Police Swarm Subway After Protests Over Shooting Turn Violent (VIDEO)

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO OF PROTESTS

OAKLAND, Calif. — Heavy police presence greeted Bay Area Rapid Transit commuters Thursday, a day after more than 100 people were arrested in violent protests over the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man by a transit police officer. At least three cars were set on fire, store windows were smashed and a police cruiser was vandalized in what started as a peaceful demonstration Wednesday over the Jan. 1 shooting of Oscar Grant. Police in riot gear threw tear gas to try to break up the demonstration.

"The crowd started to become more agitated, more hostile, started throwing stuff at the police," said Oakland Police spokesman Jeff Thomason. He said charges against those arrested include inciting a riot, assault on a police officer, vandalism, rioting and unlawful assembly.

Extra police were deployed to East Bay stations on Thursday. Officers patrolled BART headquarters to ensure calm during the agency's morning meeting, where many African-American community leaders expressed outrage over the killing of Grant.

An officer identified as Johannes Mehserle shot the 22-year-old on a BART station platform after responding to reports of men fighting on a train. Officers had pulled Grant and a few other men out of the train. The victim was lying face down on the platform when he was shot.

The shooting and events leading up to it were captured on amateur videos that have been broadcast on television.

Mehserle resigned from the transit agency shortly before he was supposed to be interviewed by investigators Wednesday. Mehserle's attorney did not respond to calls for comment.

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Some experts who viewed the video clips speculated that Mehserle fired his gun because he believed Grant had a deadly weapon, while others think the officer had mistakenly his handgun for a stun gun.

"If he was under stress he would not be able to distinguish between a Taser and his firearm," said Bruce Siddle, founder of PPCT Management Systems, an Illinois company that trains law-enforcement officers in use-of-force.

BART police and the district attorney are investigating the shooting, and Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums asked city police to investigate as well.

Grant's family has filed a $25 million wrongful death claim against BART and want prosecutors to file criminal charges against Mehserle.

"There were racial slurs directed at the young men," family attorney John Burris said Thursday. "But I have no evidence that this particular officer (Mehserle) directed racial slurs towards Oscar Grant."

Police have not classified the confrontation as a hate crime.

During the protest, some people threw bottles; a window of a fast-food restaurant and other downtown stores were smashed. No injuries were reported.

"We gave a dispersal order four to five times over a 20-minute period, then we had our officers go in and start making arrests," said Thomason, the police spokesman.

Dellums went to the protest scene Wednesday night to call for calm. He then led a group toward City Hall and spoke with them.

"Even with our anger and our pain, let's still address each other with a degree of civility and calmness and not make this tragedy an excuse to engage in violence," said Dellums, who is black. "I don't want anybody hurt, I don't want anybody killed."

Comments

[stevebest]

they just executed a man in cold blood and asked civility of the ensuing lynch mob? They are as stupid as they are brutal, this is the second murder from a bart officer remember micheal pleasence?

[harrymellon]

Cops are killing people all over the country. 20,000 troops have been permanently deployed in the USA also. They have been given all this power to prepare for insurrection due to the forced economic collapse. Just wait till people cant actually eat and arent handcuffed already.

[RTIII]

Somehow I missed this until today, and I live one BART-stop away. This is frightening.

I went to find the video (gone from above), and did. Apparently there are a lot of videos of this and perhaps the best one hasn't been seen by anyone but the BART police themselves. There are two particularly useful videos that are on the net (that I found so far) where the angle is good, the one that shows the sho ooting most clearly is taken from the furthest left The one from the "center" position does show Oscar face down with another officer with his knee on his neck just as he's klld, but you only see the gum after it fired.

Someone pointed to this story, by far the best writing - best _reporting_ on the incident:

http://www.counterpunch.org/maher01092009.html

I'm re-posting because it's such good writing, everyone concerned with this type of issue should read it.
.

[concernvoter]

MY PRAYERS GO OUT THE THIS YOUNG MAN'S FAMILY. THEY NEED TO TAKE "THE HAPPY SHOOTING GUN POLICEMEN" OFF THE STREETS.

[scottymac11]

Sadly this is no where near a solitary incident. Google Tarika Wilson from Lima Ohio. You will find that last January she was killed by a swat policeman named Joseph Chavalia. The police raided her home searching for her boy friend. The police fired two shots on the first floor as Joe the executioner climbed steps to the second floor. In response he fired blindly into a closed bedroom. He killed 26 year old Tarika who was kneeling on the floor with her six children. She was holding her infant son who was also wounded. He lost fingers and will be in therapy for at least a decade. Tarika was black the officer was white. An all white jury acquitted Chavalia of the two misdemeanor charges the D.A. brought. He is still a policeman to this day.

[augusteighteenth]

Shooting blindly isn't as bad as aiming at someones back while they lay on the ground handcuffed, and shooting them in their back when they aren't even resisting. The incident you cited is a horrible one..and every time things like this happens its horrible. We shouldn't be comparing life worth though.

[kevinabt]

It is very simple really. Most of the violence and destruction is caused by undercover police. The police screwed up big time here and have a major political problem on their hands. Covering up for murder is serious and should result in mass firings for those involved, and possibly charges of accessories to murder (if you let a murderer hide out in your home you can be charged as an accomplice).
Obviously the people are trying to protest the injustice and get some action by taking to the streets. The police have to shut this action down. But to use their violent methods to do that they need an excuse... how about if the peaceful protest turned violent? That would provided the needed cover to fire the tear gas, make the mass arrests and clear the streets. We all know that the cops plant drugs and other evidence, lie to get warrants and convictions and have been caught instigating riots before (DNC Denver, RNC St Louis for example). There is no reason to believe that they are not the ones responsible for the violence which is now so politically useful for them.

[RachelMc]

I really do not like cops and i know there are good cops but when those same good ones protect or fail to condemn such acts they too become part of the problem (all those cops that were standing around, have they said anything? even anonymously? ppl leak statements all the time). To me, the only difference between criminals and cops are the badges. Cops get off too many times for things like this but this time it should be different because this is actually caught on footage and no longer is there just the word of the cop but a clear video. I hope the civil lawsuit is won and justice will be served. send a clear message that these pigs are not above the law and should be held to even a higher standard since they are cops. Even if the jury is too stupid to convict him the judge should not let him walk away with anything less than a murder conviction and if he wont do his job either he should be disposed of as well.

[OverseasObserver]

I read that some rioters are being arraigned. http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=9647884&nav=9ptCXg5F

And at the same time, a positively identified suspect involved in a shooting death has not even been interviewed yet, let alone taken into custody.

????!!!

[baptox]

I haven't heard about the arraignment of the rioters. The BART officer resigned from BART and has not given any statement, probably on the advice of his attorney. He and his family have had death threats, have had to go into hiding and are being moved frequently.

We have a Fifth amendment right to not self-incriminate ourselves in this country. That is probably the reason he is not speaking out on this. According to those who know him, he is devastated by what happened.

[OverseasObserver]

Regardless of intent or motive, an individual was shot dead. There is a suspect. Why has the suspect not been arrested? He can choose not to incriminate himself even while in custody, and plead whatever he wants during his arraignment. The judge can then choose to set bail or not, keep him and his family in protective custody, or not. But has a criminal case even been filed yet?

Follow the link I provided, rioters have been charged and arraigned, quite swiftly, as they should.

Are shooting death cases always as slow and cautious as this, especially with a primary suspect positively identified? The incident happened on January 1!

[Rogan]

I saw that video. That cop deserves a little more payback than feeling "devastated by what happened."

[Nikola Tesla]

Way to screw th pooch, Oaktown.

[sf girl]

Soooooo if the guy was laying face down on the platform when he was shot, why would the officer need to shoot the victim with a taser either? No excuse.

[TheHandyman]

Two things stood out that realy bother me, but they aren't the only things. First is, why is it that the Police can't tell the difference between their taser and their gun under stress or otherwise. Something is seriously wrong if this is in fact the case. Secondly, does anyone edit or spell check these stories. I run into story after story that have sentences that make no sense! Such as this: "while others think the officer had mistakenly his handgun for a stun gun." Yes, I know what it should have said but why break the continuity. If no one is editing for spelling or anything else then these stories begin to loose credibility and journalistic integrity!

[Archie1955]

Did you mean "lose" credibility?

[AnalyzeIT]

I see your point Archie as well as The HandyMan - both are good.

However, Mehserle not being able to tell the difference between a 'taser' and a 'handgun' is pretty scary stuff and concerns me more so than anything else 'TheHandyMan' stated.

[RTIII]

I guess you prove the point that; "Every writer needs an editor."
.

[dogbane]

So, where are all the people who say that the People shouldn't be armed because we have benevolent police officers committed to ensuring our safety and that only cops should be armed?

[DixieMelody]

Are you saying you think if the victim (or bystanders) had been armed he would still be alive?

I have read that men with psychopathic/sociopathic personalities become criminals or police officers. This soulless being in the black uniform seems to epitomize a sociopath.

[dogbane]

"Are you saying you think if the victim (or bystanders) had been armed he would still be alive?"

I'm saying that the people who want a gun ban argue that guns should only be in the hands of law enforcement, because they are the people responsible for protecting us. How do the people who think that--and there are many on this site--feel about police officers given these circumstances? Maybe cops should be disarmed.

[squander123]

Well, since you ask: I don't think the cops should be armed either. I've lived in three different countries, none of which have armed police forces. They have special 'armed response units' who are called out to armed bank robberies etc (of which there are far fewer anyway, in a society in which you need serious criminal contacts just to get a gun in the first place). But the average cop on the beat and detectives - let alone transport police, for god's sake - aren't armed. No police force is perfect, but I will say that citizens do have a different, and better, relationship to their police when neither group carries guns...

[bujeeboo]

Finally, FluffPo posts something about this story!

[any67ways]

good article in counterpunch about the citizen dissent

http://www.counterpunch.org/maher01092009.html

[bujeeboo]

That was excellent! Thank you!

[dogbane]

Oakland protest organizer watched in horror

(01-08) 20:41 PST -- The man who organized Wednesday's BART police protest said he broke down in tears when he saw his peaceful march turn violent as some participants began throwing bottles, spitting on police cars and setting small fires.

Evan Shamar said he left the demonstration and watched on television as the situation got worse.

"I was devastated by it," said Shamar, 24, a photographer who lives in Oakland. "I worked diligently for the past 72 hours, and for it to be destroyed by a group of anarchists was extremely upsetting. I felt like my integrity had been compromised."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/09/MNON15696D.DTL

[dogbane]

On another forum, xmasons posted this:

"The Oakland riots have occurred in my neighborhood. This is where I live, so I have a unique perspective on this.

Protesting various causes and events in the San Francisco Bay Area is fairly common, with some who even make a profession out of it. So when the protest occurred, it wasn't at all a surprise. With many of these protests, you have a certain element who have their own agenda that is beyond the original intention of the current protest. Usually anarchists, Black Bloc, and in this case it was anarchists and also those frustrated with the police. In addition, you had those who just wanted to cause mayhem under the guise of a just cause.

These particular riots were highly mobile, mercurial, with out lead, in a highly dense urban environment. Most of the areas they went through were unpopulated at night, except for some of the residential neighborhoods they cut through. There never seemed to be an objective except to destroy items along the way; much of this was random, as there was little intent on exactly what was destroyed. A McDonald's was attacked, but that was more due to it being the only thing open at that point in the evening (attracted by its well lit sign and interior lighting). Cars were smashed and burned at random.

[dogbane]

More:

"What was interesting is to see this roving group create a path of destruction and how they were interacting with those who were unaware that they were getting involved with an uncontrolled group of rioters. Many vehicles slowed down or stopped when faced with unusual or situation that they didn't understand. Some folks were drawn to follow the events, such as one would do with a natural disaster. Residents who were walking home found themselves caught up with the group at times.

In the end, many small, minority-owned businesses were broken into, quite a few vehicles were smashed (including a friend whose car was rendered inoperable), and some cars set on fire. It could have been worse, but was thankfully shut down just before 11pm. An update to the aftermath and current situation may be found at:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/09/MNON15696D.DTL

[dogbane]

Finally:

"Some limited advice only by my observations:

1) This may sound obvious, but it should be stated: if you see a riot, avoid it. If not because of the rioters themselves, but also the police will most likely use teargas and may arrest you. Sure, the arresting may get sorted out later, but this is something you most likely do not want to deal with.

2) If you do get caught up in a riot, get out as quickly as possible by taking a smaller road, alley, or park. Most rioters seem to follow the larger roadways. Do not stick out, and instead remain to yourself until you can reach a place of safety. Entering a business may not be the best solution, as rioters may attack such an establishment.

3) If you are driving and end up in a large group or rioters, turn around if possible, back up, or find your nearest escape. If that means driving over a curb, going down a one way street, or through a yard in a safe-ish matter, please do.

4) If your car or personal property is being destroyed, and you're relatively safe, let insurance cover it. Riots are unpredictable, and may turn on you if you protect replaceable items. Remember: it's just stuff."