Outrage in Oakland After Cop Kills Unarmed Man: Piecing Together the Story

By AlterNet Staff, AlterNet. Posted January 14, 2009.

Lavoie says relations between police and minorities have dramatically improved since the 1960s, when the Black Panthers formed to patrol the streets, ostensibly to police the police. Despite this week's flare of street violence, "what you should look at is how police responded Wednesday night, versus how they went after peace marchers in the '60s. There's a huge difference."

Patrice O’Neill, executive producer of the Working Group, writes about how to go forward:

I don’t think any of us have a road map for change here, but we have learned some things from the Not In Our Town movement that might be useful: Silence is Acceptance. We can’t stay quiet about a police killing, or more pervasively, about the out-of-control killings of our youth.

In the absence of leadership, ordinary citizens need to take nonviolent action. Maybe our elected officials and other self-appointed leaders will do something if the rest of us start getting creative. [Barack] Obama can’t fix this, we have to do it. The best ideas emerge from local action. We live in one of the most creative, wealthy, generous and diverse areas in the world. If we tried, we could be a model for the country.

As the community rebuilds and the investigation goes forward, it is essential that the case stay in the national spotlight and that authorities know people are still paying attention.

So far, community outrage does not seem to have changed the authorities' approach to the case: on Monday, BART completed an internal investigation of the incident, but declined to recommend whether charges should be brought against Mehserle. Alameda County District Attorney Tom Orloff says he'll decide by next week whether to bring criminal charges against the shooter.

Racewire has posted five things you can do right now, to help Oscar Grant and his family get justice:

1. Digg the story so the national media can pick up on it.

2. Contact BART Director Carole Ward Allen and demand that: 1) The officers involved be taken off duty without pay and charged and fully prosecuted; 2) There be an independent investigation of the shooting that includes a review of training and hiring practices; and 3) BART establish an independent residents’ review board for the police. Call her at (510) 464-6095 or e-mail the BART board of directors at boardofdirectors@bart.gov.

3. Call the BART police to complain about the officers’ conduct and demand immediate action -- Internal Affairs: Sgt. David Chlebowski, (510) 464-7029, dchlebo@bart.gov; Chief of Police Gary Gee, (510) 464-7022, ggee@bart.gov. Call them toll free at (877) 679-7000 and press the last four digits of the phone number you wish to reach.

4. Talk it up on your blogs, networks and talk radio shows (call Michael Baisden (877) 622-3269 or Rev. Al, et al. to get this on the national radar).

5. Stay tuned for other actions, protests, etc., especially if you are in the Bay Area.

See more stories tagged with: african americans, protests, police violence, shooting, oakland, oscar grant, bart, johannes mehserle

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