidarity,

Marching to BART headquarters when it's closed for a holiday doesn't make any sense.

Funny, it wasn't the anarchists jumping up and down on cop cars and trashing local businesses in Oakland. I was at the San Francisco protest and I seem to recall some anarchists shouting out that we should stay away from local businesses. Didn't seem to be that kind of restraint on the other side of the bay.

Praying for Peace, Working for Justice

* Since January 2nd there has been much protest against the BART Police murder of Oscar Grant, III, killed by rookie cop, Johannes Mehserle.
* AT FIRST, the killer cop was protected by “the code of silence,” DESPITE immediate calls for justice from mostly African American elected officials, clergy and community leaders.
* THEN, when a splinter group of people got really mad, the Mayor responded to their actions, BART met with the public and the National News picked up the story.
* BUT NOW, the D.A. and police are still more concerned with crushing protest against police brutality than they are in charging (former) BART Officer Mehserle with murder.

In memory of Oscar Grant and in an ongoing effort to honor the wishes of his family that any movement remain PEACEFUL, we at CAPE (Coalition Against Police Executions) are holding another peace rally Wednesday that is shaping up to be a beautiful, healing event with members from the faith, youth, organizing and small business community coming together with demands for justice.

We ask that everyone involved in this event know that PEACE is our intention. Thank you.

I just spoke with Christina Gomez from CAPE. She says that the protest is still on tomorrow:

“Tomorrow will definitely be a day for us to share this good news with folks. The job is not done. He has been arrested but he has not yet been prosecuted. We have to put pressure on DA Orloff…The fight is definitely not over…”

We have just got confirmation that Johannes Mehserle, the officer that shot and killed Oscar Grant III was arrested in Nevada and is now in police custody.

CAPE is very excited to report this news. Thank you all, people power is real!
We are recieving calls to find out if the rally scheduled for 4pm tomorrow is still happening and YES! it is.

Please be aware, this is only the first step in justice being served.
We are still demanding that Alameda County DA Tom Orloff prosecute Mehserle of murder. We can not forget the historically, police officers have never been sent to prison for murder.

We need to ensure that this never happens again. We will not stop putting pressure on those that should be held accountable for this negligent behavior, this includes the other officers involved and BART officials who need to developing policies and procedures to make sure what happen to Oscar never happens again.

We will not stop until we know that justice has been served. We are celebrating this good news, but we are still mourning the lost of a father, a son and a young man who will never get to celebrate this victory with his family.

I bet they charged him with some weak BS charge like involuntary manslaughter

but no word on 1st, 2nd, or other charges or enhancements

how is locking up a stupid fucking cop "justice" when you rely on the same systems of oppression to penalize them, that many of us are working to dismantle? work to dissolve all police forces, not just the BART cops who, as addled and pointless as they may seem (and they have a point, duh, just not one nurturing to the people they terrorize), are obviously just as crazy and messed up as any other police force. dismantle capitalism, dismantle despotistic governing bodies!
"justice" doesn't even exist except within the understandings delimited by state ideologies which, invariably, we fall back upon in order to combat the very bodies that maim us with such notions as "justice" and "criminality"; this can never be a sustainable practice and in the end only strengthens the hold such powers yield. ¡everybody is terrorized by cops! whether aware of it or not (¡even the cops!), some of us are murdered by those in the name of the state, for all of us, we must erase such entities from the planet so that these things cease to happen. a new ethic is needed, one that doesn't require us to buttress ourselves and our well-intentioned goals with the language and ideologies of the state. break out your quills and papyrus and start brainstorming!

This is so typical. 1st they avoid taking any action and then once a city goes up in flames after all this time they make an arrest. And what, because he used to be a police officer many expect him to get manslaughter rather than murder. There is nothing they can do to replace Oscar or make up for what they did. Putting the officer in jail would be much closer to justice but not quite tit for tat if you know what I mean. I am against the death penalty but if it were my brother I'm sure it might be different. I'm glad they arrested the ex-cop but that won't silence me for nothing. This kind of shit happens everyday and nobody does anything about it. The police, government, media, and corporations are all locked together into one big super power house machine and the rest of us? We are not so locked together YET!

Hell yes the arrest of this killer cop is a victory . If it hadn't been first for the Cell camera recordings and all our collective outrage I doubt if the '' Gentle Giant '' (as the 1/10 Chron labeled him ! ) would have been even fired let alone busted. This is a concession that the local ruling class felt forced to give the people of the Bay Area .
But now more ever we need to hit the streets Wed. We should demand NO BAIL, The ARREST OF HIS FELLOW COPS WHO DID NOTHING TO PREVENT HIM FROM SHOOTING GRANT AND THEN CUFFED THE DYING BROTHER AFTERWARDS !
We also need to remain vigilant that DA Orloff doesn't offer a plea bargain and that the prosecution be aggressive , (As aggressive as it would be if someone had shot a cop ! )
A lot of work remains . But yeah we did win a victory .

That's why the majority will never support you, so long as you tolerate these infantile idiots subverting your cause. You want to see police brutality? Just wait until more people wake up to find their cars torched... They'll be clamoring for the police to use real bullets.

Whether you like it or not, we get the government we vote for, and that means most people want something other than what this website advocates -- you seriously think a fringe group like this is going to be able to win a physical fight? Because that's what you're turning it into, a microscopic minority vs. everyone else who doesn't want to see chaos on the street.

(Mehserle was arrested on a fugitive warrant, but this smells like bullshit because the charges are not being disclosed. it seems to me to be a ploy to deescalate the situation- fuck that!)

During last weeks riot I saw not one activist/ anarchist targeting local small businesses or pedestrian cars. As the riot escalated from the squad car being destroyed and the ongoing street battle with the police reached broadway, the media reported live on TV and many people joined specifically to fuck up shop for the sake of fucking up shop.

In fact, many anarchists stopped 'ma and pa" shops from being attacked as well as helping an older white male who was being hassled to be left alone.

Many people in this forum are confused about what some anarchists are calling for. There are many legitamate targets in Oakland i.e Banks around webster and 17th, starbuck on 8th and Broadway, McDonalds on 14th and Jackson etc. I don't know of a single person planning on destroying any personal property of working class people or a small non corporate business.

Todays protest will be going down 14th and will have every cop in the OPD working the crowds as well as a volunteer security group shadowing the march.


To the above asshole, keep your mouth shut unless you know what you're talking about.

Get there early, familiarize yourself with the city, and prepare.

see ya in the streets!

be safe everyone

bring the ruckus comrades

CAUTION: THESE WORDS MAY NOT BE UNDERSTANDABLE TO THE NON-INTELLIGENT! IF YOU BEGIN TO EXPERIENCE HEAD PAIN WHILE READING GO HERE: http://WWW.DISNEYLAND.COM

I am surprised at some of the people who come on this website to comment. It appears a lot of you seem to be having technical difficulties differentiating anarchist from opportunist, small business from BIG corporate business. Everything is the same with you people as if details were too complicated to deal with so out of your own selfish convenience you blend us all in together. Let me give you a bit of advice; well you can start by pulling your head out your ass and stop accusing anarchists for the damages that were done to small mom and pop shops and cars downtown. That's just not how we roll whether it be in Oakland or where ever the fuck ever. Those were random people who hit random spots that had nothing to do with us and some you smart people out there might already know that. Those guys obviously don't know how to RIOT.

NOW PAY ATTENTION

"ANARCHISTS ONLY ATTACK PROPERTY BELONGING TO BIG CORPORATIONS AND THE GOVERNMENT/POLICE! IT IS ABOUT TIME YOU GET INFORMED SO THAT THERE WILL BE NO CONFUSION ABOUT IT IN THE FUTURE! YOU CAN GO AND DIRECT YOUR BLAME ELSE WHERE NOW AND IF THIS DOESN'T SINK IN I'M SORRY BUT YOUR JUST A RETARD AND NOTHING YOU SAY REALLY MATTERS FROM THAT POINT ON. NOTE TO THE POLICE: IF YOU THINK YOU CAN SILENCE US BY MAKING A LATE ARREST BEFORE A HUGE DEMONSTRATION YOU GOT ANOTHER THING COMIN! I UNDERSTAND YOUR TRICKS. YOU CAN NOT MANIPULATE THE SITUATION. SOMETHING SMELLS LIKE DAMAGE CONTROL AND I DON'T LIKE IT. YOU AIN'T GONNA SILENCE NOBODY WITH YOUR MOVES. YOU SHOULD HAVE TAKEN OFFICER MERSELY INTO CUSTODY THE MINUTE HE PULLED HIS GUN AND KILLED OSCAR GRANT BUT BECAUSE HE WAS A COP YOU AVOIDED THE ISSUE AND NOW YOU’VE GOT A BIGGER PROBLEM ON YOUR HANDS, A PROBLEM THAT IS SELF INFLICTED OF COURSE THAT COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN AVOIDED. LET THIS BE A LESSON. THIS TIME WE'RE MAKING AN EXAMPLE OUT OF YOU TO ALL THE OTHER TRIGGER HAPPY POLICE!”

I was out there for six hours last wednesday, and I did not see any people in black bloc smashing personal property. Not one. This argument is so irrelevant.

Even if some anarchists are not particularly offended by such behavior, it certainly wasn't some sort of goal of the black bloc to wreck civilian cars.

Participants, be prepared to take responsibility for your actions and protect your well being. And activists inciting this event, be prepared to support those who are arrested or come in physical harm because of the situation. "Any one who joins the rioters after they have actually commenced, is equally guilty as if he had joined them while assembling."

Legal definition of a riot:
RIOT - A public disturbance involving (1) an act or acts of violence by one or more persons part of an assemblage of three or more persons, which act or acts shall constitute a clear and present danger of, or shall result in, damage or injury to the property of any other person or to the person of any other individual or (2) a threat or threats of the commission of an act or acts of violence by one or more persons part of an assemblage of three or more persons having, individually or collectively, the ability of immediate execution of such threat or threats, where the performance of the threatened act or acts of violence would constitute a clear and present danger of, or would result in, damage or injury to the property of any other person or to the person of any other individual. 18 USC

At common law a riot is a tumultuous disturbance of the peace, by three persons or more assembling together of their own authority, with an intent, mutually to assist each other against any who shall oppose them, in the execution of some enterprise
of a private nature, and afterwords actually executing the same in a violent and turbulent manner, to the terror of the people, whether the act intended were of itself lawful or unlawful.

In this case there must be proved, first, an unlawful assembling; for if a number of persons lawfully met together; as, for example, at a fire, in a theater or a church, should suddenly quarrel and fight, the offense is an affray and not a riot, because there was no unlawful assembling; but if three or more being so assembled, on a dispute occurring, they form into parties with promises of mutual assistance, which promises may be express, or implied from the circumstances, then the offense will no longer be an affray, but a riot; the unlawful combination will amount to an assembling within the meaning of the law. In this manner any lawful assembly may be converted into a riot. Any one who joins the rioters after they have actually commenced, is equally guilty as if he had joined them while assembling.

To everyone saying that anyone commenting here is 'confused' or 'doesn't understand anarchists', I want to speak for myself. I know anarchists, I get the ideology, I've been affiliated, been there done that. Currently, I am a teacher, so my day to day life is different. I am still an anarchist in my heart, and I am trying my best to do what we do in a different realm.

For me, when i saw the fliers (with the same graphics I've seen years ago), with the same language I've been seeing for years (I really expected to turn it over and see badly translated quotes from Greece like "The Appointment to the barricades still effects!!!"), my first feeling was not excitement, it was disappointed. I was disappointed because while I personally can read between the lines and assume that because I understand how anarchists tend to work, that personal property is not going to be part of the ruckus, there was nothing on the flier that would indicate to anybody else what was planned for the protest, or that people's property would be differentiated from corporate property. I saw a flier last night that had "legitimate targets" clarified for people, which was helpfu, but that's not the flier I'm talking about.

My point is that whoever put this flier together and whoever is distributing it and passing it along didn't APPEAR to take the community into consideration. There is no EVIDENCE in it that there has been any mutual organization, communication, dialouge, or, really, any knowledge of people's lives here.

As I said above, I work with youth in the neighborhood, and most people I work with -- who don't know very much at all about anarchism and it's nuances and incarnations -- were FURIOUS and alienated. And I want people to know why. It's not because people are brainwashed or racist or anything. I mean, the media is portraying a lot of the damage as originating with the anarchist splinter group, but if you know that, and don't message to the community you are in directly, then how do you expect people to automatically assume anything? The protest and the aftermath really threw a lot of people off-guard, and the damage was upsetting to many. I think it's exciting to some people who have the access to resources to put it all together, but not everyone has those resources. And when people who dont' speak English see a flier that has a molotov on it or something and the only words they understand is "get ready" -- what do you think they think?


So, all I am saying is that I completely own that I didn't do a thing to organize anything -- anarchist or "liberal" or otherwise -- to this event directly other than participating and supporting and helping to get my youth mobilized around issues that we have ALREADY been facing regarding violence in this neighborhood. I'm not trying to point fingers or be an arm chair anarcho-commentator (well, maybe I am, and if that's true, I own that, too). But I really feel compelled to say this, and I'm glad people are talking about this. It's possible that maybe my own personal job is to help "translate" some of this information and help subvert some of the media stuff about anarchists for people who don't have access to above-mentioned resources. But, plesae, don't make it freaking harder for people to do that. Please think about the communities here, and think about how alienating some things are.

And the fact that someone said that you need to get here early to 'familiarize yourself with the city' just reminds me again that a lot of people don't have any ties to the community. And people who do live here or consider this their community see that, and it does nothing for the cause of tying these things together into passionate revolt. It makes people want to defend their community from outside forces who don't understand.

thanks for reading this; it was longer than I intended it to be.

To the person who posted the flyer that says: "Want some fun?" (Throw a brick)...

Good job for totally reinforcing the idea that the reason why anarchists destroy stuff is for fun.

Great way to show solidarity with the people of Oakland... don't listen to what they have to say... just react with your standard response: throw a brick!

Isn't is time for a little critical self-analysis, kiddies?

Please, I hate to see the blame being placed on an entire group of people who share a certain ideology for the idiocy of a few (Not in reference to what happened last Wednesday, but that poster). Distinguish between Anarchists and people looking to have some fun by using watered down "black bloc" techniques.


You want to be like the Greeks? Start a community center and work towards providing services where the government cannot or will not. Create a mutual aid network.

You Want to be like the Greeks? Spend 4 hours planning your actions before doing them.

My last commented was directed towards the "Bring the ruckus" poster, not the "Legitimate Targets" one.

Justice for Oscar Grant: The Future is Being Written
Bay Area CrimethInc Workers Collective and Anarchists for Justice for Oscar Grant

Today, people in the Bay Area will continue building the uprising sparked by yet another police killing of a young Black man, Oscar Grant, murdered just hours into 2009. All week, people have come together to flood the streets with anger, grief and defiance.

The march today for justice for Oscar Grant, to end police brutality, and to work for genuine community safety through social justice on our streets, is going to bring together a broad cross-section of working class people in Oakland. It will be majority African American, inter-generational with elders and young children; it will include union rank and file, students from Oakland's public schools, people from neighborhoods most targeted by the police, and many others. It will also be a major risk for many people to participate in the march, as the police are making it clear that "they'll be ready to go off with any excuse." Even with police using intimidation tactics and the media drumming up fear on about "violent protesters" and "violent anarchists", people from Oakland will march in a demonstration of grassroots power for justice and an end to police terror.

There are thousands of anarchists around the Bay Area, involved in hundreds of important community organizations, projects, cultural work, and collectives working to build economic, racial, environmental, gender, and social justice in our communities, and around the country. Anarchists are all ages, all races, of many genders, and have a long history of dynamic, creative, and strategic action. A small number of anarchists, as well as other non-anarchists activists, sometimes utilize the black bloc as a tactic to raise the social and economic costs of injustice and oppression through corporate property destruction/re-design.

Today in Oakland, there is a need for people of many different political traditions to bring their creativity, energy, and vision to the march and work together to build working class community power through this march. We can all stay together, not be divided by state and media tactics of "good protester/bad protester," and support one another and the overall goals of the march. There may be anarchists of many kinds - parents, elders, union members, non-violent direct action activists, black blocers, health care workers, grandparents, community organizers, and children - contributing to a dignified, united, and powerful march. There are other times and places for graffiti, for raising the social costs through civil disobedience, property re-design, and facing off with the police. Let's respect the self-determination of those who have called for this march, many of whom are already taking risks in taking to the streets, and who have set out guidelines for what kind of space they want to create at this demonstration. Let's coming together to make this a powerful show of unity.

The police want a fight tonight to demonstrate their power. Today, the march can demonstrate a different kind of power - what it looks like when communities come together to assert their vision of an end to police violence backed by a system of white supremacy, patriarchy, capitalism, heterosexism and the state. Together, we can do it. But we need to work together and be united. Let us bring forward the new world that exists in our hearts.

so setting trash cans on fire, tipping over newspaper machines, and shattering some corporate windows will bring the system to its knees? drop the adolescent rebellion fantasy acts. why wait for a big event? why not take over the store instead of breaking the windows? smash and run amongst a large crowd is easier and less risky so it seems as if these self-proclaimed anarchists are taking the easy way out so they can vent their feelings but not miss out on the next book discussion at the coffee shop.

Hoping this move by the DA will begin the healing in our community. Oscar Grant's murder is being used as part of a larger cause against unwarranted use of police force, but lets not loose sight of the community issue at the heart of it.

Youth in Oakland are growing up in a daily reality of violence, poverty, and oppression. Lets not forget about the kids who identify with this young victim. They are the ones who need our help to work towards change, awareness, and healing together. Be smart about your protest, don't facilitate the culture violence and hate, do something to change it!

from article
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/14/BAJE15A6O2.DTL

Alameda County District Attorney Tom Orloff said today that Mehserle had been charged with murder because the evidence showed that Grant was the victim of an unlawful, intentional killing.

"From the evidence we have, there's nothing that would mitigate that, something lower than murder," said Orloff, who was joined at a news conference by BART Police Chief Gary Gee.

I did not see one Anarchist target someones car, or any thing of that sort Wednesday. So why are they being blamed alone when those participating in the events that unfolded Wednesday consisted of an extremely diverse crowd?


I don't see why there is such a huge argument over this on Indy Bay; Are we letting the corporate media's reports on "Anarchists" divide us? It's so easy to blame a certain group of people on what happened instead of analyzing the situation ourselves so we don't make the same mistakes.

"Want some fun? Bring the ruckus"

Yeah that a smart thing to do. Lets go ahead and recruit this shit to an event.

Thanks for making people like myself who protest this mans death look like a bunch of highschool kids with nothing other than the want and lust to bust innocent peoples shit up. People who share the same thoughts about the situation and who also are upset over this and past cases.


What are you really resolving by trashing my community? Stupid...

"Want some fun? Bring the ruckus" Yeah that a smart thing to do. Lets go ahead and recruit this shit to an event. Thanks for making people like myself who protest this mans death look like a bunch of highschool kids with nothing other than the want and lust to bust innocent peoples shit up. People who share the same thoughts about the situation and who also are upset over this and past cases.
What are you really resolving by trashing my community? Stupid..."

What the hell is this guy^ talking about? You should read prior comments before you go making wild assumptions that all anarchists are highschool kids planning to do no other than trash downtown. This just goes to display your ignorance about the entire anarchist community. Stop coming on here to divide the community, bash us, and try to confuse everybody. If you read previous comments you would understand that big business and the police alienate them selves just fine from just about every community. Stop coming on here with your stupid comments. Either you are really dumb, a snitch, or an FBI COP. Are you apart of some new counter intelligence program or something like "COINTELPRO"? These comments like yours have everybody wondering about YOU! FUCKING FBI PIGS! STOP COMING HERE. YOU'VE DONE THIS BEFORE, NOW WERE FED UP. GO AWAY! NOBODY LIKES YOU!

Smashing up businesses and cars does absolutely NOTHING to change the system. Wanna know the reality of what happens when you throw bricks into someone's windows?

The store closes for repairs, which means:

-It is closed for the duration of repair = no employees get paid for that time.

-The store, though a chain, is a franchise owned by an individual who has to pay for the costs out of pocket.

-The community, which depends on that stores' services (whether you like it or not), loses the services of that location. Depending on what was smashed, that can range from trivial fast food to much-needed pharmacy services for those who can't travel far.

-Because that store/building is smashed up, everyone living nearby is afraid. That fear closes doors, makes people not trust their neighbours, makes them more likely to turn away if someone else needs help in the future.

So keep on throwing those bricks if you truly enjoy destroying communities. Just don't expect me to applaud you while you're doing it.

Props for calling out folks who think smashing up Walgreens & Rite Aid in downtown is a bright idea, Oakster.

There are a lot of folk who (unfortunately) depend on those businesses for crucial medications and there aren't many other options in the neighborhood.

Something tells me that the blac bloc doesn't have plans to open pharmacies after they smash/burn the chain stores.

Threatening the health of sick and old folks ain't the way to build solidarity, peoples! Think first about the consequences of your actions before you react with your typical knee-jerk responses!

Many people do many things within the course of a rebellion. There seems to be a subtle racism going on (in these comments amongst other places) which i find very troubling. Anarchists have been criticized by moralistic liberal types for being part of the righteous rebellious activities that went on to protest the police murder of Oscar Grant, some of which attacked small businesses and private cars. In response to this criticism, some have said it was not the (white usual suspect intellectual type) anarchists who did the misdirected mayhem. It was those others, the different (read: stupid) opportunistic ones wh joined in the march after it got rowdy. One person on this site even wrote it was thn "colored people". Others blamed provocateurs.

I don't deny that there are not sometimes provocateurs, but so far we do have any evidence that they were the rebels. For all we know if there were any provocateurs at all, they could have been the kumbaya liberal types trying to stir shit and divide people up that way.

As for the charges of opportunism and self-servingness, other than the fact that Oscar Grant and the other victims were the same color and age as those who joined in, and therefore they felt more empathy and that they themselves could be the next victim. There wasn't any looting or anything that could be considered self-aggranding.

And why wouldn't they join the protest when they saw it, maybe along Broadway where many young black kids hang out. A lot of people knew of the killing thru channel 2 and other mainstream media coverage and were angered by it, than knew when and where the protest were actually happening. They, of course, joined in when they saw it. Sadly, Indybay, KPFA, and other movement publications and websites that would give people specific demonstration schedules are not mass media. Hopefully that will change. So when they saw the protest, they joined in and the rest will hopefully be history.

In preventing the demonization of one group of people, let us not let loose other demons. We need to continue to be united across race and age lines to fight the system, like we were at least partially, last week.