top
East Bay
East Bay
Indybay
Indybay
Indybay
Regions
Indybay Regions North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area California United States International Americas Haiti Iraq Palestine Afghanistan
Topics
Newswire
Features
From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature

8th Annual Oscar Grant Vigil — Gone But Not Forgotten

sm_oscargrant8th.jpg
Date:
Sunday, January 01, 2017
Time:
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Event Type:
Vigil/Ritual
Organizer/Author:
Oscar Grant Foundation
Location Details:
Grant (Fruitvale) BART station
Oakland

January 1st marks the 8th anniversary of the murder of Oscar Grant III by then BART Police Officer Johannes Mehserle. As in years past, Oscar’s family, friends and the Oakland community will gather at Grant (Fruitvale) station on Sunday, January 1, 2017 from 12-4 pm to honor the life of Oscar J. Grant III.

In the early morning hours of New Year’s Day, Oscar was making his way home from San Francisco with his friends when they were pulled off the train by BART police officers. Within minutes, the unarmed Oscar was called a racial slur, punched, handcuffed, slammed to the ground and ultimately shot in the back. The BART police officers were so violent and escalated the situation so quickly that train passengers pulled out their phones and captured the entire tragic incident. The videos of Oscar’s murder sparked a grass-roots community led movement with an international reach and forever changed the way families and communities organize against police brutality.

Indeed, the Black Lives Matter Movement of today can easily be traced back to the three-year struggle led by Oakland community members as they struggled for justice for Oscar. That struggle eventually led to the first time in California history, an on-duty police officer was arrested, tried and convicted for the shooting of an unarmed black man.

“This is a vigil – a celebration of my son’s life. We will stand in unity with our community and with a prayer that the violence ends today – and that no other family ever has to endure what we have managed to survive.” Let this day be a reminder for ourselves and for others where we stand in the struggle for justice. As we honor Oscar, we also honor ourselves. We are all Oscar Grant!

Performances featuring Mark Bamuthi Joseph, Candice Antique, Ryan Nicole, Young Gifted and Black, Kev Choice and other special guests.


About the Oscar Grant Foundation (OGF)

The Oscar Grant Foundation (OGF) was established in August 2010, as a Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation after the criminal trial and subsequent conviction of former B.A.R.T. Police Officer Johannes Mehserle for the January 1, 2009, unlawful killing of Oscar Julius Grant III. Oscar's mother, Rev. Wanda R. Johnson, now heads the Foundation, and its mission is to help bridge the gap of distrust between individuals in at-risk communities and law enforcement. The goal of the OGF is to be a resource for those in need.

Added to the calendar on Fri, Dec 30, 2016 5:59PM
Listed below are the latest comments about this post.
These comments are submitted anonymously by website visitors.
TITLE
AUTHOR
DATE
Zaqchary RunningWolf
Sat, Dec 31, 2016 12:40PM
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!

Donate

$70.00 donated
in the past month

Get Involved

If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.

Publish

Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.

IMC Network