Mehserle Verdict-Oakland

UPDATE: Mehserle is anticipated to be released on June 12th. A demo is planned starting at 3pm at Fruitvale BART and marching to 14th and Broadway. JOIN US! The jury in the Oscar Grant murder case reached a verdict on Thursday, July 8. A Los Angeles jury found Johannes Mehserle, a white former Bay Area Rapid Transit cop, guilty of involuntary manslaughter for the killing of 22-year-old unarmed Black man, Oscar Grant. The verdict represents another crime against Grant and his family. It is not justice. More than that, it is another example of the racist crimes perpetrated daily by the police and the entire system against oppressed youth, especially Black and Latino. Involuntary manslaughter is the lowest possible conviction Mehserle could have received. He was charged with second-degree murder. With this verdict, Mehserle likely will only get sentenced to a few years in prison. His possible sentence ranges from probation to up to 14 years. Yet any other person, who is not a cop, would face 25 years to life, given similar circumstances. Activists and Oscar Grant supporters held daily vigils at the courthouse during the trial. Organizers in Los Angeles and Oakland continued to organize to ensure that Grant's story was heard. After the verdict came down, Grant's family and activists expressed anger and outrage. Grant's mother, Wanda Johnson, told the media: "This was murder. My son was murdered." Significant demonstrations followed. In Oakland, thousands of people gathered to speak out against the verdict and demand justice for Grant. The protest continued for hours, surrounded by a huge and repressive police presence. Over 80 people were arrested. The outrage and anger felt by the Black community and the progressive movement is fully justifiable. For Oakland residents in particular, the killing of Oscar Grant is not an isolated incident, but part of a long history of racism and police terror. The only reason charges were brought against Mehserle was the militant response of the people to Grant's murder. An organized movement arose and the capitalist state could not ignore it. It was forced to file murder charges against one of its own, even though it certainly did not want to do so. The jury's verdict in no way represents true justice for Grant--but the fact that Mehserle is going to prison at all should be attributed to the movement's strength. This is a fact that cannot be ignored. Remember Oscar Grant! Jail all killer cops! Stop police brutality and racist murders of poor and oppressed people!