01 October 2010 |Supporting Leadership that Promotes Racial
Justice| Oakland made the headlines again this summer when a
jury delivered a verdict of involuntary manslaughter in the
trial of Johannes Mehserle. Mehserle, a BART police officer, was
on trial for shooting Oscar Grant, a young, African American in
2009.Oscar Grant’s shooting and death were captured on a cell
phone video and posted on YouTube. Oscar Grant was shot in the
back while he was defensively held face down by other BART
police officers with his hands handcuffed behind his back.
Mehserle asserted that he accidentally pulled and fired his
pistol instead of a taser gun. It is possible with this verdict
that Mesherle will be given probation and no jail time when he
is sentenced on November 3rd 2010. Months in advance of the
verdict, a number of youth organizations in Oakland began
organizing to provide opportunities for young people to gather
and talk about how this could happen and what could be done so
that it doesn’t happen again. This is a