SF Labor Council condemns Police attack on Free Speech & Assembly following Oscar Grant Rally

Resolution Condemning Police Attack on Free Speech & Assembly following Oscar Grant Rally


Whereas, on Friday November 5, former BART cop Johannes Mehserle was given a jail sentence of 2 years for the 'involuntary manslaughter' of Oscar Grant. Subtracting time served and 'good behavior', Mehserle may be back on the streets in as little as 7 months; and

Whereas, the organizers of a November 5th Rally and Gathering in Frank Ogawa Plaza to honor Oscar Grant and Respond to the sentencing of Johannes Mehserle, were refused a permit for an organized march after the rally to an indoor gathering at DeFremery Park; and

Whereas, after the rally many hundreds of community members spontaneously started marching toward Fruitvale BART, the site of Oscar Grant's murder, and after the cops sealed off an entire city block, police did not allow people to disperse, called it a 'crime scene', and arrested 152 people, including San Francisco Labor Council Delegate Dave Welsh, resulting in more arrests than at any other Oscar Grant-related protest; and

Whereas, most arrestees have been cited on misdemeanor charges, held for 24 hours and have mass arraignments in the first week of December at Wiley Manuel Courthouse, 661 Washington Street in Oakland.

Therefore be It Resolved, that the San Francisco Labor Council condemns this assault on freedom of speech and assembly and demands that all these misdemeanor assembly charges be dropped.


Presented by Marcus Holder, delegate from ILWU Local 10, and adopted unanimously at the regular delegates meeting of the San Francisco Labor Council held Nov. 8, 2010 in San Francisco , California.


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S.F. Labor Council Commends ILWU Locals for Oscar Grant Rally & Port Shutdown

The San Francisco Labor Council commends ILWU Local 10 and 34 for shutting down all Bay Area Ports on October 23 to demand justice for Oscar Grant, and in calling and helping organize the powerful Justice for Oscar Grant Rally in Oakland on the same day.

In the spirit of Harry Bridges, this is an example of a union looking beyond only narrow economic self interest to support the broader struggle for social justice and support for communities of color.

This kind of stand can strengthen the labor movement as a whole by building ties with broader communities outside the organized labor movement. Thank you for this progressive move.


Statement adopted at the San Francisco Labor Council delegates meeting, Nov. 8, 2010.


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S.F. Labor Council resolution adopted unanimously Sept. 13, 2010

Resolution in Support of October 23 ILWU Rally for Justice for Oscar Grant

Whereas, Oscar Grant’s killer, BART police officer Johannes Mehserle received a verdict of involuntary manslaughter on July 8, 2010 and will be sentenced on November 5; and

Whereas, video tapes show clearly that Oscar Grant was lying face down on the Fruitvale BART platform, waiting to be handcuffed with another cop’s boot on his neck posing no threat when he was shot in the back and killed in cold blood by Mehserle; and

Whereas, black and brown racial minorities, and especially immigrant workers today, struggling for equal rights have borne the brunt of police violence; and

Whereas, the 1934 General Strike was initiated after the murder of 2 strikers by police during the West Coast Maritime Strike; and

Whereas, ILWU Local 10 has initiated the call for a mass labor and community protest rally on Saturday October 23, 2010 in Oakland 's Frank Ogawa Plaza calling for justice for Oscar Grant in the sentencing of Johannes Mehserle,

Therefore be it Resolved, that the San Francisco Labor Council endorses this rally along with other labor unions, community groups, civil rights organizations, civil liberties organizations and will help to mobilize for this rally for justice for Oscar Grant by communicating their endorsement and the time and place of the rally to affiliated unions, area labor councils and community allies through Fax Blast and other means.


Submitted by International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 10, and adopted unanimously.