Early New Year's day a young man was shot by a transit officer while lying face down and restrained.
Bay Area Rapid Transit officers were dispatched to the Fruitvale Station in Oakland, California at about 2:00 a.m. on New Year's day to break up an altercation between two groups of passengers aboard an arriving train. Officers detained some passengers involved in the conflict on the station platform. Among these was Oscar Juliuss Grant III, a 22-year-old Hayward man. Grant was an apprentice butcher at a supermarket. A caring father whose own estranged father was in prison, Grant was raised by his mother and grandmother. BART officials did not release any details regarding the disturbance between the groups of youths on the train.…
Article comments
— go to most recent comments26 - Cindy D
RE # 22
That's why they get these elite police teams. But they are trained to act with excessive independent and force. They often proactively end up creating situations in which they can use their training.
27 - Cindy D
I have dozens and dozens of cases for all over the country. It's pretty frightening.
28 - Cindy D
Roger,
Here is the deal. I can write at the end of the article. Get rid of the state. And that is how it is political. It would get boring to people here to write that every time.
By the way. The taxpayer is paying that cop's defense.
29 - Cindy D
This is to me an example of what is wrong with a Republic or a Democracy. To them it's just law or justice. To me it's about the political system and how it is defended. And what horrors are needed to defend it.
30 - Roger Nowosielski
Well, see again "The Minority Report." I think the message is pretty clear, so I don't even want to go there. But crime on any large scale (and I don't mean organized crime) is an index of the disease of a society. There's got to be a future people must believe in, and real opportunities, if they're to follow the rules. Now, Richmond, CA, you must know, was the seat of the Black Panthers in the 60s; so at least then, there was a strong political undercurrent. At present moment, there's nothing of the kind. The Civil Rights have been won, but the white society failed to deliver. That's the mindset, whether I agree with it or not. So all you've got is crime.
31 - Cindy D
People were rioting to change the system.
32 - Cindy D
The community demanded a hearing with the mayor. They filled the room and demanded action.
I should have included that.
33 - Cindy D
I'll try globalization.
34 - Roger Nowosielski
I suggest, Cindy, that you should contact the publisher of the Oakland Post Newspaper Group and that of Oakland Globe. They're black owned and operated, and I'm certain they'd respond to your questions and perhaps give you a personal scoop on these events, especially appertaining to Oakland. I know some of these people and they came up from the ranks. Ask about Charles Aikens. He may be working for these papers or not, but they'd know how to get hold of him. He used to write very radical pieces way back, too radical even for black newspapers, but that was a long time ago. And he is of an anarchistic state of mind but very well thought-through; very well educated and very well read. If you do manage to connect with him, mention me: he'd still remember me from the old times. But you can't just say, "Let's do away with the State" and leave it at that. Even anarchistic thought has rhyme and reason to it.
35 - Cindy D
Roger,
I was being brief and to the point. That is the end goal.
36 - Cindy D
Sheesh,
Are you sure I shouldn't call and tell him that? LOL
maybe I will ask him how to make a molotov cocktail then instead?
37 - Cindy D
I'll say you sent me.
38 - Roger Nowosielski
#31, yes, they were rioting to change the system but not in the sense you're thinking. They still believe in "American values," only that its a two-tier system and they are the second or third class as citizens and people. And so the whites protect property values and personal life by putting polic on the street, while the value of a black life counts for naught. That's the injustice and double standard they see and respond to.
39 - Roger Nowosielski
They wouldn't remember, unless you get hold of Gail Berkley who used to be the editor for her dad's old paper, which had been bought out by another party. But I would start with the piece you just wrote for BC, forward it to them, and say that you want to do a follow-up, by digging deeper. They should respond to that. Anyway, it's worth a try.
Roger
40 - Cindy D
Most of them yes. But a few voices were different--the minority.
I read some of their personal writings.
41 - Canada
I am from vancouver, bc and i must say as a Canadian i am digusted with the police officers i think that the one who did should get the death penalty and no less he didnt just shoot him he excuted a young man with a daughter and family he should be killed for what he did
42 - Cindy D
He didn't even get question or arrested yet Canada. Not even questioned.
Because he quit the BART he has no obligation to answer their questions about the job. Which is why his lawyer likely told him to quit. The law says He only has to do that if he is employed there.
He does have to answer criminally. But so far no one is moving on that.
43 - Roger Nowosielski
Canada,
I lived in the Bay Area for 30 some years (SF) and in Oakland and neighboring area for 15 of that 30. This is nothing new. Every couple of months or so you have episodes of that nature, public rises us, and soon after, everyone forgets. Until another incident wakes 'em up again. And it makes no difference who is the mayor, Jerry Brown or Ron Dellums. They just won't do anything about these conditions and give people anything to cheer about. Life goes on!
Roger
44 - Cindy D
Well we have the economic crises to continue to add motivation for change.
45 - Roger Nowosielski
Cindy,
I'll be checking out for today. Don't be discouraged. Very nice work of investigative reporting. Just make some conclusions at the end, or in a follow-up. May I suggest a classic movie with Clark Gable (a newspaper man) and Doris Day (a journalist teacher), "Teacher's Pet." There's a line there you wouldn't want to miss, so I ain't telling it. It's a fun movie, anyway. You'll enjoy it if you haven't seen it already.
Roger
46 - Cindy D
Good night.
Not discouraged. Just been up oh about 36 hours now.
47 - Roger Nowosielski
#44,
You're right about that. If the whites be hurting as well, there may well be widespread riots. And they'll probably invade the Oakland Hills where the rich folks live, and Berkeley Hills, and Kensington, and El Cerrito. So Dave may have been right in his article about guns.
Checking out, Roger
48 - Roger Nowosielski
Me too. There was a lot of editing before my piece made it though. It's done at last and I feel like I've given birth. Great sense of release. Manana
49 - Marcia Neil
Isn't old dynamite pink, and there's been finds in the news during past weeks?
50 - Doug Hunter
"People were rioting to change the system."
It's not the system that needs changing, it's the ghetto culture that permeates our inner cities. In order for a society to prosper 'the system' must be complementary to the culture and values of the people. Different people thrive under different systems. The root of the problem is that the government the ghetto needs is not the same government everyone else in this country needs or wants.
51 - Roger Nowosielski
Cindy,
Here's another would-be link to yet another local Oakland paper, the Globe, black owned. Christopher Rose, the comments editor was kind enough to convert two previous references to links; perhaps it'll get done this time as well.
Anyone, why don't you give the HTML code so I could do it myself within this or any other thread. Would you?
Roger
52 - Roger Nowosielski
Also, you'll find a referral there to another site, "A Stirring the Pot Minute" which is a blog site by activists and local residents, commenting on this event.
Roger
53 - Roger Nowosielski
Here's another one for you, Cindy. It made a big splash a few years back; and it's another view to add to your list of what's wrong:
Editor's Murder Shows Failure of Tolerance
Posted Aug 7, 07 2:47 PM CDT in Arts & Living, Crime & Courts, US
(Newser) " The notoriously irreligious Christopher Hitchens decries the Oakland police's tolerance of Your Black Muslim Bakery, one of whose employees has been arrested for the murder of Oakland Post editor Chauncey Bailey. In an op-ed for Slate Hitchens writes that the bakery is in fact a front for jihadism and that Bay Area law enforcement is guilty of "official apathy" amounting to collusion."
Hitchens chides the police for reluctance to investigate an enterprise whose associates have been accused of rape and murder. And he charges that black leaders such as Oakland mayor Ron Dellums and Rep. Barbara Lee have validated black Muslim racism and criminality. Hitchens wonders just how much the police would countenance: "Should we wait until unveiled women are attacked on the street?"
SOURCE: Slate
54 - Christopher Rose
Hi Roger, learning how to format a link properly is the first thing anyone should learn to do. This site will show you how to format a link and lots of other groovy tricks with HTML.
55 - Roger Nowosielski
Thanks. I'll take a nap now since I got up too early.
56 - Roger Nowosielski
Thanks for the video. I answered on the other thread.
Roger
57 - Roger Nowosielski
I replied on my thread, Cindy
58 - Roger Nowosielski
Just wondering how you're doing, Cindy? Are you recouping?
Roger
59 - Cindy D
I am at the factory Roger,
We have a very important job to do today, that cannot be done from home.
See the "What's worse than the U.S. Economy" thread.
60 - Roger Nowosielski
Later, then!
61 - Steve
That murdering pig is still walking around breathing free air, eh? And we're supposed to fall all over ourselves in grief when one of these Stormtroopers get their facsist brains blown out like it's some national tragedy? Please.
Why isn't this fucker in jail? Why didn't the other cops involved draw down on their buddy when he shot someone for no reason, and arrest him? Why isn't he being treated like any other low-life murderer?
62 - Steve
[Entire comment deleted by Comments Editor. People can chat as much as they want about anything they want to.]
63 - Roger Nowosielski
Hey, Steve.
I agree I may have overstepped a little; but I was trying to give her encouragement. She did a nice job but virtually no response.
64 - Dan(Miller)
He has finally been arrested and is in custody. Now, the courts will decide on his fate. That is the best course, lynchings no longer being fashionable.
Dan(Miller)
65 - Cindy D
Steve are you with the internet police? Maybe you'd like to arrest us.
Thanks Dan (Miller). I hadn't seen that news.
66 - Cindy D
He was arrested in Nevada on a fugitive warrant according to U.S.A. Today.
67 - Dan(Miller)
Cindy D,
According to the link, he was arrested on a fugitive warrant; little more information is available so far, but perhaps he had become difficult to find. The delay will likely be spun in multiple ways.
Should you be arrested by the Internet Police, I am confident that you will have a fair trial prior to being hung.
Dan(Miller)
68 - Roger Nowosielski
That's interesting, Cindy. So he was on the run?
How in the hell was he released in the first place, given the explosive situation? Should have never been granted bail, at least until preliminary investigation. Tells you about our justice system. You might want to look into that in a follow-up.
Roger
69 - Cindy D
Roger,
They didn't release him on bail. The problem was he was never arrested. In the "investigations" (and there were 3), he was not even questioned.
The law says that if he is not an employee of BART he doesn't have to answer any questions about what happened on the job. I presume his lawyer advised him to quit because of this.
The D.A. couldn't decide whether to charge him. No one interviewed him in 14 days.
People were outraged. That's why Jerry Brown got involved.
The BART official Jim Allison said there were no tapes at the station. Only two days later "oh, guess what, there are tapes". What does that tell you? It tells me that they wanted to buy time to review the tapes to protect the criminal.
70 - Roger Nowosielski
We'll all go down, Cindy and me, like some wayward couple.
71 - Cindy D
Dan (Miller) LOL.
If I am arrested by the internet police, I'm giving them your business card.
BTW, Your proton joke works well IRL.
72 - Roger Nowosielski
#69,
That is f... ridiculous! You mean no charges were filed ever! No wonder the people are pissed! It is a cause for a riot (as if Oakland wasn't already on the verge). How could a criminal justice system be so skewed. I bet you, if it was a white person shot by a black, it would be a different story.
73 - Roger Nowosielski
Gosh, I forgot. Dan was a practicing attorney.
74 - Roger Nowosielski
No, Cindy! Not to protect the criminal but their own skin. But there will be a law suit, negligence being a probable cause, count on that!
75 - Roger Nowosielski
Cindy,
Do you mean he was an independent contractor, working for some security firm that BART uses to ensure safety and protection? Dan might know if and to what extent BART would still be liable in cases like that. I'm almost certain, though: they're not off the hook.