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BART Cop Tony Pirone FIRED!! His credibility will be an issue in Mehserle trial. Will DA prosecute Pirone?

by dave id
Congratulations to everyone who has worked over the last 15 months to help make this happen!!
racistviolentcop_tonypirone.jpg
Tony Pirone, the BART cop who, along with his partner BART cop Marysol Domenici, physically and verbally abused Oscar Grant and his friends on the Fruitvale BART platform on January 1st, 2009 -- setting up and escalating the situation that Johannes Mehserle walked into just minutes before he shot Oscar Grant in the back -- has finally been fired by BART.

Exactly two weeks after the largest demonstration for justice for Oscar Grant in over a year took to the BART system's underground stations in San Francisco -- demanding that Tony Pirone be fired by BART and tried for his crimes by the Alameda County DA -- BART's interim Police Chief Dash Butler, who supervised police at the protest, has finally fired racist and violent BART cop Tony Pirone. Chief Butler sent a message to police personal regarding Tony Pirone's actions on New Year's Day 2009 -- "that sort of thing isn't accepted."

This has to be bad news for Johannes Mehserle's upcoming trial for the murder of Oscar Grant in June in Los Angeles. Both Pirone and Domenici (herself fired on March 24th) had previously testified at Mehserle's preliminary hearing. They told lie after lie on behalf of their friend in blue, but both still had their credibility officially intact because BART had refused to hold them accountable in any way. In fact, the agency's only public comment on them had been that all of the officers on the platform on New Year's Day had acted professionally and according to protocol, placing the blame for Oscar Grant's murder on Oscar Grant himself. But now, the officer who pulled one of Oscar Grant's friends to the ground by his hair (a "hair pull takedown," as Pirone bragged in court), the officer who yelled "Bitch ass ni**er" at Oscar Grant seconds before he was murdered, will no longer be able to testify as a police officer in good standing within his department.

And now that the paychecks have finally stopped -- well over $100,000 paid in salary in the 15 months since the murder of Oscar Grant -- what will the Alameda County District Attorney's office do to hold Tony Pirone accountable for his actions on January 1st, 2009? Do they care to prosecute hate crimes committed by police officers?
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by Progressive Dave
Just wondering if anybody cares about the Chinese dude that two brothers unintentionally took out last week in Oaktown? No one's saying they hated Chinese. The were just two brothers who were pissed and took it out on this guy. I get the outrage over Oscar. Does anybody care about this guy?
by huh
Last time I checked, the two you speak of are in jail already facing murder charges. One of them even turned himself in. There is no report that they yelled racial epithets at him before they brutalized him. And they were not paid over $100,000 by BART for 15 months after allegedly partaking in a murder.

With so many obvious differences between the two stories, it's curious you bring that up in this thread. You sound more like a right-winger trying to belittle the victory activists feel right now that Pirone has finally at least been fired.
by angry
If it was 3 black guys who killed a police officer they would be given the gas chamber. Look up those officers so Oscar Grants family can get the justice the deserve.

"NO JUSTICE NO PEACE NO RACIST POLICE"
by angry
if give the mods permission to edit
by ntuit
The efforts of the community have paid off. BART is not perfect but these firings help in the effort to bring accountability for improper and illegal actions. Hopefully this will be a warning to the police on the BART force (and other forces) that racist and unnecessary brutalization of our young people - or any people of any age or race - WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. Now it is time for the D.A. to stand up and hold Pirone & Domenici criminally accountable for their role in the death of Oscar Grant.
by .
not just ''bart'' police. ALL police must be held accountable! your name goes to ALL police computers when you are arrested/ kidnapped.
by Mesha Monge-Irizarry
hopefully Domenici and Pirone having to fess up to their racist and escalating behaviors will weight heavily on the Mehserle trial.
and may impact other counties/states, in terms of the illegality of Racially biased Policing.
WE NEED CIVILIAN OVERSIGHT, IN OAKTOWN AND EVERYWHERE !
In Unity & Respect
mesha
Idriss Stelley Foundation
BART Fires Officer Involved In Oscar Grant III Shooting
BART Fires Officer Involved In Oscar Grant III Shooting

Posted: 3:28 pm PDT April 22, 2010
Updated: 10:38 pm PDT April 22, 2010

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Two weeks ago, demonstrators took their protest to BART stations in San Francisco to call for the firing BART Police Officer Tony Pirone. On Thursday, they got their wish.

Pirone and his partner Marysol Domenici were the first BART police officers to answer the call of a fight on a BART train early New Year's Day last year.

BART fired Domenci almost a month ago on March 25th. KTVU has learned that -- after an administrative hearing -- acting BART Police Chief Daschle Butler Thursday signed papers to also terminate Pirone.

Just before 5 p.m. Thursday, Butler sent out a notice informing all BART police personnel that Officer Pirone's more than five-year-long employment with BART had ended.

“It was because of his actions that night," said Butler about the firing. "I hope the reaction will be that people will understand that this is some place where that sort of thing isn't accepted."
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