Oscar Grant

Posts Tagged ‘Oscar Grant’

Oscar Grant’s murderer apologizes

9:11 pm By la Macha · Violence · 4 Comments

9 Jul 2010

Colorlines has a post detailing an apology that Johannes Mehserle, Oscar Grant’s murderer, sent to Grant’s family and out to media outlets. The original hand written letter is at Colorlines, the transcript of it is below:

TRANSCRIPTION OF THE LETTER:

July 4, 2010

Mike – Please try to get this message to the public:

I don’t know what the jury in this case is going to decide, but I hope those who hate me and those who understand that I never intended to shoot Oscar Grant will listen to this message.

I have and will continue to live every day of my life knowing Mr. Grant should not have been shot. I know a daughter has lost a father and a mother has lost a son. It saddens me to know my actions cost Mr. Grant his life, no words can express how truly sorry I am.

I hoped to talk to Ms. Johnson and Ms. Mesa in the days following this terrible event, but death threats toward my newly-born son, my friends and family resulted in no communication occuring [sic]. I hope the day will come when anger will give way to a dialogue.

For now, and forever I will live, breathe, sleep, and not sleep with the memory of Mr. Grant screaming “You shot me” and me putting my hands on the bullet wound thinking the pressure would help while I kept telling him “You’ll be okay.” I tried to tell myself that maybe this shot will not be so serious, but I recall how sick I felt when Mr. Grant stopped talking, closed his eyes and seemed to change his breathing.

I don’t expect I can convince some individuals how sorry I am for the death of Mr. Grant, but I would not feel right if I didn’t explain my thoughts as I wait for a decision by the jury.

-Johannes Mehserle 7-4-2010

Well, I think that the guy is clearly speaking from his heart. I don’t know what, if anything, this does for his legal case, for his sentencing, etc. But I do feel like he was speaking from a position of vulnerability and truth. I hope that somehow his words bring some small comfort to Oscar Grant’s family.

9:32 am By la Macha · Family|Violence|youth · 5 Comments

9 Jul 2010

As I’m sure most of you have heard by now, the man who killed Oscar Grant was convicted of involuntary manslaughter last night. Yeah, you read that correctly: involuntary manslaughter.

During the trial, prosecutors said the 28-year-old Mehserle became angry at the 22-year-old Grant for resisting arrest. He was shot in the back while he lay face-down. Mehserle claims he mistakenly drew his gun instead of his Taser.
The jury had a choice between second-degree murder and lesser charges of voluntary and involuntary manslaughter. The jury found that Mehserle didn’t mean to kill Grant, but that his behavior was still so negligent that it was criminal. Involuntary manslaughter convictions carry a sentence of two to four years.

I don’t have any eloquent words to say right now. People everywhere have their opinion on the verdict and on the subsequent protests that have sprung up throughout California. But after the several police shootings in Detroit, the constant ICE raids in Michigan–I’m worn down to the bone. There’s nothing left to say. They have to right to kill us, they have the right to disappear us, and we have no right at all to be outraged or even protest how we are treated.

That is that.
I pray for Oscar’s family–and for Aiyana Jones and Luqman Ameen Abdullah and Chonburi Xiong’s families. I pray for all those disappeared in the last week.
I pray that someday hope will return for us all.

March for Oscar Grant Today

9:13 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Justice · 2 Comments

27 Feb 2009

Oscar Grant is not celebrating his 23th birthday today porque he is another unarmed man of color shot and killed by law enforcement. His name is another added to a growing list pero in his name and the name of so many justice is still being sought.

Oscar Grant would have turned 23 years old on February 27 if he had not been murdered by BART Officers Johannes Mehserle and Tony Pirone.

On Friday, February 27, we will rally and march shoulder to shoulder with his friends and family, to honor Oscar’s life and to demand justice for his death.

Independent mass community action is the only way that Oscar Grant’s shooter, Johannes Mehserle, will be convicted. In the last 15 years, thousands of people were killed by police, but only six cases resulted in a murder charge, and not a single officer was convicted despite overwhelming evidence.

Oscar Grant is not going to get justice through the police, the Alameda prosecutor’s office, or any of the official bodies. It is the aim of the BART Police and District Attorney Tom Orloff—who normally works on behalf of the police—to engage in a cover-up and let Johannes Mehserle and Tony Pirone get away with murder.

We will not let them succeed. Rally and march with us on February 27th.

Today, Friday, Feb. 27, 2009
4:30PM: Rally at Hayward BART, March to Hayward City Hall
(Hayward BART is near B St. and Montgomery)

• Jail the murderer, Johannes Mehserle
• A badge is not a license to murder
• End the District Attorney’s and BART’s cover-up—Open an independent public investigation of Oscar Grant’s murder
• Disarm the BART Police
• BART Police out of Oakland
• Drop all the charges against protesters

BART Officer Who Killed Oscar Grant has been Arrested

8:35 am By Maegan La Mala · Justice|oakland · Comments Off

14 Jan 2009

Johannes Mehserle, the BART Officer who shot and killed unarmed Oscar Grant on New Year’s day on a platform in Oakland, was arrested yesterday in Nevada on suspicion of murder.

Claro this is important because it is rare that a law enforcement officer is arrested for killing a person of color. Pero, a arrest does not justice make. We have to be cautious and not allow BART, officials, and the media to play the one bad apple song, that Mehserle wasn’t part of a system that devalues the lives of people of color. That this was an isolated incident. That it won’t happen again.

We cannot expect for the same system that imprisons our community in disproportionate numbers to be the source of justice for Oscar Grant.

There will be a rally and march this afternoon in Oakland. Information after the jump.

Responses to the Oscar Grant Shooting

8:21 am By Maegan La Mala · Activism|California · Comments Off

9 Jan 2009

Reactions to the shooting death of unarmed Oscar Grant by BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle have ranged from sad “not again”, to anger in the streets of Oakland.

Mayor Ron Dellums stood before a fuming crowd on the steps of City Hall on Wednesday night trying to restore calm after angry protesters rampaged through the streets of downtown Oakland creating a surreal near-riot that lasted several hours. ‘Number one let s deal with each other with respect ‘ Dellums told the crowd over a bullhorn.

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