No Justice – Just fuss

Video via Walasia

The Oscar Grant verdict comes in as guilty on the charge of involuntary manslaughter. BART police officer Mehserle killed 22 year old Grant while he was unarmed and subdued on a train platform, and would claim it was an accident – that he mistook his gun for his taser. Leaving the obvious question of why Grant needed to be tased while cuffed.

Mehserle was exonerated of 2nd degree murder and voluntary manslaughter charges but some took solace in the fact that there was a conviction at all – even if it seemed to be on a compromised charge. It’s almost certain that no such conviction would have occurred had the world not watched the death happen thanks to cell-phone video.

And so we have yet another young black male wrongfully killed by the police – dead with no one accountable. By the latest news, Mehserle seems to be having a hard time living with himself and understandably so. Still some fairness in the applying of the Law is long overdue. There is no sign of any real progress in the systemic violence, abuse and over-incarceration of young black and brown men.

On Twitter I saw Combat Jack talking about how bloggers need to be on about this. Dart Adams saying it is our responsibility to fill in for the negligence of the media. Sure but we’re more or less on the same page right. We are the choir. We can all complain to each other forever and not see any real change. What actions will improve things?

Related links:

Oscar Grant, a Victim of American Fear by Adam Serwer

The Wrong Verdict at ZunguZungu

I am Sean Bell – short doc by Stacey Muhammad

Twittering
Combat Jack, Walasia, Davey D, Dart Adams, Jeff Chang, Swag Donors, Adam Serwer

Archives
SF Police – Stop Shooting
Hip-Hop doesn’t care about black people
A civilian gets a policeman’s funeral

Play us off KRS cat!