Protesters riot in Oakland in relation to Oscar Grant killing

On January 1st, Oscar Grant was shot by a police officer at a BART (subway) station.  Someone inside the train recorded this, and it can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmJukcFzEX4

On January 7th some protesters came to Oakland in relation to this "injustice" and it then turned into a riot where property was destroyed, lit on fired and some looting.  I live in this area and heard helicopters outside and many police sirens.  I tried to go to see the "damage" but I couldn't get close enough.

Well, I think the video speaks for itself, and say what you will, but I see no reason why the officer decided to shoot the guy when he was clearly of no harm.  I'm black myself and yes, I'm pretty pissed, but at the same time this riot... it's just stupid.

riots are always riots.

Mob mentality.

Always ends with alot of innocent people hurt, and property destroyed.

I hadn't heard this story. Fuckin' tragedy, officers standing all around and he's on the ground and they shoot him? Yeah, shooter needs to be tried for murder on that.

Also, nice. Fucking asshats that decided their tragedy makes it alright to spread hatred and destruction, as if that's somehow advancing anything. Have some god damn respect for the dead.

Let me just ask you this one question?

Was the riot in a black community or not? (Riots seem ironic if they are tearing down their own community here).

From the vid (your link and others from other camera phones in the area), it seems like you got some rookie/noob cop that didn't know if his safety was off or not (reminds me of the last scene in Pulp fiction where a black guy accidentally gets shot in the back seat). After the cop shot the guy, it looks as if all the cops around was shocked it happened as well (all their body language say 'oh shit').

This was definitely not as bad as say the Rodney King beating where all the cops was in on it.

Still, Justice must be done and even if this was an accident on the job (your opinion may differ), a civilian was killed and this cop's career is definitely over. As I hear it, the cop already has death threats on him and is in hiding. At the very best here, I see Oakland police force doing a dishonarable discharge on the cop (to try to side with the public) and the new ex-cop has to move to the middle of montana or someplace real remote under a new name and everything.

EDIT: But at the worse, the cop can only be tried for manslaughter (as in no death penalty and no life in prison) here and not murder. Reason? It wasn't premeditated (Yes, if you go out in the streets and kill a random person with no evidence that you had planned to kill anyone, the worse you can get is manslaughter.) // <A white gay politician was assassinated in SF before and the most the city can get on the murderer was manslaughter; so a black victim sadly actually couldn't hope for more than that>//

But of course I'm not black so this doesn't hit me as hard as it hits the OP. So then I ask the OP (or any black members with an opinion), what could the city of Oakland and the Police department do to get back on the good side of the black comunity here? (Also still interested if the places rioted was in a black comunity or not)

I live in this area also, yes, Oakland is a predominantly black  community.

I was watching a news story about this incident, and a retired FBI agent who reviewed the footage said he thought the cop was so stressed that he thought he had his taser in his hand and not his pistol, and that the shooting was an accident.

"I live in this area also, yes, Oakland is a predominantly black  community.

I was watching a news story about this incident, and a retired FBI agent who reviewed the footage said he thought the cop was so stressed that he thought he had his taser in his hand and not his pistol, and that the shooting was an accident."

"Let me just ask you this one question?

Was the riot in a black community or not? (Riots seem ironic if they are tearing down their own community here).

From the vid (your link and others from other camera phones in the area), it seems like you got some rookie/noob cop that didn't know if his safety was off or not (reminds me of the last scene in Pulp fiction where a black guy accidentally gets shot in the back seat). After the cop shot the guy, it looks as if all the cops around was shocked it happened as well (all their body language say 'oh shit').

This was definitely not as bad as say the Rodney King beating where all the cops was in on it.

Still, Justice must be done and even if this was an accident on the job (your opinion may differ), a civilian was killed and this cop's career is definitely over. As I hear it, the cop already has death threats on him and is in hiding. At the very best here, I see Oakland police force doing a dishonarable discharge on the cop (to try to side with the public) and the new ex-cop has to move to the middle of montana or someplace real remote under a new name and everything.

EDIT: But at the worse, the cop can only be tried for manslaughter (as in no death penalty and no life in prison) here and not murder. Reason? It wasn't premeditated (Yes, if you go out in the streets and kill a random person with no evidence that you had planned to kill anyone, the worse you can get is manslaughter.) // <A white gay politician was assassinated in SF before and the most the city can get on the murderer was manslaughter; so a black victim sadly actually couldn't hope for more than that>//

But of course I'm not black so this doesn't hit me as hard as it hits the OP. So then I ask the OP, what could the city of Oakland and the Police department do to get back on the good side of the black comunity here? (Also still interested if the places rioted was in a black comunity or not)"