Oscar Grant

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January 4, 2011 | 4:56 PM | By

Police email shows strategy, politics in run-up to Oscar Grant protests

Henderson Images

Below is an email exchange between Oakland Police Captain David Downing, the head of OPD’s Support Operations Division, and OPD Officer Charles O’Connor. The May 8 communication is essentially a clarification for rules of engagement (ROE) for OPD officers preparing for the verdict in the trial of Johannes Mehserle. Former Mayor Ron Dellums and members of the city council had participated in previous demonstrations following Mehserle’s shooting of unarmed BART passenger Oscar Grant on New Year’s Day, 2009. In a telephone conversation earlier today, Capt. Downing said the participation of city officials had caused “operational difficulties.”

Also noted is the practice of confiscating video and photo equipment found on arrestees. Capt. Downing referred to this as standard practice for arrests because footage or pictures taken by suspects can be “fantastic evidence” if they happen to document someone committing a crime.

Downing did not comment on his remarks concerning Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley except for qualifying his words as “personal opinions, and certainly not those of the police department as a whole.” (Text after the jump.)

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FILED UNDER: Police, Alameda County District Attorney, Oakland, Oakland Police Department, Oscar Grant
January 3, 2011 | 12:09 PM | By

Five public safety issues to watch in 2011

Keoki Seu

How will 2010's controversies play out this year?

In 2010, the Bay Area was a hotspot for criminal justice issues that have been brewing nationwide. From the shooting death of Oscar Grant to the campaign to legalize marijuana, we provided sparks that ignited controversies. That trend will likely continue in 2011– many themes of the past year will continue to resonate in policy and politics. Here are five that we’ll be watching:

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FILED UNDER: Community, Marijuana, Oscar Grant, Prison Overcrowding
December 16, 2010 | 6:17 PM | By

Monitoring protests: normal policing or something deeper?

Ali Winston

Two unidentified officers monitor and record demonstrators in Downtown Oakland on July 8th, 2010

So we now know that personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Secret Service and the California Department of Justice helped gather intelligence during various Oscar Grant protests in 2009 and 2010. The authorities say the assistance of a few dozen federal and state agents amongst the approximately 800 law enforcement officers who turned out for Operation Verdict was not a significant departure from routine police work.

The Bureau has also been actively involved in monitoring demonstrators in other states: In Illinois and Minnesota, a number of antiwar and pro-Palestinian activists have had their houses raided or received subpoenas for records relating to their political views and actions. The FBI’s search warrants indicate they are searching for ties between the activists and groups in Colombia and the Middle East such as the FARC and Hamas.

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FILED UNDER: Police, California Department of Justice, DEA, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Oakland, Oakland Police Department, Oscar Grant, United States Secret Service
December 15, 2010 | 9:29 AM | By

Police files reveal Federal interest in Oscar Grant protests, “Anarchists”

Ali Winston

Two unidentified officers monitor and record demonstrators in Downtown Oakland on July 8th, 2010

Documents recently obtained by The Informant reveal the significant involvement of state and federal law enforcement in monitoring the various Oscar Grant protests in Oakland over the past two years.

According to internal Oakland Police Department documents about the July 8th protests that followed Johannes Mehserle’s involuntary manslaughter conviction, agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Secret Service, and the California Department of Justice were assigned to monitor crowd activities.

Thirty-three federal, state and local officers were assigned to video details posted in buildings surrounding Frank Ogawa Plaza and throughout the crowd of several hundred demonstrators. Among them were personnel from the Secret Service, the state Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, and Bureau of Investigation and Intelligence who took video of the protest. Some DEA and Oakland Police officers recorded the protest, while others dressed in plainclothes provided intelligence from within the crowd to OPD’s Emergency Operations Command Center at 1605 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

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FILED UNDER: Police, California Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Oakland, Oakland Police Department, Oscar Grant, Siegel & Yee, United States Secret Service
December 1, 2010 | 11:16 AM | By

Mehserle bail hearing set for Friday

Ali Winston

Hundreds protest Johannes Mehserle's involuntary manslaughter conviction on July 8th

The Oscar Grant-Johannes Mehserle court saga did not end with Judge Robert Perry’s imposition of a two-year sentence earlier this month. The former BART officer is appealing the involuntary manslaughter verdict handed down to him on November 8th. If Judge Perry believes Mehserle’s appeal stands a chance, he may release the 28-year-old on bail.

Defense attorney Michael Rains will present his argument on Friday. Deputy Alameda District Attorney David Stein will argue against his release.

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FILED UNDER: Courts, Johannes Mehserle, Oakland, Oscar Grant
November 9, 2010 | 8:58 AM | By

After Mehserle sentencing, Oakland moves forward

Michael Patrick

It’s been nearly two years since former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle shot Oscar Grant to death at Oakland’s Fruitvale station. Friday, Mehserle received his sentence: two years in prison for involuntary manslaughter. Including credit for time served, Mehserle could get out of prison in seven months. Other than probation, this was the shortest possible sentence that could have been administered by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Perry, and it led to demonstrations Friday night in Oakland. After a peaceful rally in front of city hall, protestors marched toward the Fruitvale BART station.

During the march, isolated instances of vandalism broke out in the Eastlake neighborhood. Police officers from several outside agencies corralled and arrested 153 people. I was on the scene Friday night and sat down with KALW’s Holly Kernan to talk about the events. (Transcript after the jump.)

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FILED UNDER: Community, Police, BART, Johannes Mehserle, Oakland, Oscar Grant
November 8, 2010 | 1:50 PM | By

What we learned from the Oscar Grant protests

Ali Winston

Demonstrators decorate a banner with messages at Friday's rally in Ogawa Plaza

by Ali Winston and Rina Palta

On Friday, it all culminated: almost two years of outrage, antagonism and pain over the fatal shooting of Oscar Grant by former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert J. Perry sentenced Mehserle to two years in prison. Other than probation, it was the most lenient available sentence for involuntary manslaughter. Perry also tossed out a gun enhancement finding by the jury that could have added up to ten years to the sentence.

Predictably, the decision did not sit well with many Bay Area residents. Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Police, BART, Johannes Mehserle, Oscar Grant
November 5, 2010 | 12:58 PM | By

Preliminary reports: Mehserle sentenced 2 years prison time; 292 days of credit

photo: Wilmer Tejada - Youth Radio/ BY-NC-SA

UPDATE:

Johannes Mehserle has been sentenced to two years in state prison, with 292 days of credit for time served and good behavior–which means, other than probation, Mehserle received the lightest possible sentence for his involuntary manslaughter conviction in the killing of Oscar Grant. Judge Robert Perry also waived the jury’s conviction on a gun enhancement, which lowered the minimum sentence, saying that he had made a judicial error in his instructions for the jury. Preliminary analysis from news media suggests that Mehserle could be retried on the enhancement (and could appeal the involuntary manslaughter sentence as well). It’s unclear how much time Mehserle will actually serve–mainly, whether he’ll be eligible for any additional time credits once he begins his prison term.

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FILED UNDER: Community, Johannes Mehserle, Oscar Grant