Oscar Grant III

Mr. Grant, a 22-year-old, was shot point blank, in the back by a police officer in Oakland. Mr. Grant was lying face down on a train platform, then the cop, Johannes Mehserle, shot him. Witnesses captured the event on their cell phones and posted it online. Here are search results for vids of the shooting on youtube.

This is despicable. Mr. Grant was a young, Black man whose murder at the hands of a police officer adds weight to already disturbing statistics.

Cops have power. They have the guns, they have the law, they have the authority and as such they must be held accountable. Too often these maverick cops get away with murder, acquitted. Too often we hear the excuse that the cops were stressed, under pressure, in a risky situation. That is no excuse. No wonder some demonstrators in Oakland turned to rioting. Aren't YOU pissed off?

Here's the article from the NY Times. And a touching piece from the San Francisco Chronicle.