Let BART know: Blaming Oscar's friends for his death is shameful & will not be tolerated

Save the Date!

Let BART know: Blaming Oscar's friends for his death is shameful & will not be tolerated

Next BART Police Department Review Committee
9am, Thursday, February 18th, 2010
344 20th Street, near Harrison, on the 3rd Floor

While publicly declaring how happy BART is with the January 27th, 2010, settlement for $1.5 million for taking Oscar Grant's life, BART attorney Dale Allen also took the opportunity to announce that BART will "vigorously fight [Oscar's friends' lawsuits] based on their contributing actions to the tragic accident." http://www.sacbee.com/state_wire/story/2495176.html

This settlement was the opening Oscar's killers needed, to devalue Oscar's life and launch a campaign to blame Oscar's friends. To put the money part in perspective, Rodney King settled for $3.8 million for the cans of whoop-ass opened on him in 1991. The BART settlement, supposed to guarantee Tatiana's future stability, isn't even half what Rodney King got, and Mehserle's criminal trial hasn't even begun. Fortunately, Oscar's mother and co-plaintiff in the $50 million lawsuit against BART refuses to settle.

Oscar's friends' CONTRIBUTING ACTIONS???

BART still hasn't decided what to do about Officer Pirone calling Oscar a "Bitch Ass Nigg*#" while punching him down, or Officer Domenici's sworn testimony that "if I have to go to lethal force, I will."

Yet BART is certain that Oscar's friends – who were handcuffed and/or sitting down and/or had their hands up, pleading and praying not to get shot – definitely did contribute to Oscar's murder.

BART is obviously working closely with Mehserle's defense, and when the trial starts the devil in the details will come to light. The same BART, Rains, and others crying crocodile tears today are going to use every racist stereotype in the book to paint Oscar and his friends as thugs, with worthless lives, who got what they deserved. And BART will walk away without making a single meaningful change to the police department.

This insanity will not be tolerated. Over a year later and BART's manipulations are only making matters worse. Come to the next BART Board Meeting to expose their lies.

Next BART Police Department Review Committee
9am, Thursday, February 18th
344 20th Street, near Harrison, on the 3rd Floor