Posts Tagged ‘Oscar’

Update: Ex BART Cop Issues Apology to Oscar Grant & Family

July 11th, 2010 The Crew

On Thursday, former Oakland BART police officer Johannes Mehserle was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for killing Oscar Grant, an unarmed transit rider on New Year’s Day 2009.

 

A handwritten letter by Mehserle, dated July 4, has just been released by his lawyer.  The letter describes Mehserle’s deepest regret for the unfortunate killing. The letter when you read on….

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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 everyday of my life knowing that 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 knowing that my actions cost Mr. Grant his life, no words 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 occurring. I hope the day will come when anger will give way to dialogue.

For now, and forever I will live, breathe, sleep, and not sleep with the memory of Mr. Grant screaming “You shot me” and 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 would not be so serious, but I recall how sick I felt when Mr. Grant stopped talking, closed his eyes and seemed to stop breathing. I don’t expect that I can ever 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 of the jury.

Johannes Mehserle 7-4-2010

Source

Mehserle’s verdict resulted in violent protests and riots Thursday night. 

Hmmm, do you think the letter was sincere?  

In Non-YBF, but related news, actor Mel Gibson has been catching a lot of heat for another racist rants.  This one aimed at his baby mama. They are locked in a bitter custody battle and Gibson wasted no time telling her how he felt about her:

"You’re an embarrassment to me. You look like a f***ing bitch in heat, and if you get raped by a pack of n***ers, it will be your fault."

Wow! Tell her why you mad. Now that’s a lethal weapon! With the release of his latest recording, Mel Gibson has been dropped by William Morris Endeavor Entertainment Agency.

The Young, Black, and Fabulous

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Former BART Cop Johannes Mehserle Releases Letter Apologizing For Killing Oscar Grant

July 11th, 2010 The Crew

Johannes Mehserle

Johannes Mehserle, the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) cop convicted on Thursday of involuntary manslaughter for killing Oscar Grant, an unarmed transit rider on New Years Day 2009, has released a statement apologizing for the crime. Read it when you

The statement was handwritten and dated July 4 but was just released by Mehserle’s lawyer today.

Grant was shot in the back while lying face-down in a subway station on New Year’s Day, 2009 after several passengers had been detained following a scuffle. Cell-phone recordings made by fellow transit riders show that Mehserle drew his weapon and shot Grant in the back when Grant was on the floor with his hands behind his back. In the trial, Mehserle said he thought he was pulling out his taser but instead pulled out his gun. He said he saw Grant reach into a pocket and was worried he had a weapon.

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 everyday of my life knowing that 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 knowing that my actions cost Mr. Grant his life, no words 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 occurring. I hope the day will come when anger will give way to dialogue.

For now, and forever I will live, breathe, sleep, and not sleep with the memory of Mr. Grant screaming “You shot me” and 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 would not be so serious, but I recall how sick I felt when Mr. Grant stopped talking, closed his eyes and seemed to stop breathing. I don’t expect that I can ever 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 of the jury.

Johannes Mehserle 7-4-2010

Grant’s family and much of the city of Oakland is outraged that the conviction was for involuntary manslaughter, which carries less jail time than if Mehserle had received a full manslaughter conviction. The Justice Department’s civil rights division announced yesterday that it plans to look into the case.

Thursdays verdict resulted in protests in the city of Oakland that eventually turned ugly. Scores of arrests occurred after roughly 100 of the 800 or so who had gathered turned to violence and looting.

What do you think about Mehserle’s statement? It seems heartfelt, but does that change anything about the case?

Source




Bossip

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Oscar Grant New Year’s Day Murder Verdict

July 9th, 2010 The Crew
 
 
Oscar Grant, an unarmed African-American,  was murdered New Year’s Day 2009 by a former BART officer in Oakland. People close to Oscar’s family have been trying to garner the support of the public since January in order to showcase the horrendous acts of the Oakland cops.  Familiar happenenings between the black community and city police forces. 
 
 
The killing was recorded on video by several witnesses. People were outraged because the officer, Johannes Mehserle, who is white, shot his gun into the back of Grant.  He went on trial for his actions, and we’ve got the details of yesterday’s outcome when you read on….
 

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Prosecutors say Mehserle, 28, deliberately shot his gun into 22 year old Oscar Grant’s back as he attempted to handcuff him. Mehserle claims he believed he was pulling out his taser instead of his firearm.
 
Mehserle resigned from BART a week after the shooting.
 
A friend of Grant’s testified he heard Mehserle say that he was going to use his taser on Grant and three other gentlemen.  Others testified that Mehserle showed immediate grief after shooting Grant. Prosecutor David Stein said, "He let his aggression dictate his conduct."
 
A defense attorney told the jury, "He’s sick to his stomach, because he has shot a man who did not deserve to be shot."
 
Mehserle was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter yesterday afternoon.  He faces two to four years.
 
 
Several members of Oscar Grant’s friends and family have filed multi-million dollar lawsuits against the transit agency.
 
 
 
Although his verdict was unjust to many, it’s a shame similiar outrage isn’t shown for black on black crime.   Riots even broke out in Oakland after yesterday’s verdict. 
 
 
Was justice really served?
 

 

The Young, Black, and Fabulous

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Mehserle GUILTY Of Involuntary Manslaughter! Jury Delivers Verdict In Oscar Grant Killing

July 9th, 2010 The Crew

Oscar Grant side by side former BART officer Johannes Mehserle

Johannes Mehserle, the former BART police officer who fired the fatal shot ending the life of 22-year-old Oscar Grant last year at an Oakland train station has been declared guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Details when you

A former transit police officer who fatally shot an unarmed man at an Oakland train station was convicted of involuntary manslaughter Thursday, capping a racially charged case that raised fears in the Bay Area of possible violence after the verdict.

Prosecutors accused the ex-officer of intentionally firing his handgun as he tried to handcuff Oscar J. Grant III on New Year’s Day 2009. Johannes Mehserle, 28, tearfully testified that the shooting was a tragic accident caused when he mistakenly grabbed his firearm instead of an electric Taser weapon during a struggle with Grant.

The shooting was captured on video by several witnesses. Mehserle, who is white, fired a single round into the back of Grant, who was black and was lying face-down on the station platform. Mehserle resigned a week after the shooting.

The killing provoked protests and violence in Oakland. The case, which has drawn comparisons to the videotaped beating of Rodney G. King that ultimately triggered riots in Los Angeles in 1992, was moved to Los Angeles for trial amid concern about the extensive media coverage of the slaying in the Bay Area.

The shooting occurred soon after police responded to reports of a fight on a train stopped at the Fruitvale Station. Grant and four friends were detained by a different police officer who prosecutors said used excessive force against the men. Mehserle arrived on the platform after the men had been detained.

Alameda County Deputy Dist. Atty. David R. Stein rejected the idea that the shooting was a mistake, telling jurors that Mehserle’s holster was specially designed to prevent easy release of his firearm. The prosecutor contrasted the light, bright yellow Taser gun with the heavier black Sig Sauer handgun that Mehserle fired.

“He let his aggression dictate his conduct,” Stein told jurors.

The prosecutor urged jurors to find Mehserle guilty of second-degree murder, pointing out that the officer never told his colleagues that night that the shooting was an accident.

Prosecutors in Los Angeles have not won a murder conviction in a police shooting case since 1983.

Mehserle testified that he intended to use his Taser because he believed Grant, 22, might be reaching for a gun in his pants pocket. While the officer’s firearm was on his right side, the Taser was in a holster on the left side of his belt but angled so that it could be pulled out with his right hand.

Two people, including a friend of Grant’s, testified that they heard the officer say he intended to use his Taser shortly before the shooting. In at least six other instances, officers have said they made the same mistake of firing a handgun when they intended to use a Taser.

Numerous witnesses said Mehserle looked shocked after the gunshot. Defense attorney Michael L. Rains said video footage shows his client holding his head in his hands in despair.

“He’s sick to his stomach,” Rains told jurors, “because he has shot a man who did not deserve to be shot.”

Involuntary manslaughter carries a sentence of two to four years in prison. Sentencing is set for Aug. 6.

SMH… This guy could end up doing less time than Michael Vick for shooting an unarmed man in the back.

Do you think this is a just sentence, or does the American justice system still carry a racial bias especially when it comes to victims who are black who die at the hands of white law officials?

Source




Bossip

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