The justice system has made it clear that being black can be a crime in this country and that if your a white police officer its ok to murder a innocent black man and get a way with it so sad
Jury delivers involuntary manslaughter verdict in Oakland shooting
(CNN) -- A former police officer who is white was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter Thursday in the killing of an unarmed black man in Oakland, California.
The verdict was announced in Los Angeles, where the trial was held, shortly after 4 p.m. PT (7 p.m. ET).
Johannes Mehserle, who was a Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer at the time of the incident, was accused of shooting 22-year-old Oscar Grant on an Oakland train platform on January 1, 2009.
Mehserle could have been found not guilty, guilty of murder or guilty of a lesser offense including manslaughter. The trial was moved from Alameda County to Los Angeles due to pre-trial publicity.
Mehserle, wearing a gray suit, blue shirt and red tie, showed no emotion during the reading of the verdict. The former officer did not saying anything to Superior Court Judge Robert Perry or attorneys.
About a dozen Los Angeles County deputies escorted the handcuffed defendant out of the courtroom after the verdict was announced.
Mehserle, who was on duty when the shooting occurred, said at the trial that he intended to draw and fire his Taser rather than his gun, CNN affiliate KTVU reported.
Wanda Johnson, the mother of Oscar Grant, rocked back and forth in her seat before and during the reading of the verdict.
Sentencing is set for August 6. Involuntary manslaughter normally carries a maximum sentence of up to four years in prison under California law. But the judge could add an "enhancement" that could provide a longer sentence because a firearm was used in commission of a crime.
Members of the jury, which included no African-Americans, said they were unanimous in their decision. Their finding indicates that Mehserle was criminally negligent.
The shooting was captured on a bystander's cell-phone video camera. The video was widely circulated on the Internet and on news broadcasts, and it spurred several protests and riots in and around Oakland.
Bay Area Rapid Transit police were called to Oakland's Fruitvale station on January 1, 2009, after passengers complained about fights on a train. Officers pulled several men, including Grant, off the train when it arrived at Fruitvale.
The video showed Mehserle pulling his gun and fatally shooting Grant in the back as another officer kneeled on the unarmed man.
Mehserle resigned his position a few days after the incident and was later arrested in Nevada. He was released on a $3 million bond.
CNN's Stan Wilson contributed to the report.
I've fired a taser and several small hand guns before and you could most definitely tell the difference
im not gonna deny there's still racism in this country (on both black and whites parts) but in an high adrenaline situation like that it could have been possible i think i don't know for sure but i could definitely see that having part the reason the wrong weapon was grabbed also mentioning it was an all white jury kinda bugged me just because they were white was not the reason the voted the way they did
Hmmm i'm on the fence. This could have been racist it could have not. If this asshole was just as power trippy he could have easily shot a white man in the same manner, or a mexican, or an asian. In my opinion he was just an asshole cop on a power trip and wanted to show this guy who was boss, and probably thought he'd look cool to all his other cop friends.
I don't know what the process is to become a cop but if they do psych tests then they sure are doing them well. I have seen too many stories of cops on the edge or just fucked up dirty cops.
I bet you anything this dude was mouthing off to the cop and the cop got pissed and shot him. I'm not saying that mouthing off was a good reason to get shot, but I don't know that it was a racist crime. He just happened to be a white cop, and the guy happened to be black. If it was a black cop and a white gy in the same situation i can guarantee that the word "racist" would never even be uttered, let alone plastered all over it.
The facts are, the cop was fucked up and the guy didn't deserve to die. I don't think race matters at all. However, the fact that there were no black people on the jury is disturbing. I think it just goes to show that the justice system is more inclinced to favor members of the justice system rather than a regular joe schmoe. By not putting any black people on the jury they were insuring that he'd get a lesser sentence.
you could have a point if it wasn't for white cops constantly killing black ppl and getting away with it i searched for 30 mins and couldn't find 1 story about a black cop killing a unarmed white man cause it doesn't happen but i did find pages of white cops killing black ppl I even found a white cop killing a black cop and still got away with it
Quoting BAMBAMmommy:Hmmm i'm on the fence. This could have been racist it could have not. If this asshole was just as power trippy he could have easily shot a white man in the same manner, or a mexican, or an asian. In my opinion he was just an asshole cop on a power trip and wanted to show this guy who was boss, and probably thought he'd look cool to all his other cop friends.
I don't know what the process is to become a cop but if they do psych tests then they sure are doing them well. I have seen too many stories of cops on the edge or just fucked up dirty cops.
I bet you anything this dude was mouthing off to the cop and the cop got pissed and shot him. I'm not saying that mouthing off was a good reason to get shot, but I don't know that it was a racist crime. He just happened to be a white cop, and the guy happened to be black. If it was a black cop and a white gy in the same situation i can guarantee that the word "racist" would never even be uttered, let alone plastered all over it.
The facts are, the cop was fucked up and the guy didn't deserve to die. I don't think race matters at all. However, the fact that there were no black people on the jury is disturbing. I think it just goes to show that the justice system is more inclinced to favor members of the justice system rather than a regular joe schmoe. By not putting any black people on the jury they were insuring that he'd get a lesser sentence.
Exactly the way I feel but you said it perfectly!
Quoting BAMBAMmommy:Hmmm i'm on the fence. This could have been racist it could have not. If this asshole was just as power trippy he could have easily shot a white man in the same manner, or a mexican, or an asian. In my opinion he was just an asshole cop on a power trip and wanted to show this guy who was boss, and probably thought he'd look cool to all his other cop friends.
I don't know what the process is to become a cop but if they do psych tests then they sure are doing them well. I have seen too many stories of cops on the edge or just fucked up dirty cops.
I bet you anything this dude was mouthing off to the cop and the cop got pissed and shot him. I'm not saying that mouthing off was a good reason to get shot, but I don't know that it was a racist crime. He just happened to be a white cop, and the guy happened to be black. If it was a black cop and a white gy in the same situation i can guarantee that the word "racist" would never even be uttered, let alone plastered all over it.
The facts are, the cop was fucked up and the guy didn't deserve to die. I don't think race matters at all. However, the fact that there were no black people on the jury is disturbing. I think it just goes to show that the justice system is more inclinced to favor members of the justice system rather than a regular joe schmoe. By not putting any black people on the jury they were insuring that he'd get a lesser sentence.
Here's a story about a black man going to jail for shooting a drunk white teen breaking in to his house he got MORE jail time for self defense than a white person shooting a innocent man in the back hummmm
Black LIer Heads to Prison for Killing White Teen
By Associated Press on Jul 8th, 2010
A black Long Island homeowner convicted of killing a white teenager during a group confrontation plans has surrendered to begin his prison term.
In this March 19, 2008 file photo, John White walks into court in Riverhead, N.Y., before being sentenced to two to four years in prison for fatally shooting an intoxicated white teenager during a racially charged confrontation with two carloads of young people at the end of his driveway. A state appeals court upheld White's manslaughter conviction on Friday, May 21, 2010. (AP Photo/Ed Betz, File)
John White turned himself into court authorities in Riverhead on Thursday to begin a sentence of two to four years.
The 56-year-old Miller Place man was convicted of manslaughter and a weapon charge for killing Daniel Cicciaro Jr. in 2006.
White said his gun went off by accident. He said a mob of white teens showed up at the end of his driveway, spewing racial epithets.
The teens had been feuding with White's son and believed a false Internet claim that he had threatened to rape a girl they knew.
Authorities said White should have called 911.
The state's highest court refused last week to hear White's l
Quoting MylifeMylove23:Exactly the way I feel but you said it perfectly!
Quoting BAMBAMmommy:Hmmm i'm on the fence. This could have been racist it could have not. If this asshole was just as power trippy he could have easily shot a white man in the same manner, or a mexican, or an asian. In my opinion he was just an asshole cop on a power trip and wanted to show this guy who was boss, and probably thought he'd look cool to all his other cop friends.
I don't know what the process is to become a cop but if they do psych tests then they sure are doing them well. I have seen too many stories of cops on the edge or just fucked up dirty cops.
I bet you anything this dude was mouthing off to the cop and the cop got pissed and shot him. I'm not saying that mouthing off was a good reason to get shot, but I don't know that it was a racist crime. He just happened to be a white cop, and the guy happened to be black. If it was a black cop and a white gy in the same situation i can guarantee that the word "racist" would never even be uttered, let alone plastered all over it.
The facts are, the cop was fucked up and the guy didn't deserve to die. I don't think race matters at all. However, the fact that there were no black people on the jury is disturbing. I think it just goes to show that the justice system is more inclinced to favor members of the justice system rather than a regular joe schmoe. By not putting any black people on the jury they were insuring that he'd get a lesser sentence.
I think reason why you are finding more stories is because they are brought to our attention more than the other. If people push for it, it will be in the news. If you don't then its not. I have a friend whose baby was killed by SBS by the father who is white, same time a black man shook his child both were during the exact time, in fact both babies were in the same hospital right near each other. The black man was on tv and had press and my friend's case was never covered on tv at all. His case took about 3 years to finish and the black man's didnt because of the press. It's all about who pushes it more. Not about color.
Breastfeeding--please help me!!!
- LilGina
on Jul. 9, 2010 at 1:23 AM