RALLY IN SUPPORT OF FORMER BART COP JOHANNES MEHSERLE

This doesn’t sound like a good idea…

let the bashing begin…

sheesh

No doubt the Bay Area media will be there to film the counter protest they organized, bused in from Oakland with free bag lunches for all.

Everyone who shows up will get their face on TV and be branded a racist.

Just watch.

I’m glad there is going to be a rally supporting Mehserle and other officers for that matter. From the beginning I felt that Mehserle made a terrible mistake between his gun and the taser but that he didn’t mean to shoot/kill Grant. And that Mehserle shouldn’t be convicted of any crime.

Police officers need to not be worried about using their weapon or a taser when it is needed.

It’s about time we showed some support for the men in blue who protect us 24/7

What injustice is he experiencing, exactly? Being in prison for killing a man that was handcuffed and in custody? If anybody is experiencing injustice, it would be the city of Oakland having to deal with all the idiots that were rioting.

It happened. It’s done. Can we let it go and stop all this stupid protesting because someone got killed accidentally. Yes, it’s sad, but if all these protestors want to make a statement, start with all the violence in the street… and this includes all the tagging/graffiti.

If these people had any guts they would protest in Oakland and not in the WC.

What they should be protesting is more training for BART cops. An accident is when you drop a cocktail, not shooting a guy in the back laying on the ground.

Maybe even train them to patrol their own parking lots every now and then.

I would assume the out-of-towners who tore up downtown Oakland can come to WC too. Guess It will be a good time to stay away. Thanks for the warning.

Good to see this: I’m glad they’re having this too, but honestly, why shouldn’t he be convicted of this crime? it may have been an accident, but that is never an excuse. back to my original comment. accountability. am i the only one that sees this? how is he not responsible for killing a person face down on the concrete? is it Oscars fault he was shot in the back by an officer? it was a mistake! that doesnt make it excuseable. lets see what the sentence is, and then we can cry foul.

Hmm. Wonder why this isn’t happening in Oakland.

Frankly I think this was a horrible mistake. He didn’t mean to pull his gun and I don’t understand anyone that thinks differently.

Free Johannes!

@1059

Stop with the handcuffed comments. He wasn’t handcuffed. At least be factual.

Oh for the love of God. How man times do you numb nutts need to be told. He was NOT in handcuffs when he was accidently shot!

This really is incendiary. A man is dead, a man is going to jail and businesses and people have been hurt. Use your freedom of speech responsibly. There are so many other ways of supporting law enforcement.

Is the tea party behind this? lol

Shouldn’t they be doing this in Oakland? Why Walnut Creek? SCARED? lol…..

This gathering planned has nothing to do with support of law enforcement!

oH dear, this seems dangerous. i totally support mehserle. i feel bad that this happened to him, in my opinion he had every right to be guarded on a potentially rowdy night like that one. i’m sad for Grant’s family as well, but the man was only trying to do his job- very unfortunate his life has taken this turn.
i will support him silently in my home though. you *know* this rally will turn ugly. WAYYY to soon and “in your face.” Very sad. no doubt on july 20th we will be reading of the people who were wounded in this rally.

If you’re a cop, you should be aware of your weapons and their proximity. It’s your minimal responsibility. The jury’s decision is the correct one, open and shut. There is no injustice. Yes, I am grateful for and VERY thankful to our local police agenices. But throwing that polish on a provocation? Senseless bull!

I even heard Michael Savage mention that Grant was shot while handcuffed. This coming from an ultra-conservative radio guy. Weird how the facts (even the ones on videotape) become distorted.

I’m sorry for Mehserle and his family. He made a mistake and has to pay for it. The part that makes it worse is that the media has grabbed hold of this story and won’t let it go.

I’m no left wing cop hater by any means, but I really fail to understand what exactly is “involuntary” about shooting an unarmed man in the back who was face down on the ground.

And to the “he meant to taze him” people, how can you mistake a gun for a tazer? And furthermore, he was face down on the ground, subdued and surrounded by cops. Why did he need to be tazed anyway?

I’m sure this kid was no saint, but did he deserve to die just for being an obnoxious prick?

Do you think this would be happening if he shot a white guy? I dont think so!! Oscar grant was no saint. I think Meshserly did this world a favor.Its about time we give Johannes support. Whatever, happened to the 2 black guys who killed the chinese guy for no reason probably nothing. most black people always play the race card it getting real old. I think we should go to the fruitvale station. Free Johannes

19,

Your last statement was quite racist. How did it slip by quick-click moderator Mayor?

If everyone these days is so quick to pull the race card, I guess I’ll just have to jump on that bandwagon.

Bad idea for wc. It’ll be a joke for years!

Mesherle got the benefit of the doubt from a jury selected by both sides. It was deemed an accident and the verdict appropriate. The unhandcuffed Grant was under the influence of alcohol and drugs instead of being home taking care of his kid. He was facedown and resisting by not showing his hands. Poor Oscar Grant deserves much of the responsibility for what happened in this chain of events because he was out and about being drunk and stupid. Unjustices for Mesherle? Every freakin night the family is interviewed on TV ad nauseam. All they talked about was murder this murder that. Are you telling me not one single juror turned on the TV during the trial? Even the judge threw out murder 1. Mesherle didn’t get dressed and go to work planning to kill Oscar. It wasn’t murder but it was ruled involuntary manslaughter by a jury. Reasonable outcome given the seriousness of the “mistake”. Let’s move on.
Oh and the Walnut Creek gathering….. bad idea unless you’re a plywood salesman. Don’t give the anarchy groups a new venue.

Sherry
You are an IDIOT. Oscar Grant had a criminal history a mile long…..2 felony convicitons. He was not handcuffed, he had drugs and a weapon on him. If he was such a saint and good father he would have been with his kid as that is what a responsible parent does. But he was out partying and wreaking havoc on a BART train. You probably think LaVelle Mixon was “innocent” to.
Want to get outraged??? Then fget outraged over the MURDER of Chauncy Bailey by the Bey Family and Nation of Islam. That was truly a MURDER and watch, the Beys will get off Scot free because they are “brothers”. And how th f’k do you know they went back to HQ and “celebrated” the shooting??? Were you there?? Or is this more BS from Grants Family??? A wonderful family where good Ol Oscy wasn’t the only one with a rap sheet I don’t think they “celebrated” as LE rarely celebrates a take down.
BTW I know a former BART Police Officer (eneded up going to the Academy to become a “real” cop in Oakland) BART Police do not receive the same training as City Police or Deputy Sheriffs receive at the academy. The have fewer hours total training and that includes weapons training. The “share” duty belts which regular Police and Deputy Sheriff’s do not do. We have reserves in the SO that get more training that BART Cops.
And where the Hell did you learn English?????? “They was worried”….Sounds pretty ghetto there girl. It should be “they were worried”..Guess they didn’t teach you grammer in the Oakland Public School system.

@2 birds, I had to struggle to keep from laughing out loud at work! That was funny.

#12, he was not handcuffed. Get the story straight. He was not handcuffed when he was shot. He was reaching in a pocket.

This is a really bad idea for them to bring it to Walnut Creek…He was not reaching in his pockets. He shot a unarmed man I hope He gets the Max Prison time

This is not going to end well. A bunch of Oaktown thugs come to WC, that has bad idea written all over it.

There are plenty of good police officers out there, but Mehserle does NOT strike me as one of them. At best, he panicked in a chaotic situation or mistook a Taser for a gun — either way, a show of real ineptitude that has needlessly caused a man’s death. At worst, he meant to shoot Grant. Either way, the one thing to support about Mehserle is any movement to keep him away from police jobs in the future and away from jobs that allow him to carry a firearm, for the general safety and well-being of the public at large.

On a somewhat related note, did anyone here see the news reports this week about some Georgia law enforcement officers in trouble because they repeatedly Tased a school teacher who had reported a break-in at her house? When she declined to answer some personal questions, things got heated and they Tased her again and again. All caught on a recording device. Yes, she was black. Would that have happened to a white school teacher/homeowner? I strongly doubt it.

@Supports LE
who said he was a saint? and what the hell does his “criminal history a mile long” have to do with the night of Jan 1st 10.are you saying thats why he was shot? hmmm that would have made no sense since the police had not even had a chance to run his name and would not even have know his as you say long history!..Shooting a unarmed man while laying face down? When did that become legal no matter what your history may be? while i dont believe in violent or destructive rioting. (there was alot of us as you say “ghetto folks” aka people of color” that stood with a positive voice.) Still get your facts straight he had no weapon on him! Maybe you should read up a little more before you try and tell someone off because you sound ignorant and “ghetto” its more then obvious your a racist so i guess we can expect much more.. No matter if he meant to grab his plastic taser or his gun which both def weight and feel different he killed a human so he should pay no matter what. Although from reading your above message i highly doubt you view people of color as human which makes you just as ignorant as the people you try and degrade. Get a clue and read up some more on the facts of the Oscar grant case they no doubt have made it clear he was unarmed. you are a complete ignorant idiot!

Hmmm, how did that post from “mc” slip through – sounds like a threat to me.

MsAmber- you said exactly was I was thinking. Thank you.

For those who think Mehserle is a “horrible” man (IE: # 61), maybe you should re-read some of the articles following his initial arrest. His wife had just given birth to a baby. Mehserle and his family had to move to Nevada, because some “Grant supporters” were sending death threats not only to Mehserle and his wife, but toward the newborn child. How is that not horrible? Whatever someone feels about the cop, it should not be taken out on an innocent baby!

The family did itselff wrong when the Nation of Islam showed up– they make everything racial. Also the Mayor of Oakland– Dellums saying he will help the family take it higher– that is not his job– he works for the citizens & he has real problems in that city– not helping a felon’s family.

@MsAmber – very well put

*applause*

Let’s not forget that Oscar Grant was resisting arrest. He was not handcuffed and he was not just lying on the ground. If he didn’t resist he would still be alive.

OJ was innocent!

Regarding whether Grant was cuffed or not, how does anybody know?

Have any of you WATCHED the videos?

Did you not see Oscar Grant on his stomach, on the ground, hands behind him, surrounded by three cops w/ one of them kneeing him in the back?

Why would Mehserle SUPPOSEDLY feel the need to Taser him? How could Oscar Grant SUPPOSEDLY reach for a gun in that position?

All a cop has to say is, “I was scared, and I thought he had a gun!” and he gets away with this crap. EVERYTIME! My only surprise is that Mehserle didn’t shoot him 50 times like the boys in blue do here in New York.

Would there have been all the hoopla if Mehserle mistakenly shot a Hispanic,Asian or White person???? The answer is no. But we must cow tow to blacks like the jerks from Nation of Islam and Red Dellums.
And where were the blacks like the Nation of Islam and Red Dellums when Chauncey Bailey was executed????? Oh yeah they are the ones who performed the execution of honest working man. Nope these parties only care about the thugs like Oscar Grant.
#68 I suggest you do some research as Grant had a weapon and drug on him………and if take alive would have gone back to prison. He and his little friends wer causing trouble onthe BART train and were being uncooperative and resisting arrest. One of that group was going to be shot be it Oscar or one of his little hoard.
If this would have been Peter or Pedro no one would be protesting or having a “federal” investigation. Only in Racist Oakland with the Socialist Mayor do you find such stupidity and sympathy for a criminal. Yes the same Oakland that was listed as one ot the 10 most violent cities in America. I think Red Dellums should worry more about that than one criminal citizen.

This rally is bad for both sides (Mehserle/Grant). I do not see it ending well, far to emotionally charged. It’s sad, but with the minority issue set aside, Grant had already been to prison 2x in his short life. I am not going to loose any sleep over his passing. Grants behavior in the past as well as the night of his untimely death prooves he was a burden on society. In this day and age it is extremely difficult to make it to prison, you have to be a real piece of shxt. Grants mother cries because she lost her son, it appears to me she lost him along time ago, and now she will be a millionaire because of poor parenting. Now it’s time to piss people off.
Free my shooting coach!!!!

@Claire I hope we as a society & nation can quite hiding behind race or color and take some personal responsibility for our own actions. Grant wasn’t trying to take responsibility for his, which is why he was resisting. Mehserle took responsibility for his actions. Quit hiding behind race, your better than that. We all have a race…. we all have a skin tone…. so what? Let’s stand up and be better, higher than that and hold ourselves accountable for what really matters…. our own actions in the world.

Peace & Love not Race & Hate

It’s about time that somebody stood up for Mehserle.

If we make the Bart police and the other “Boys in Blue” too nervous to use their weapons then when the time comes they might not be able to shoot other citizens in the back.

The Police have a very difficult job and it is absurd to punish them just because they accidentally shoot someone in the back.

Mistakes happen.

@91 Have you ever heard the phrase… Shit Happens?

“Anyone who supports Johannes and our Law Enforcement Officers”

I support Law Enforcement but I also think “involuntary manslaughter” is a just verdict.

The system worked. Nobody is pleased because it was a tragic event. Sometimes there are tragic events with no winners.

Mistakes involving the death of someone by law enforcement is simply unacceptable. It’s really not that difficult to comprehend. Actually, just typing out something like this gives me an uneasy feeling inside. It’s hard to understand the depth of stupidity that some of you have. I don’t know where your minds are, but there are bad cops and good cops. There can be no room for these “mistakes.” Being incapable of understanding why leads one to only conclude the speciality of said “special person.”

Seriously…. A rally for the killer of Oscar Grant????? WOW…

Rally to support a man found guilty of taking a life via negligence at a minimum? Are they going to declare it unlawful and surround it with hundreds of LE when the crap hits the fan? We all FEEL for the man but a “rally”?

I wonder how many of you negative soles have ever walked in the shoes of a police officer who must sometimes make split second decisions based on what is confronting them at that immediate moment. We’ve all seen the videos and read all the articles about what could have happend and should have happend, but did Mehserle have the luxury of a year and a half to make his fateful decison to shoot Oscar Grant. Accidents happen every day and unfortuantely Oscar Grant had to suffer the consequenses of this terrible accident. But this is NOT a criminal act whatsoever on the part of Mehserle. Remember folks, it’s not all over until all the appeals reach the California Supreme Court. The jury made their decison and the judge will render a sentence; however many cases are thrown out by the time it reaches the supreme court where I’m sure this case will makes it’s way at some point.

Now it’s on the CC TImes. I really hope it doesn’t get too big.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/top-stories/ci_15505986

On SO many levels, this is just a stupid idea. I’m not saying people don’t have the right to do it, but they’re just going to make fools of themselves and possibly cause a lot of damage. Even if it remains peaceful, and it probably will because not too many people are going to take seriously an event the organizers are too chicken to even identify themselves, it will still cause the city of Walnut Creek a lot of money to police the event. Just a really stupid idea …

#77

Not everything is about race. Unlike you, some of us don’t wake up in the morning worrying about what race we are surrounded by. I am white, but at least 75% of the people I go to school with aren’t. That makes me the minority right? So everytime something happens to me, can I cry racism?

I Can’t find the event or the “Like” button…

#113

Well Said!

I agree

#113

Yes if you are a minority then yes.. Just wait a few more years and if you are a white person you will be a minority group, especially in California..

At that point, there is nothing legally holding you back from getting “minority” benefits which white people have been excluded from. Think about the opportunities that have been excluded if you are “White”

BTW I happen to not be just white, so I think any “color” restrictive groups should be considered racist.

everyone has the right to freedom of speech. Remember the 1st Amendment?

Support Mehserle?!? this should be called support stupid people protest. picture this: pull out a weapon that weighs 35 oz more than a tazer. do not recognize that it is black and not yellow, that you have to PUSH A SAFTY OFF, then squeeze an eight pound trigger instead of push a button??? all while you are aiming at a person on his back with a cop on his head and knees. this was an exicution, a vile racist murder. a trained officer could not possibly have made this large of a mistake.
p.s. cops are trained not to taiser people who are in contact with other people, electricity flows through bodies. why this was not in the trial i will never know.

its off Facebook . .. GOOD !!!

Respect for law enforcement, yes — I’m all for it. But there’s a huge difference between a well-trained police officer and a goon with a gun. Should a man who can’t tell whether he’s got a Taser or a gun in his hand have been wearing a badge? He is a lucky man, got every benefit of the doubt from his jury. It beggars belief that anyone could think he was hard done by.

I wonder how many cops will show up to maintain order at this rally?

im CLEARLY 4 mehserle here. i mean, the guy shed tears for christ sake!! i mean, he didnt shed tears at FIRST, but when it came down close to the verdict, he cried. i feel 4 the big guy… all scared and alone, only 2yrs of training with a taser etc…. come on people, help this INNOCENT cop out!

It’s amazing how ignorant some of the people on here are. Wait until someone accidentally kills you or your family member and then we’ll see where you stand. Justice has been served. That officer got MORE than a fair trial. At the end of the day he is a killer. He killed an innocent man and I can’t support that.

I wonder how many stores will get looted?

I wonder how many people will show up? Probably not to many since the majority of us work.( unlike the oakland idiots.)

Rocky is a joke. It’s another angry “Black Man” Did the verdict include people getting new shoes and shirts in Oakland. Cause they were all black people and happy looking to be taking stuff that didn’t belong to them. Was Foot Locker involved in the shooting? NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! C’mon really…

well said #138

Hey people, stop trying to solve the case based on what you hear in the news. Let the courts do the job! There is so much that we don’t hear of in what took place that night. Oscar was up to no good, therefore the police were called. This was a tragic accident period! I so wish that black people would stop being so racist! Like the last person said, “If this were a white boy shot by a black officer, this would have never went to trial”.

Good for Walnut Creek for hosting. Kudos to Concord PD for supporting!

For #129, probably not many, as they might be called racist.

Please someone post a link where Oscar Grant had drugs in his pocket and was drunk and high? He had a blood alcohol level of .02% and had a strong narcotic in his system. It was 2 am so he could have been at a club or bar and no one commented on whether the narcotic was prescription or not. How can you resist arrest with 500lbs of dude sitting on you?

when he was tased he had a 250lb cops knee on his head. I would like to see the link. The only links I see about Oscar grant having drugs on him is in this thread and another similar thread.

bubbalicious, it looked to me like an inexperienced, nervous cop making a serious mistake. He would have been a complete idiot to just shoot Grant on purpose in front of all those people, so the logical explanation is exactly what the jury saw fit to charge him with. He grabbed the wrong weapon.

If you want to stay completely safe from police harm, don’t do stupid things to draw their attention in the first place. All confrontations with armed police carry risk.

A white guy was shot and killed outside a 7-Eleven in San Ramon recently, in an apparent case of suicide-by-cop. Had he been black, you can be sure a “thorough investigation” for racism would have been launched. But he was white, so they saw it for what it was.

Blacks need to get better martrys than Oscar Grant, O.J. Simpson and Rodney King. There seem to be plenty of cases where racism truly is the motive. Focus on those, not the fluke events.

Are you people kidding me??! Really a rally for a man who willfully & purposefully pulled his gun and killed a man whose hands were handcuffed behind his back!?! For the uninformed ignorant person who said he wasn’t just google it and you will see at least 10 different YouTube vantage points that all show Grant with his hands behind his back!! Mesherle killed Grant because he was still embarrassed by the taunts of his peers!! A black man had just escaped his custody on the last call at the West Oakland Station!! Also why was Grant’s death preceded by Mesherle calling him a bitch ass nigger which was what HE was called by the previous suspect!?!

A better use of time & money would be to host an event for decent police officers who were unfortunately killed in the line of duty like those who were victims of Lovell Mixon!! Or to support minority [police officers who try to bridge the gaps from their community and law enforcement! But “THIS RALLY IS IGNORANT!”

The police should be supported when they behave responsibly and protect & serve ALL OF THE COMMUNITY. Not those who strike fear in the hearts of people of color…not just African Americans but all people of color, Filipino’s, Indian’s & Mexican’s!!

Officers like Mesherle are a disgrace to the uniform and deserve nothing but the sentence’s they receive if not MORE!! The wife of a police officer of color and mother of a police officer of color!! Changing the force from the inside ….is our family motto

@Bubbalicious don’t hold your breath waiting for an answer there have been enough casualties related to this tragedy

Loved the #137 comment.

Any chance we can change the rally location to the cities brand new 40 Million Dollar Library?

this man murdered a young man laying on his back! Why is it so difficult for people to call it what it is…murder!

To Number 146. You obviously think I am so smart, because you sound as if you were offended by the question. Court proceedings were not mentioned in my post. You give me the impression that people who jump to conclusions, those who make judgments about people they don’t even know, and those who tend to classify and categorize people, is what is wrong within our society. You made a judgment about me, you don’t even know me. I think this is the kind of thing most African Americans are complaining about, you make a decision about someone or something and your decision becomes law; however, people are saying that they believe this attitude about them is wrong. My question was based on the video that most of us have seen, it doesn’t require an exemplary ability, or extra smarts, to see what is before our eyes. My question was, (on the video that we have seen), Mr. Grant was on the ground, police officers were holding him down, what was the threat to Mr. Mehserle’s life that required the use of a weapon, of any kind? However, it might take some “smarts” to answer the question. How say you? Also, your judgment of me was based on what? Since you brought the court proceedings to question, do you have an explanation why Mr. Grant’s background was an issue, but Mr. Mehserle’s background was withheld from the jury? Don’t mean to offend you by these questions, but wanna give it a shot? oops! should not have said “shot” huh? Now what does that make me, your honor?

If grant wouldn’t have reacted the way he did he would have had a short ride home after a night of partying on new years. He set all these events into action by doing what he did.

Number 151- Responding to Jedediah 10: I never made any judgment about what happened at the Fruitvale Bart Station, I merely asked a question. I never made any comment about the court proceedings. I take it that you are not African American, otherwise you would not make the statements you are making, it just shows that you, and many other non-African Americans, make judgments about African Americans based on media portrayal of African Americans. Many African Americans have been killed, without provocation, by White police officers, and nothing is ever done about it; its historical and current. African American have had many “martrys other than those you mention, but White people killed them. See what happens when
you start getting racial, and when you don’t know what you’re taking about? I hate to burst your bubble, but white people do “stupid” things that get the police attention also, it’s the treatment by officers that is different. So, don’t think because you are not African American, and because you are not beaten, called derogatory names, and jailed, in many situations, for trumped up charges, that you are better than anyone else. It is just that you are led to believe that you are better, and when you confront people, especially African Americans, you already have your mind made up about them; police officers are human too. So, to put it into proper perspective, you are really, really, truly, no better than anyone else. And, when our society begins to figure that out and understand that, we will be better as a nation. Anyway, the question was not answered.

Anon 164 is an idiot…acquitted… yeah right…..I hope your child gets killed then see how you feel…you ignorant piece of shit

If young black kids are now idolizing Grant like they do with the other pieces of crap dope dealing parolees, they are screwed. Grants mother raised a gem

Lovelle Mixon was someone who had been to jail a number of times. When he was stopped by a traffic officer in Oakland, he fatally shot him and 2 others. A police officer is a human being who gets scared and yes can panic. Everytime they stop someone or go to a call, like the one on New Years eve, they are at risk.
There was no other verdict that the jury could have come to for Mehsrle. At first they had only two options acquittal or murder, the prosecuter immediately realized that it wasn’t a murder and appealed the judge to add vol or invol manslaughter.
The whole thing is sad for all involved. Why are we arguing about this. Everyone has their feelings, but its been decided. I’m hoping for a light sentence for a young man whose life has been ruined.I’m sure many times during this ordeal he would rather have changed places with Oscar Grant.

I firmly believed that if this unfortunate tragedy had not happened, something bigger would have happened and to outside people who were trying to get home from celebrating. And I don’t believe it would have been the police shooting at the public. The bullet that killed Oscar Grant went off and everyone stopped in their tracks.

Free Mesherle!

Unfortunately most cops are white and…well…most criminals are not white, so it will ALWAYS be a race issue (unless of course, you are from Montana or some other hick state. Then it might even out a little).

I now like Walnut Creek.

forgot….these aren’t normal people these are criminals that are making these threats…druggies, idiots that carry guns and shoot people of course, I would get out.

@#174 Thank you for reminding all the Mesherle supporters that this man who claims he made a mistake…it was just an accident…sleep deprivation due to the birth of his newborn child caused tragedy!! Ok I know I am African American and am supposed to be stupid, however aside from the fact that I and everyone in my household holds a BA, MBA & I personally have a PMP certification( I am a 3rd generation college graduate & my children are the 4th!)….but even my great great grandfather who was the son of a slave & slave owner could figure this out!! How could he have been sleep deprived from the birth of his newborn child when said child was not born until January 2, 2009!?! Not to mention that in the early hours of January 2nd 2009 before said child was born Mesherle actually had the frame of mind to quit his job and leave his pregnant girlfriend (NOT his wife they are still not married) who was in labor about to have their 1st child alone to drive to the state of Nevada because of alledged death threats to his unborn child!! If that were true wouldn’t you take the pregnant girlfriend with you? Does that sound like an innocent man?
I admit that some very disturbed people started to threaten the life of his newborn and girlfriend after that stupid sleep deprived defense was put into play and hopefully they were punished!!
But the truth of the matter is it was MURDER!! if you listen to the tapes he exclaimed O shit and turned to look at the folks on the train…at which point Bart Officers began to confiscate camera’s & cellphones from people near by. I guess at some point the idiots realized there would be no way to cover this up!
My friends husband is a Black Bart Police Officer (yes they do exist) and he said that none of the officers of color Hispanic or Black believed Mesherle’s or Perrone’s story .
For those of you who don’t understand why African Americans, Filipinos & Mexican’s fear the police and this verdict try an experiement dress (use make up & wigs) to dress as someone of one of those races & see how you are treated!
Oscar may have been a thug and that was not cool but they didnt even have a chance to run his ID and find that out before he was shot!! I for one as a mother of African American men (my young men are college educated & never been in trouble with the law) but still I panic when they are out on holiday’s & weekends because if the description goes out that a black man is being unruly they are suspects even if they say the person is like 5’5 and my young men are 6ft & 6ft 4 !!
I know this to be true!! in the 80′s I watched my off duty highway patrol officer father be pulled over with his family in the back of his newly purchased BMW because some black man light skinned around 5 ft 7 inches stole bread from safeway & got away in a brown station wagon!! My father is 6 ft 4 inches and extremely dark skinned!! The officers treated him horribly until they found out he was an off duty highway patrol officer and actually had the nerves to tell him not to carry his gun when off duty!!
So folks you see that’s why this is bigger than Oscar Grant!!!
What about Denis Bell …what about the black couple in New Jersy professional couple shot in error as they resembled a couple the police were looking for …what about the black off duty officer shot down by 3 of his peers 2 blocks from the station as he chased a white suspect; he was in plain clothes. The suspect got away the officer died!! His peers said they thought he was the perp!!
As a black person I want the madness to stop!!
I want good police officers of all races to be celebrated and bad ones sent to jail!! I want to be able to rest on weekends & holidays without worrying about whether or not the men in my life will be shot because they are Black or Mexican!!

#181, Thank you for pointing out that you are AFRICAN-AMERICAN, not just American. You are no more “African American” as I am European-American. We are ALL AMERICANS! By you labeling yourself as such, you are instantly seperating yourself from others.

Which brings me to another point. Why do we have BET (Black Entertainment Television)? Yet if there was a WET (White Entertainment Television) we caucasions would be labeled racists? How about the “Negro College Fund?” Where’s the White College Fund? How about the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)? My point is, where and when does it end? As long as we have these seperatist groups and people calling themselves _________-American’s, we will continue to be divided. We are doing it to ourselves and we have no one else to blame.

Signed

An American

#181, I suggest putting that BA, MBD Doctorate or whatever degree you have attained to good use and reread the prior posts and/or trial transcripts. No one ever said Mehserle was sleep deprived because his wife had a baby. As a previous poster pointed out, Mehserle had been caring for his “pregnant” wife and hadn’t slept in over 24 hours. He called in sick because he felt he was unfit for duty that evening. Probably a correct call to make, considering he is a Police Officer and all. Unfortunately, he was ordered to work. This was not Mehserle’s sole defense but certainly could have played one part in his mindset and decision making that tragic evening. And yes, I am a Cop. If I am up for over 24 hours due to unforseen circumstances, I will choose to take a sick day and not put myself or others at risk. Just my .02

Yeah, let’s rally around, rally around. http://www.infowars.com/video-woman-reports-prowler-gets-repeatedly-tased-by-cops/

#188 Yeah sounds nice but, can you only imagine how the people in Oakland will respond??

#189. Doubt anyone from Oak-Town will show up. Besides, there will be plenty of off-duty coppers there with their friends, Smith and Wesson

Nobody from Oakland will show up. They know that Walnut Creek mont put up with any of their bullshit. Stay in Oakland and rob from your own community that you have turned into a shithole. I’m so tired of this being such a race issue. Obviously Grants family hates the whites. So is it wrong for us whites to hate the blacks?

This has to be the craziest idea anyone has come up with in the history of man! Do we really want to start a race war? Everyone needs to be held accountable for his or her own actions and Mesherle has been. Now, each person posting on this blog needs to take a long hard look at their motives and decide what direction this should go in…

I have a dream that one day I will live in a nation where we will not be judged by the color of our skin but by the content of our character!!!! ML

Well Oscar Grant, I’m judging you by the content of your character that night.

“The officers treated him horribly until they found out he was an off duty highway patrol officer and actually had the nerves to tell him not to carry his gun when off duty!!”

No cop would ever had said that to another cop.

I am getting so tired of the race card always being pulled out. Everytime “they” feel like they have been treated unfair they claim it is because of race and they just want to be treated equal. But the truth is they want MORE!! They want to be treated better than equal. The Oakland Mayor is going to help them take this to the next level if they are not satisfied with the verdict. They want to protest and speak out about their anger over the verdict, but they think it is ridiculous for those that support the other side to have their own rally. We are all intitled to our own opinions right?? Or is it just “the black man” that gets to speak out.

I’ll be there. Free Mehserle! Let him go home to his wife and baby!

#183 you do have WET – it’s called CBS, NBC, FOX, ABC. You’ve also got the KKK as an advocacy group – sounds like you might know a lil bit about that huh??? The White College Fund – ya know that George W. Bush lil thingee- those that’s got the gold gets in????

#202, review the laws related to the gun enhancement

Rallying in support of the killer not unheard of, so quit pretending this is shocking and wrong. 40 people marched down MLK calling Lovelle Mixon a hero after he killed four Oakland officers last March.

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/east_bay&id=6728974

Freedom of speech applies to everyone, not just the “right” side.

There’s a run on them at Wal-Mart!!!

This could get interesting now since this story has now been picked up by

SF Gate.com and msnbc.com

Could get the national tea party folks out here to support the protest.

Wonder if our local heroes like Mark Peterson will be there to represent?

Girl, Huh? Try again. You make no sense

SUPPORT THE POLICE

Will city issue a permit for the rally?

They don’t need a permit. It’s called the 1st Amendment!

Tase ‘em all bro!
These protesters need to get shutdown just like the oakland anarchists should have been.
Exercise your first amendment rights… Write a letter to the judge! I don’t want to see or hear your crap on the streets.

Free Mesherle!!!

Girl, What the H@#$? Please next time you comment change your name. And to your best ability try to sound intellegent or else we’ll know it’s you….Getting a DUI is not an accident….Duh!!!

This is a bad looking deal all the way around. I won’t even go into the “crimes”. That has been discussed pretty much ad nauseum here already. Certainly tragic for all parties concerned. I think the verdict was right, but I do feel the gun enhancement is total bs. If that stands, it will certainly be appealed, all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary. Just think of how adamently law enforcement organizations nationwide would fight that issue.

I think the rally is a very bad idea. Even if it goes smoothly, it paints our whole community with a very broad brush as being inflammatory and insensative to our neighbors across the hills. I don’t think it will do anything to change what is going to happen at sentencing or have any real consequence to Mehserle and his family. It will just be a show for the news cameras. Now, if it goes bad, will showing your support be worth the possible consequences of additional people being hurt or widespread property damage? Not to mention the additional cost to an already budget strapped city in providing security for such an event. And just think of this, does WCPD have the manpower and training necessary to handle the worst case scenario? I hate to say it, but I don’t think so. If it does happen, there WILL be counter-protesters and probably outside agitators who would love to see a racially based shitstorm occur in downtown Walnut Creek.

If you really want to support Mehserle and his family, donate to his legal defense fund or his family fund. I’m not really sure if they exist, if they don’t maybe someone should consider starting them. If you want to support local law enforcement, attend community meetings and maybe contribute to their benevolent funds. But PLEASE if you are considering attending this rally, think again. It can only lead to more trouble and division in our beloved community.

Just checked – as of now it’s up to 94 confirmed just on the FB page. I suspect by Monday this could turn into quite a scene.

So…a professionally trained police officer accedentally shot a handcuffed suspect. So…what injustice has the officer experienced. It’s okay to be deprived of life, liberty, and property without due process?

You commit the crime, you do the time. Meserle Killed Grant. That’s all there is to it. Grant was Unarmed!

I wouldn’t call him a professionally-trained police officer either.

I’m not going to even use the term “African-American” or any other ________-American any longer. How about just plain “American.” You are no more “African-American” as I am “Canadian-American.” By putting the hyphen in your ethnic “title” you are automatically seperating yourself from others, by your own choice. Until we stop hyphenating ourselves we will continue to be divided

Anon 233..He was not cuffed at the time he was shot. l suggest you learn to read. There were also drugs found on “his person” according to the police reports.
Anon 226…Who give a crap what our “neighbors over the hills” think. Most of Oakland is so low on the socio-economic scale that don’t know how to think. And the ones that were higher on the scale got the hell out of there long ago.
Bottom line – Mehserle made a mistake and now he has to pay for it. He was convicted. If Grant’s family doesn’t like it perhaps they need to look at the live dear littly Oscar lead as he was going to be dead in a short amount of time no matter what.
Amazing yo don’t see people protesting in Pinole about the fact the PD shot some one in the back a couple of months ago…..Oh yeah he was white so it doesn’t matter. It’s seems the only time people get unhinged is when it is a black person. Like Lovell Mixon, Oscar Grant lived a criminals life and dies a criminals death. Same as the guy in Pinole and the same as the guy who was recently shot over on Hillsborough. By the way, where are the protesters rioting and looting in Concord over the shooting of the guy on Hillsborough????? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm…Nope he wasn’t black.

“by the way, a taser is on the same use of force continuum as pepper spray, impact weapons and body strikes).”

Impact weapons can kill people– pepper spray & Tasers do not.

Diablo if you are a cop in the “Avenues” or “flatland” of Oakland or anywhere in Richmond the answer to your question would be “YES”!!!!!

Concord PD let’s not waste our resources here and going to WC. Let the city pay for there own security. This is so stupid it brings the thinking that a thug would do or say

Diablo, Come back when you can make some sense and use some logic. Otherwise stay on the other side of the hill

There is no credible information to suggest Mr. Grant was a “Thug.” Desecrating the dead is wrong.
It is true, the DA misled the jury with instructions on firearms enhancements.

The jury was instructed with:

CALJIC 17.19 — Personal use of a firearm. (“The term “personally used a firearm,” as used in this instruction, means that the defendant must have intentionally displayed a firearm in a menacing manner, intentionally fired it, or intentionally struck or hit a human being with it.”)

as a possible verdict choice along with involuntary manslaughter; this misled the jury. This instruction was error, and Judge Perry allowed it, ADA Stein did not object. It allowed the Jury to entertain the possibility of an enhancement conviction when none is possible. Thus they felt they were giving him more serious convictions. Any lay jury will guess an enhancement yields more time. Thier verdict was thought to be in between Man 1 and Man 2. They were initially attempting to aggravate to Man 1 by using “heat of passion” the opposite way; that fact is mitigating to murder 2, not aggravating from Man 2 to Man 1. The Jury was instructed improperly there as well; evidence that Stein was letting the defendant off is seen by the fact he allowed the judge to instruct on “heat of passion” as emotionally charged circumsatnce that could be caused by others than the victim. Clear proof that Stein let the defendant off with Man 2 is seen by the instructional error that cannot be appealed by the prosecution, as any error is waived by lack of objection; and of course, the DA cannot appeal a guilty verdict, since jeopardy has already attached.
Thus, the only rational conclusion is the DA put on a show trial, knowing the defendant could do no worse than Man 1; and created erroneous instructions leading the Jury to think that Man 2 would yield more time than it did, allowing for a greater likelihood of a conviction there; a likelihood increased by the poor presentation of state of mind evidence that would have proven the voluntary aspects of Man 1.

What needs to be understood here is this could have never been a complete accident without malice. That is because the defendant could have applied mechanical restraint to a non-resisting suspect with hands behind his back; instead he rose to bravely electrocute the suspect; and in the process “swapped” with Sig Sauer P226; this is of course very unlikely, but reasonable doubt requires us to believe this without other proof; (highly unlikely because the defendant fired his 9mm many times at the range; it weighs three times as much; and I am biased as to this because I have owned the exact same Sig Sauer P226, and it is not only very heavy, you know you are holding a powerful lethal weapon; it is nearly impossible to believe the weapon could be confused with a light Taser weighing 1/3 as much; this was not a Glock 19. Go to Target Masters in Milpitas, rent these guns, fire them, and see for yourself; then order a Taser for $250 online, now freely available, and compare. There are rare situations when a gun does seem lighter, however). So even with all reasonable doubt, there was malice; that is because the defense admits an attempt to use the Taser. There was no cause for use of the Taser. The suspect was face down and not resisting; it is disturbing that Mr. Rains brought in Mr. Schott, a video expert to lie to the Jury and testify that the victim had “punched” the defendant; Mr. Schott being one of the experts from the Simi Valley trial that helped aquit Koon and his thugs, ultimately leading to 100 innocent deaths. The defense brought in men with blood on their hands. Again, to desecrate the dead, to portray a young man killed in front of an audience of 500, as the aggressor, without any real proof, is sacrilege. At the time of the shot fired, the victim was not resisting in any way. Thus, the defendant’s choice to rise and fire, rather than apply restraints to a man with hands behind his back, in itself constitutes a crime, even if we assume it was a Taser being fired. That is because in CA:
Penal Code 244.5. (a) As used in this section, “stun gun” means any item, except a taser, used or intended to be used as either an offensive or defensive weapon that is capable of temporarily immobilizing a person by the infliction of an electrical charge.
(b) Every person who commits an assault upon the person of another with a stun gun or a taser shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail for a term not exceeding one year, or by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, two, or three years.
(c) Every person who commits an assault upon the person of a peace officer or firefighter with a stun gun or taser, who knows or reasonably should know that the person is a peace officer or firefighter engaged in the performance of his or her duties, when the peace officer or firefighter is engaged in the performance of his or her duties, shall be punished by imprisonment in the county jail for a term not exceeding one year, or by imprisonment in the county jail for a term not exceeding one year, or by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four years.
(d) This section shall not be construed to preclude or in any way limit the applicability of Section 245 in any criminal prosecution.

The victim was not resisting in any way that could even remotely justify use of a Taser. Thus, the potential felony above was committed even with the defense’s excuse defenses.

It should be noted, that Taser’s are sub-lethal, and capable of producing death in people that have heart defects, such as murmurs.

Also, the mentally ill may be severely harmed by a Taser. These are not toys to assault people with for sadistic pleasure. It is a crime to misuse a Taser. Thus, a review of the numerous videos available online of the shooting leaves no doubt that defendant Johannes, now a felon, had no reason to fire the Taser when he could have applied the handcuffs and neutralized any threat; any rational person can see he is guilty of PC 244.5 at the least. This malice and intention to assualt means mens rea culpa is there, and Johannes must be punished for his own dignity. There is no defense of “accident” here. The only possible “accident” was the choice of weapon. The finding of negligence applies not only to that lack of necessary distinction (if some policeman runs a red light, and has perfect vision and color distinction, and a child coming home from school is killed, even if it is an accident, meaning not intentional, or voluntary, would a rational Jury say there was no negligence?) but the underlying criminal conduct under PC 244.5. Were this statute not available, one could even charge torture:
torture involves the intent to inflict severe pain; a Taser does just that; and the injuries need not be all that severe:
See People v. Pre (2004) 117 Cal.App.4th 413, 420. (“[California Penal Code] Section 206 does not require permanent, disabling, or disfiguring injuries; “[s]ection 206 only requires ‘great bodily injury as defined in Section 12022.7’…. ‘Abrasions, lacerations and bruising can constitute great bodily injury.’
There are factors in the use of a Taser unlawfully without any defensive purpose that support a torture charge; the indisputable facts caught on tape present only one conclusion: If Johannes did not want to assualt the victim Grant, there would have been no death. The assault was voluntary-there was a crime; perhaps the killing involuntary; of course, only one man knows the truth. SInce he can’t be retried, he should tell the truth.
And new technology needs to be developed to prevent the frewquent “accidents,’ especially those involving Glock/Taser mix ups-both plastic, lightweight weapons.
As to those that ridicule Oakland as ignorant and socioeconomically worse off than the suburbs, they are sadly mistaken. The “hood” home prices are the same as the median prices in Walnut Creek or Concord; and North Oakland, such as Montclair, Piedmont area, Crocker Highlands, Trestle Glen, are far higher end than Walnut Creek or Concord with a very high level of education and income; the areas less well off are more blue collar because they operate the port and shipping systems, for example, that serve the bay area; someone has to do these jobs, they do not pay as much. However, people in East Oakland are far from poor, and it is not a real “ghetto.” The youth are also highly intelligent; the asians and blacks are no less educated than average suburban youth. It is ignorant to insult them, after they all feel insulted by what they perceive to be a “public execution.” Most people that speak poorly of minority races never grew up around diverse populations, and thus feel nothing towards other people. Living near Piedmont, having beern to Berkeley, with many African Americans in the area (20%) I can tell you this all felt very unhealthy to people of color. Rather than “support” Johannes, you should be paying your respect to the victim(s), all young men of color; it was due to hate this thing started. A blonde hair blue eyed boy, like the dozens that live near me, would not have been subject to electrocution under the circumstances; would not have been exposed to the lethal Sig Sauer. This all begins with aggravated agression and rage towards a black in East Oakland; this is also called xenophobia. Johannes most likely also has the violence gene; one can be equally xenophobic to his Van Der Sloot type family tree.

Johannes Mehserle needs our support. If “they” can do it, so can “we”.Hellooooooo, Oscar was resisting arrest! THUGGGG! He didnt deserve to die, yes. It was an accident. Horrible one. Johannes will have to live with this the rest of his life. W.C will not thrash their town. The monkeys in da hood are no good pieces of &*_^%!

“Fred, WATER can potentially kill people”

If I put your head in it– sure…if I threw it at you from 21 feet– not…

Grant was not handcuffed. Also he had a gun in the San Leandro incident weeks before– but the Officer was not allowed to say that in the trial.

Balu, it is obvious both sides will never agree on this matter. Police Officers can put themselves in Mehserles mindset due to their prior experience and training while it is difficult for others to do so. Do you remember the prosecution witness who testified under cross exam that he once had an occasion, due to the stress of the situation, that he didn’t realize he had his firearm in his hand?

I wasn’t there (neither were you) so I can’t make the call on whether taser use was appropriate at the time. However, evidence supports these officers were clearly outnumbered by a hostile crowd. Some clearly agitated after being in a fight on the train. Some of the crowd (blacks) were throwing around the N-word like it was no big deal. The officers were called to this chaotic scene by concerned citizens and the train operator. There is no evidence from Mehserles personnel file or prior history with BART, or in his background that he was or in anyway racist. The Oakland black community, the corrupt politicians and inept John “the rug” Burris successfully made this into a race issue.

Grant served two prison terms, had a prior gun and dope possession and had alcohol and fentanyl (a synthetic heroin) in his blood system when he was shot. This, in my book, makes him a “thug.”

Prison guards union members will take care of Mehserle while he’s inside, he’s a celebrity to them.

Oscar Grant Supporter.
Gee police treated you like “trash”??? What did you do for the police to be called on you??? Certainly it didn’t have anything to do with correct sentence structure, as that is a skill you are completely lacking.
Perhaps you need to move to East Oakland so you live with those you think are so wonderful as we really don’t need anymore “trash” like you in Concord. It is people like you that give the Mexican community a bad reputations.

The rally is only between 2-5pm. Most of Grant’s supporters don’t even get out of bed until that time

Some well intentioned ideas are very ill-conceived. Thanks for making my job harder.

I’m not sure about the great Police support for Mehserle out here in Contra Costa. The ones I’ve talked to in Pleasant Hill and Danville say he made a terrible mistake. Instigated by the actions of Mr. Grant and friends but also inflated by the other officer yelling nigger this and nigger that, which is the reason he doesn’t have a job anymore.
This is publicity that I feel we can do without, I don’t see how it’s worth the chance of drive by shootings coming to Walnut Creek.
I am a firm believer in freedom of speech but I also believe in choosing my battles wisely, the officers I know will not be attending this rally.

Unfortunately, from the camera phones we do not see all that happened at one time. Different views show a different prospective. One thing that is clear, Mr. Grant had a free hand which one can clearly see. It is easy for us to sit back and be Monday morning quarterbacks however, we do not have to deal with these situations on a daily basis’ like police officers. Grant’s friends are still alive, why? Because they cooperated with the request of the police. Have any of you put yourselves in the position of what a cop has to deal with everyday? While it was unfortunate that someone died, it is important to remember that all he had to do was put his hands behind his back until the police could sort out what happened. They were called to the scene because of a distrubance on Bart. This has nothing to do with race but has everything to do with resisting arrest. Bart is the one who needs to answer the question as to why Mehersele was not better trained. Cops lives are on the line everyday and they know they are targets everyday.
I think having a show of support for LE in Walnut Creek is better than Oakland. If it had been in Oakland, don’t you think that would have been offensive to the Grant family?
We are all guilty of sin, white, black, hispanic, etc….it is only through the Grace of God that we are all here. The Grant family talks about God and the bible so, they should know that Oscar is in a better place. Have peace with that. God forgave us therefore, we must forgive others. Our family has had some bad experiences with police but you have to let it go. Most police officers are there to protect and serve.

Well, Mercy, you won’t mind if your own family is shot and killed by some cop then, right? I mean, you won’t mind if two cops are sitting on top of your son or daughter, and another one shoots your son or daughter in the back and watches them die, right?

Cowardly idiot.

Everyone would be much happier if this time was spent calmly talking about how each group precieves the other. All the “facts” in this case need to be disregarded only in the sense of trying to work through the situation in a reasonable, mature, and educated matter. None of us have all the facts. Most of what we know we have obtained from “hearsay.” Did Oscar really resist arrest because of the 12 bags of heroine in his belt? Did Johannes really confuse the taser since he had it out already? Comparing the gun and taser in question, this particular taser looks and feels very much like a gun. Would a police officer, purely out of common sense, pull a gun out and shoot a man in the man KNOWING there were other officers around. And, let’s not forgot the camera phones! Who in there right mind would take that risk? I personally, pray for love and healing on both sides. We are ONE human race left together to love and care for one another.Our time would be better spent cleaning up the streets and getting young people involved in something meaningful outside of their ouwn lifes.

#270,

“Cowardly supporters?” Hey jackass, lest we forget about Ol’ St. Oscar’s “Cowardly supporters” who show up at a protest HIDING behind masks and hoodies while throwing rocks and bottles at the police. How about the REALLY “brave” St. Oscar supporters who threatened harm to Mehserle’s baby? Really? Wow these guys are tough!

Leave your wanna-be tough-guy attitude in Oakland with John “The Rug Man” Burris and Mayor “I aint gonna pay my taxes” Dellums

To the Public:

We have received many requests for an interview from various news groups and reporters regarding the upcoming rally scheduled for Monday. It has been impossible to answer all requests due to the sheer volume, however we are releasing this press announcement in regards to Monday’s events.

Contrary to what has been portrayed in the media, this rally is NOT about dividing communities, inciting a race war or a political debate. The Walnut Creek location was chosen primarily out of convenience to allow for a central location accessible to many from different communities all over the Bay area. Many reporters throughout our community, but especially the Contra Costa Times and http://www.facebook.com/l/0c2fb25OSrP8u2wjpSPAhEWmYrg;Claycord.com, decided to leak this event to the community before speaking with any event planners, thus creating an angry stir with some individuals and groups. As a result of their negligent reporting and failure to properly convey the meaning for the rally early on, hundreds of angry and hateful comments have been reported by various people and the true meaning of this event has not been conveyed properly. For this reason, no interviews will take place that will allow anyone to misconstrue what was said and the entire press release will be available for all to see.

This rally is NOT about inciting violence, destruction, intolerance, hatred, racism, riots, or to upset the Grant family and their supporters. Rather, this is an opportunity for those in our communities to come together in peace to grieve and voice their support for a former Law Enforcement Officer, Johannes Mehserle and his family and friends. There is great support for Mr. Mehserle as well as for all other Law Enforcement Officers and we recognized that an avenue needed to happen to allow these individuals to express their feelings and offer others support and encouragement.

We do NOT believe that Mr. Mehserle intentionally took the life of Mr. Grant. We believe this was a tragic mistake that occurred while on active duty and one that could have been easily preventable if BART Police demanded its officers wear their tasers on the opposite side as their gun and be made to draw that taser with their weak hand. During the course of Mr. Mehserle’s trial, evidence and witness statements provided insight that truly showed the action was not intentional. No one believes that Mr. Grant deserved to be killed nor is anyone happy that this happened. Oscar Grants family and friends have lost someone that they loved. Johannes Mehserle’s family, friends and fellow law enforcement officials have also lost someone they loved, respected and admired, but healing and forgiveness is only going to take place in our community if we make way for dialogue and truly come to understand the pain on both sides.

Throughout the last 18 months, Mr. Mehserle and his family and friends have been the victims of politics and persecuted in the public eye. While we recognize that some individuals are angry and hurt at what occurred on January 1, 2009, no one in our community has taken the time to get to know the person Johannes is. He is not the cruel and racist person he has been portrayed to be. We believe as a group that if people would truly open their eyes, get to know him and his family as well as other officers, lay the race issue aside, and open way to dialogue, that healing in our community can take place and change can happen that can benefit both sides.

Furthermore, this rally is also to support all Law Enforcement Officers and to show our thanks and appreciation to them for the work they do in our communities. Our Officers have a very stressful and difficult job, but everyday they work around the clock trying to make our communities better and safer for everyone to the best of their abilities. Law Enforcement Officers are rarely thanked or appreciated for all they do for us. To thank our officers for protecting our communities is not as some people have stated, “a racist move” – police come in all shapes, sizes and colors…. This is to truly thank them for all they do for us and nothing more.

We hope that those of you that attend the rally on Monday will show respect for both sides and for the City of Walnut Creek and the officers on duty. We ask that you resist name calling and intimidation, remain peaceful and truly allow a dialogue to take place that will promote healing for everyone. Let us know who Oscar Grant was. Ask who Johannes Mehserle is and get to know him through the people who know him. Talk with officers and get to know how they feel about their jobs, their communities, what they go through on a daily basis, how our officers can better serve you and vice versa. This rally is about opening doors of communication and setting aside our differences to promote tolerance and peace within our communities.

For those of you with ulterior motives in mind to cause harm to anyone, incite riots, violence, or destruction, we ask that you do not bring that mentality to this rally. Rather, we ask you to be respectful of those who want to be heard, regardless of whether their opinions and feelings align with yours or not.

We thank everyone for their support and look forward to Monday’s event.

Sincerely,

Rally Support Coordinators

“#274 You’re an idiot! And this was the FIRST time he had a seizure. We were not aware that he had a brain tumor”

I am #274– you never said that in your first post– how was I to know the full truth as you DID NOT say it. Do not call people ‘Idiots’ when you do not give all the facts.. you make yourself look bad. If that was my family member – I would not blame the cops for what they did & I have cops in my family– as I said — they deal with what is in front of them & find out all the facts later– it is the nature of the job.

“he killed the unarmed man who posed no threat at that point in the situation as he was on the ground and surrounded by cops.”

Many a felon pulls a gun on cops to avoid going back to prison for life– yes it happens & Mehserle recently dealt with one who had a gun in the pocket Grants was trying to get into..good people do not fight the cops..easy as that.

What’s wrong with supporting LE and this officer? The Left Coast media did their best to incite a riot with incessant angry-black-man interviews after an officer was convicted-not acquitted, convicted- in the death of a citizen alter boy at the hands of police. But it wasn’t for the charge that they wanted, so unlimited airtime was granted to the victim’s uncle’s third cousin, along with some miscellaneous twenty something agitator for the Los Angeles Union for Justice and Reparations Now group. And of course, there was the customary finger-pointing shoutdown by the local Reverend Bowtie who is just a punk in a suit. All we needed was the President to tell us that the jury acted stupidly.

“The audacity, the incesitiveness, the insult, and the carelessness of these people to go and rally for a convicted felon”

Lovell Mixon killed 4 OPD Officers & the urban folk marched in his honor & burned down a memorial for the dead cops… comment on that..

JUSTICE FOR JOEY!

Check out the website : joeypinasco.com
This doesn’t just happen to blacks!

They shot Joey 24 times. Cops had time to think, do they let Joey run because they shot him earlier. Then have to cover it up to save their jobs. This was murder!T

no where in my mind do i think that mehserle PURPOSELY set out to kill someone that night, BUT he still did and what, because it was “an accident” he shouldn’t go to jail? when is it EVER ok to pull out a gun/taser/baton ANYTHING to use on someone that’s already handcuffed and face down on the ground?? black, white, yellow, green, blue, it was wrong, wrong, WRONG. what are people going to show support of??? the fact that this man can’t distinguish between his weapons and killed someone??