Feature Archives

Otis writes:,"The rally and march against police brutality on Thursday, October 22nd, in Oakland at 14th and Broadway at 12pm, must be a powerful political expression of our anger and determination to stop a system which sets the police on the people, and then defends them from punishment. First the police murder Oscar Grant in Cold Blood! Now, the the judge has agreed with the murderer's attorney, that killer-cop Johannes Mehserle cannot get a fair trial in Oakland. A screaming irony, considering the "fair trial" that Oscar received at the hands of judge-jury-executioner Mehserle." Actions will also be happening in Arcata, Eureka, and Santa Rosa.

On October 16th, Superior Court Judge Jacobson ordered Johannes Mehserle's trial be moved outside of Alameda County. Judge Jacobson attempted to distance himself from the racism in Mehserle's change of venue motion, but by granting the move, he has in effect given credence to defense attorney Michael Rains' assertions that due to news coverage and protester's actions the citizens of Alameda are not qualified to be impartial jurors. A final venue will be chosen within about two weeks.

On September 23rd, two Fresno police officers shot and killed Lonnie Graham. He was unarmed. Police chief Jerry Dyer said his officers feared for their lives when Graham emerged from a house with a cell phone in his hand. A protest was held on October 9th, 2009 in downtown Fresno.

On April 9th, after numerous community activists spoke during a BART Board meeting takeover, Gabe Meyers independently threw a small amount of red paint onto BART General Manager Dorothy Dugger and Assistant General Manager Marcia deVaughn. On September 4th, Gabe Meyers accepted a plea bargain that was offered to him by the judge in his case, who described the action as civil disobedience in the tradition of earlier civil rights and Vietnam-era anti-war protests.

Justice for Oscar Grant activists returned to East Bay BART trains and stations on September 4th to inform riders about BART's intransigence toward holding anyone accountable for their police officers' behavior on New Year's Day. Later the same day, it was learned that BART's attempt to pass AB1586 would fail in this legislative session, meaning that there would be no new police oversight of any kind established before the end of the year.

On September 21st, J.R. Valrey stood for trial in Oakland on felony arson charges, after he was arrested while reporting on the Oscar Grant Rebellion on January 7, 2009. Valrey is a producer at KPFA radio, associate editor and multimedia director of the San Francisco Bay View newspaper, and runs the Block Report Radio website. His trial was postponed until late October. Supporters are asked to show they stand with J.R. by attending upcoming court dates.

On September 11th, Johannes Mehserle's attorney Michael Rains filed his long-expected motion for a change of venue. Mehserle and his defense team appear to be hoping for the murder trial to be moved out of Alameda County as their last best chance for him to avoid a conviction for the murder of Oscar Grant III on January 1st, 2009. In the motion, Rains accuses activist groups and Indybay of spreading "disinformation" about the case and unfairly amplifying political pressure to prosecute.