Thursday, January 15, 2009

Oscar Grant III Protest and March January 14, 2009



Yesterday I attended the Protest and March in honor of Oscar Grant III who was killed by a BART Police Officer on New Year's Day at the Fruitvale BART Station.

There were upwards of 1,000 people there and the event was well planned. The participation came from people from very diverse backgrounds uniting for a common and urgent cause.

Letters were read from the parents of Sean Bell who were killed by police in NY. They are still seeking justice in that case. Congresswoman Barbara Lee, the new Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus who represents Oakland also sent a letter to be read and will be meeting with the event organizers today in Washington DC to aid her support.

Local area clergy, family and friends of Oscar Grant, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums, Local Union representatives, members of the Native American community, and many others also joined in to help the effort.

Don't believe what you might see and here in the media. I arrived at the rally with the sounds of Barack Obama's "Fired Up, Ready To Go" speech that has been set to music blaring on the public address system. The rally began promptly at 4:00pm and continued until about 5:00pm. After the speeches the march to Alameda County District Attorney's Office began up 14th street and circled back to City Hall and ended approximately 8:00pm.

Local news station began reporting about 8:30pm some of the group splintered off and caused vandalism. There were approximately 23 arrests.

It is my belief that the people who caused the damage had no part in the rally and march. They are people looking for a reason to cause trouble. It's unfortunate they are placed in the same category with the citizens who came to make a statement that a crime such as this has no place in our society. Many people heeded the many requests of peaceful and meaningful protest.

There have been some opinions in the local papers asking, where was the outrage when young black men kill each other. The response is there is outrage in our community but because there are no cameras there to capture these incidents or their reaction it is not seen by the larger community.

I left the event with a renewed commitment to remember that Oscar Grant could've been any one of us, or someone we know. It is so important to not let these incidents go unnoticed and unpunished. We might speak up and attend the hearings, let elected officials know we will remember their actions when re-election time comes, and support-create-fund programs that helps people, especially our young people achieve.

An update on the officer. He has been charged with murder but the Alameda County District Attorney. He is being held at a facility in Dublin, Ca in protective custody as authorities fear that if the other inmates find out he is a police officer he will be killed. His family and their neighborhood had to be evacuated in Napa, Ca yesterday because of two packages suspected to be bombs were left on his parents door step.

Although he has been charged with murder it is not guaranteed he will be prosecuted for that crime. He could face manslaughter charges or be cleared entirely. That's why it is important that we not let this situation die. The BART board and other officials are hoping they can wait us out and allow this incident to go the way of many others once the public's fascination is focused on something else...

I have pictures posted on MySpace http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=73542454&albumId=2578352

Jair-The Literary Masturbator™
myspace.com/theliterarymasturbator
http://theliterarymasturbator.blogspot.com/
"It Is Better To Live Your Own Destiny Imperfectly Than To Live An Imitation Of Somebody Else's Life With Perfection"

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