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Oscar Grant Rally in Santa Cruz Against Injustice and Police Murder
In the early hours of January 1st, 2009, Oscar Grant III was murdered by BART police officer Johannes Mehserle, shot in the back as he lay face-down on the Fruitvale BART platform with BART officer Tony Pirone's knee in his shoulder.
On July 8th, 2010, Mehserle was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, but acquitted on the more serious charges of second-degree murder or voluntary manslaughter. The jury included eight women and four men. A white police officer killed a black man, yet no African-Americans served on the jury. The killing took place in Oakland, but the trail was moved out of Alameda County to Los Angeles.
It was announced that Mehserle will be sentenced on August 6th**. However, other reports suggest that sentencing may take place later, perhaps in September. Judge Robert Perry now has the discretion in sentencing to decide how to apply the findings of the jury.
** 65 years ago, on August 6th, 1945, the U.S. Military dropped a nuclear bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later, on August 9th, the U.S. detonated a nuclear explosion over Nagasaki.
On July 8th, 2010, Mehserle was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, but acquitted on the more serious charges of second-degree murder or voluntary manslaughter. The jury included eight women and four men. A white police officer killed a black man, yet no African-Americans served on the jury. The killing took place in Oakland, but the trail was moved out of Alameda County to Los Angeles.
It was announced that Mehserle will be sentenced on August 6th**. However, other reports suggest that sentencing may take place later, perhaps in September. Judge Robert Perry now has the discretion in sentencing to decide how to apply the findings of the jury.
** 65 years ago, on August 6th, 1945, the U.S. Military dropped a nuclear bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later, on August 9th, the U.S. detonated a nuclear explosion over Nagasaki.
On July 9th, a demonstration was held on Pacific Avenue in downtown Santa Cruz against police murder and the unjust verdict in the trial of Johanes Mehserle. The demonstration, called for the night before, took place from 12pm until about 2:30. It brought out about two dozen demonstrators throughout that time who held signs and engaged pedestrians.
Even though the demonstration was only called for the night before, and there were no flyers around town, there was an absurd number of Santa Cruz police officers constantly surrounding the protest, as well as non-stop surveillance and zoom lens photography from the top of a building.
At the end of the demonstration, I saw SCPD spokesperson Zach Friend chatting with a half dozen officers in front of Urban Outfitters. I inquired about the large police presence. Friend replied in a flippant manner suggesting that maybe it was because there were protests in Oakland, and maybe because there were some flyers found around Santa Cruz in regards to Oscar Grant, and maybe it was because there was property destruction in Santa Cruz on May 1st.
Friend affirmed that a number of officers surrounding the demonstration were receiving overtime pay, but didn't how many. He found it funny to point out to me that one of the officers standing there was "sipping on a latte."
I asked Friend about the two plain-clothed men on top of the building taking photos. He said that they were not police officers and that he did not know who they were. He suggested, however, that they might be property owners whose building was damaged on May 1st.
I speculate that it is more likely the two men on the roof who engaged in non-stop surveillance and zoom lens photography are FBI agents, rather than vigilante property owners.
--
For analysis of the verdict, protests in Oakland and around the U.S., and ongoing coverage of the Justice for Oscar Grant movement, see:
Mehserle Found Guilty of Involuntary Manslaughter
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/07/08/18653052.php
Justice for Oscar Grant
http://www.indybay.org/oscargrant
Even though the demonstration was only called for the night before, and there were no flyers around town, there was an absurd number of Santa Cruz police officers constantly surrounding the protest, as well as non-stop surveillance and zoom lens photography from the top of a building.
At the end of the demonstration, I saw SCPD spokesperson Zach Friend chatting with a half dozen officers in front of Urban Outfitters. I inquired about the large police presence. Friend replied in a flippant manner suggesting that maybe it was because there were protests in Oakland, and maybe because there were some flyers found around Santa Cruz in regards to Oscar Grant, and maybe it was because there was property destruction in Santa Cruz on May 1st.
Friend affirmed that a number of officers surrounding the demonstration were receiving overtime pay, but didn't how many. He found it funny to point out to me that one of the officers standing there was "sipping on a latte."
I asked Friend about the two plain-clothed men on top of the building taking photos. He said that they were not police officers and that he did not know who they were. He suggested, however, that they might be property owners whose building was damaged on May 1st.
I speculate that it is more likely the two men on the roof who engaged in non-stop surveillance and zoom lens photography are FBI agents, rather than vigilante property owners.
--
For analysis of the verdict, protests in Oakland and around the U.S., and ongoing coverage of the Justice for Oscar Grant movement, see:
Mehserle Found Guilty of Involuntary Manslaughter
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/07/08/18653052.php
Justice for Oscar Grant
http://www.indybay.org/oscargrant
For more information:
http://bradleystuart.net
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is the man on the right, on the roof, carrying some sort of weapon under his shirt? or maybe he caught dunlap's.
Geeeez Fred. Calm Down! Not only do you look like a tool, but you're definitely acting like a tool of state repression. What a goober.
Thanks again everyone, especially our compa braulio. Kudos amigo.
Bee U Wheat!
Thanks again everyone, especially our compa braulio. Kudos amigo.
Bee U Wheat!
Ah Zack Friend, if only you'd moved back to San Diego and completed your career as a low-carb rockstar instead of becoming the biggest tool in town for the pigs. You probably knew your guitar skills, though noteworthy, where nothing compared to your Wasi'chu silver tongue - here's to you and your future city council/state assembly campaign...
For more information:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY2tAQMKCLE
The guys on the roof work for the SC sherriff. I think it would be good of you to keep an open mind that not all people in law enforcment are bad and capable of murder, just as not all anarchists are desrtuctive, violent, or capable of such. The protest and this article seems to lump all of these people with the officer who killed Oscar Grant and others like him. Many people in law enforcment are there because they believe in protecting the community from actual crime, whether you want to consider this or not it is true. It may also be advantageous to mention that the reason so many officers were assigned to monitor such a protest is because local communities at large were expecting major public outcry to the jury's decision in the Grant case. Things like this can easily get out of hand, whether planned or not, when a large number of angry people get together.
I am not in law enforcement nor do I wish to be, I am simply an individual who keeps an open mind about situations.
I am not in law enforcement nor do I wish to be, I am simply an individual who keeps an open mind about situations.
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