On January 1, family and friends marked the seventh anniversary of the police murder of Oscar Grant at the Oakland BART station where his death sparked a justice movement that has caught fire nationally in recent years. About 125 people attended the afternoon vigil at Fruitvale BART Station to hear words from family, faith leaders and activists, and poetry and song in memory of Grant and Black youth lost to violence.

On January 1, 2009, Oscar Grant, III was riding BART home from San Francisco with his friends. BART Police pulled Grant and his friends off the train while responding to a call about a fight on the train. In a scene caught on cell phone video–and later depicted in the film Fruitvale Station–police attacked the young men. While arresting Grant, officer Johannes Mehserle shot Grant in the back. Grant later died. Mehserle was eventually arrested and became the first on-duty cop in California history to be arrested, tried in court and convicted for killing someone while on duty.

At the vigil, Grant’s mother Wanda Johnson called for peace and unity, encouraging activists to work cooperatively to end police violence. “Until we come together, we’ll continue to see the divide that takes place,” Johnson said. “It’s not just a racial divide. We have to work together to learn how to love one another and accept each other’s differences.”

Oscar Grant Remembered at Seventh Anniversary Vigil | Statement of Clarity on Police Commissioner Speaking at Oscar Grant Vigil

Indybay Coverage of the Justice for Oscar Grant Movement