Following a series of interfaith Town Hall meetings that have been held in Oakland since the murder of Oscar Grant, the first in a series of planned Caravans for Justice headed to Sacramento on February 19th, focused on various aspects of the "justice" system. A caravan of cars and buses traveled from Richmond, Oakland, San Francisco, and East Palo Alto to the California State Capitol to speak out and lobby legislators a number of issues: Oscar Grant and police killings (including revising the "Police Bill of Rights" that shields their misconduct records from the public), repressive gang laws, reforming the Three Strikes law, dropping the charges against the San Franciscso 8, environmental justice, and other laws and issues that criminalize urban youth and negatively effect communities of color.

Speakers and participants included: Christopher Muhammad - Nation of Islam; Pastor Zachary E. Carey - TrueVine Ministries; Keith Muhammad - Nation of Islam; Gordon A. Humphrey, Jr. - Olivet Institutional Missionary Baptist Church; Sandra Swanson - Black Caucus / Ca State Assembly; Joe Coto - Latino Caucus / Ca State Assembly; Barbara Becnel - Author, journalist, and film producer; Jack Bryson - Father of Friend of Oscar Grant III; Archbishop Franzo King - Saint John Coltrane Church; Mandingo - Oakland Black Panther Party; Betty Williams - Sacramento NAACP; Rudy Corpuz - United Playaz; Reverend Daniel Buford; Mike Ali - Native American Activist; Richard Brown - San Francisco 8; and Geoffrey Pete.

Townhall meetings continue to be held every Saturday at 4:30pm at Olivet Missionary Baptist Church in Oakland in order to advance a unified movement for justice and to plan for the Caravan for Justice #2.

Video | Event Announcement | Caravan for Justice

See also: The Police Bill of Rights, Copley, and Where We Are Today in CA with Police Accountability | Why Fresno Needs an Independent Police Auditor | Monday, February 23: JR of Flashpoints court hearing for felony charges | Black Panthers History "Honoring Huey P. Newton", Berkeley, 2/22/09: photos & audio | Justice for Anita Gay, Justice for All! | Justice for Anita! Justice for All! Anita Gay Vigil, Berkeley, 2/20/09 | Town Hall Featuring Minister Louis Farrakhan, Oakland, 2/17/09: photos and audio | Federal Court's Tentative Ruling Attempts to Stop Overcrowding in CA Prisons | Federal judges ready to release up to 60,000 California prisoners | Emergency Town Hall Meeting, 1/10/09 | BART has a long history of excessive force and lack of accountability

Related Indybay Features: Activists Take Over BART Board Meeting to Demand Justice for Oscar Grant | San Jose Sees Sixth Victim of Death by Taser | Justice Never Served… Five Years after the Murder of Rudy Cardenas by State Police | Community Groups Respond to Fresno Police Beating of Homeless Man