LOS ANGELES - Was it a tragic accident or a deliberate act of aggression?
That’s the question facing the jury in the trial of Johannes Mehserle, an ex Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer accused of murder.
Closing statements are expected Thursday. Mehserle, 28, is on trial for the murder of Oscar Grant III, an unarmed black male.
Mehserle shot and killed Grant at the Fruitvale Bart platform on January 1st, 2009 in Oakland. Bystanders on the platform taped the shooting using cell phones. Those videos were seen thousands of times on the internet, and have played a key role in the trial. Both the prosecution and the defense have used the footage to tell their side of the story.
The trial centers on one main question: was the shooting intentional or accidental? Defense Attorney Michael Rains says his client intended to use his Taser on Oscar Grant, not his gun. But the prosecution has countered that Mehserle shot Oscar Grant intentionally, as the situation on the platform spiraled out of control.
The case has attracted widespread attention since it is the first time in California history that a law enforcement officer has been charged with murder in a shooting that happened in the line of duty.
“I think it’s important whenever you have a law enforcement officer who is actually facing murder charges,” said Laurie Levinson, a law professor at Loyola Law School and a former federal prosecutor.
She said that the implications go well beyond the Bay Area, “The issues are terribly important across the nation. What kind of conduct is happening with police officers? Are they involved in improper shootings? How often do they make mistakes? And why do they make them?”
One of the big unknowns in the case, centered around what instructions Judge Robert Perry will give to the jury. Both the defense and the prosecution have asked the judge for a different set of instructions about what charges the jury should consider. The defense has asked the judge only allow the jury to consider a second-degree murder charge, and not lesser charges of manslaughter. The prosecution believed all options should on the table for the jury.
After more than 15 days of testimony, Judge Perry has issued a ruling against the defense. Perry is allowing the jury to consider second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and voluntary manslaughter, but has ruled out first-degree murder charges, saying there is not enough evidence to suggest the shooting was pre-meditated.
“The whole point of manslaughter is that it is a compromise between deliberate killing and unpunished legal behavior,” said Frank Zimring, a law professor at the University of California Berkeley’s Boalt Law School. “It is not a compromise about bending fact. It is about evaluating facts--what you can determine when you have ambiguity of intent and a catastrophic mistake.”
But, Professor Laurie Levinson adds that historically juries have had a hard time convicting police officers to begin with. She says they might not like the conduct, but there is a feeling that law enforcement officers protect public safety.
That’s why, she says, the Mehserle case is rare. Normally, alleged acts of police misconduct are investigated internally or end up in civil courts. A criminal complaint is unusual. But this case, she adds, has been unusual from the beginning—especially since civilians caught the incident on tape.
Click here for more multimedia stories about the Oscar Grant case.
Oakland parking officers were asked to enforce parking citations in less wealthy areas of Oakland, like East and West Oakland. Parking officers have been asked to leave Oakland Hills and other areas un-patrolled for parking violations. Residents in those areas have received courtesy letters from Council members excepting them from being cited.
Parking officers held a rally on Thursday in front of Oakland’s City Hall to stand against this issue. Service Employees International Union 1021 (SEIU) sent a letter to City Administrator Dan Lindheim requesting that he investigates this issue. The letter also request that Noel Pinto, Oakland Parking Director to be immediately relieved of his duties as this issue gets investigated.
This is what parking officers had to say about this issue.
Oakland's City Council wants to update cabaret laws which would extend bar and club closing times to 5 AM. Members of the City Council see a potential increase in revenue if the current law is changed. But moving along with these changes may not be that easy. Some Oakland residents feel that in order to make this shift that the city needs to tone down its violenent crime rate first.
Currently the cabaret law states that club owners need to apply for "zoning approval, submit to background checks, and get fire and health inspections in order to play live music or music hosted by a disc jockey at their venues." Small and large venues pay the same fees for some permits. The new cabaret law would reduce permit fees for some bars to $600 from $2,200, create a smoother application process and extending closing time to 5AM from 2AM.
Changing the closing time for clubs would likely require a greater police presence at those hours. CQ press--an independent publisher--released in 2009 their annual city crime rankings and Oakland ranked as the third worst in the nation. The rankings were based on murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and vehicle theft. Is Oakland ready to have more people out at night?
OAKLAND, CA-- Oakland's Mayor Ron Dellums held a press conference on Thursday to announce three potential locations that could serve as the new home of the Oakland A’s. These three locations are waterfront sites—each potential ballpark accessible by public transportation with room for parking infrastructure and spillover entertainment activities. Dellums says this is not just about a ballpark, but about how much revenue it could bring to Oakland.
“This project is not solely about a baseball stadium. This is about continuing our efforts to bolster Oakland’s economic future. We are confident that this project will create more jobs, further stimulate our economy, generate revenue and secure Oakland’s role as a destination city.”
Mayor Dellums listed the following locations for the ballpark
• Jack London Square North: Between Jefferson and Market and 2nd Street and Interstate 880
• Victory Court: Between Oak Street and the Lake Merritt Channel and Interstate 880 and Embarcadero
• Howard Terminal.
An examination of the maps show that the Jack London North and Howard Terminal locations are so close together as to be virtually indistinguishable. All three of the proposed locations are located in the long developing Jack London Square district of Oakland.
According to Council President Brunner building a new stadium at Oakland’s waterfront would be the best. Currently “More than $3 billion dollars of public and private money is being invested in projects on Oakland’s waterfront” and the A’s would be an important part of the economic development.
Oakland mayor Ron Dellums maxes his city credit card to the limit on traveling expenses. This year alone Dellums spend $60,000 in airline flights, restaturant meals, conferences fees, and stays at classy-expensive hotels.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Dellums maxed his credit card after the Oakland city council ordered employees to cut down on unnecessary travel expenses. Mayoral spokesman Paul Rose told the San Francisco Chronicle “that Dellums' travels are necessary, and that Oakland is getting more than its money's worth. The bottom line, the mayor was elected to leverage his relationships across the globe”
But as right now, I still haven’t seen any results of Dellums’s lavish business travel.
Here is a breakdown of what was charged on Dellums credit card:
• There was a $3,284 stay at the Capital Hilton in early April, followed by a $2,024 bill at the Ritz-Carlton later in the same month.
• Dellums billed the city for another $3,900 visit at the Ritz in Washington, plus a $2,000 stay at the one in Cleveland. There was no immediate word on the reason for the Cleveland trip.
• Dellums' credit card records also list billings at a number of restaurants, including Morton's the Steakhouse of Chicago ($342) and the Old Ebbitt Grill near the White House ($162).
• While in Washington, Dellums also charged $8,520 in limousine bills to Kenzy Sedan Services.(via SFGATE)
Do you think this is necessary?
Previously:
The East Bay Express is reporting that Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums and his wife Cynthia Dellums owe at least $239,000 in back income taxes. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service says that the Dellumses failed to pay enough personal income taxes in 2005, 2006, and 2007. According to the Alameda County Recorder's Office, on October 14, the IRS placed an official lien against all of the couple's personal property for failure to pay adequate taxes in each of those years -- usually such liens remain in place until the back taxes are paid off.
(via East Bay Express)
Previously:
- Mayor Dellums
- Dellums and Too $hort Interviews [Oscar Grant]
- Oakland Mayor's Emotional Press Conference
By: Hae-Ok Miller and Nick Bellizzi
H. John’s Clothiers, a family-owned business in
Read more...
Born and raised in Oakland, screenwriter Dawn Blair is currently working on a movie titled, Ghetto Magnolia.
Inspired by Blair’s own life, Ghetto Magnolia is set in Oakland and chronicles the life of a "single songstress living ghetto fabulously in the fast lane". Tragedy then hits, sparking a dramatic change in the main character's life. Currently the film is in production and will be released in 2010.
Blair says it took her eight years to write Ghetto Magnolia. Check out the video for more:
On Tuesday, people gathered in front of Davidson Courthouse in Oakland, CA to show their full support for wanting Mehserle’s trial to remain in Alameda County. Defense attorney Michael Rains filed a motion to move venues because a potential jury survey showed Alameda residents were too informed about the case. The survey also revealed that residents who were white and those who were black pre-judged the case differently.
Community leaders, church leaders, young people, and local musicians were all in the crowd that came out for the protest. Supporters carried posters that said, “I am Oscar Grant”, “Justice for Oscar Grant”, and held pictures of people who have lost their lives to police shootings.
Judge Morris Jacobson's answer is still pending on whether or not the trial will remain in Alameda or not.
Protesters gathered outside a hearing for former Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer Johannes Mehserle on Tuesday. The hearing, which continues today, will determine if his murder trial will be moved out of Alameda County. Defense attorney Michael Rains filed a motion for a change in venue believing that his client cannot receive a fair trial based on the findings of a potential jury survey the defense commissioned. Mehserle will stand trial for the shooting death of BART passenger Oscar Grant early on New Year's morning of this year.
Jury consultant Craig New from Portland, Oregon said the survey provided to 400 of Alameda County's residents showed that 98 percent of those polled knew about Mehserle’s case. 82 percent of the respondents fear violence could occur if Mehserleis is found not guilty, and that 67.4 percent of the people knew the four facts presented in the questionnaire.
Rains’s argued these findings would prevent his client from receiving a fair trial. The jury consultant also highlighted findings that 80 percent of African Americans felt Mehserle is probably or have no doubt that he is guilty of murder. Only 5.4 percent of black respondents felt Mehserle is not guilty of murder. By comparison the survey showed that 33.1 percent of whites felt Mehserle is not guilty of murder. Craig New's said these number are astronomically high, something he has never seen in previous criminal cases he has worked on.
New's also went on to share some of the comments made by the interviewees such as “one less black person in this city is alright with me.” This statement caused the people in the court— mostly composed of African Americans— to gasp in shock. Judge Morris Jacobson quickly told Rains there was no need for his witness to share disturbing comments like those since he is already familiar with the survey.
Alameda County prosecutor David Stein questioned New about why Rains had not discussed his pay rate, or if this was a pro bono case New took on for Mehserle. Stein attacked the consultant- who was brought on board by the defense just a week and a half ago to fill in for their ailing pollster- by attempting to raise doubts about New's readiness to offer an expert opinion on the case. The prosecutor asked if New had the chance to read the papers Rains brought to the courtroom—which consisted of thousands of news report on this case. New conceded he had not read the papers provided by Rains but read 30 articles on his own.
Stein was able to get New to admit he had not he had not seen the video of the shooting provided by Rains to the court until Monday night—a day before the hearing. The consultant insisted that making the video of the shooting available to the public taints the potential jury pool, preventing Mehserle from having a fair trial.
The hearing will continue Wednesday at noon and Stein will continue to question Jury Consultant Craig New. Judge Jacobson prohibited both parties from talking to the press.
About
Hot Oakland Stories
Born and raised in Oakland, screenwriter Dawn Blair is currently working on a movie titled, Ghetto Magnolia.
Inspired by Blair’s own life, Ghetto Magnolia is set in Oakland and chronicles the life of a "single songstress living ghetto fabulously in the fast lane". Tragedy then hits, sparking a dramatic change in the main character's life. Currently the film is in production and will be released in 2010.
Blair says it took her eight years to write Ghetto Magnolia. Check out the video for more:
LOS ANGELES - Was it a tragic accident or a deliberate act of aggression?
That’s the question facing the jury in the trial of Johannes Mehserle, an ex Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer accused of murder.
Closing statements are expected Thursday. Mehserle, 28, is on trial for the murder of Oscar Grant III, an unarmed black male.
Mehserle shot and killed Grant at the Fruitvale Bart platform on January 1st, 2009 in Oakland. Bystanders on the platform taped the shooting using cell phones. Those videos were seen thousands of times on the internet, and have played a key role in the trial. Both the prosecution and the defense have used the footage to tell their side of the story.
The trial centers on one main question: was the shooting intentional or accidental? Defense Attorney Michael Rains says his client intended to use his Taser on Oscar Grant, not his gun. But the prosecution has countered that Mehserle shot Oscar Grant intentionally, as the situation on the platform spiraled out of control.
The case has attracted widespread attention since it is the first time in California history that a law enforcement officer has been charged with murder in a shooting that happened in the line of duty.
“I think it’s important whenever you have a law enforcement officer who is actually facing murder charges,” said Laurie Levinson, a law professor at Loyola Law School and a former federal prosecutor.
She said that the implications go well beyond the Bay Area, “The issues are terribly important across the nation. What kind of conduct is happening with police officers? Are they involved in improper shootings? How often do they make mistakes? And why do they make them?”
One of the big unknowns in the case, centered around what instructions Judge Robert Perry will give to the jury. Both the defense and the prosecution have asked the judge for a different set of instructions about what charges the jury should consider. The defense has asked the judge only allow the jury to consider a second-degree murder charge, and not lesser charges of manslaughter. The prosecution believed all options should on the table for the jury.
After more than 15 days of testimony, Judge Perry has issued a ruling against the defense. Perry is allowing the jury to consider second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and voluntary manslaughter, but has ruled out first-degree murder charges, saying there is not enough evidence to suggest the shooting was pre-meditated.
“The whole point of manslaughter is that it is a compromise between deliberate killing and unpunished legal behavior,” said Frank Zimring, a law professor at the University of California Berkeley’s Boalt Law School. “It is not a compromise about bending fact. It is about evaluating facts--what you can determine when you have ambiguity of intent and a catastrophic mistake.”
But, Professor Laurie Levinson adds that historically juries have had a hard time convicting police officers to begin with. She says they might not like the conduct, but there is a feeling that law enforcement officers protect public safety.
That’s why, she says, the Mehserle case is rare. Normally, alleged acts of police misconduct are investigated internally or end up in civil courts. A criminal complaint is unusual. But this case, she adds, has been unusual from the beginning—especially since civilians caught the incident on tape.
Click here for more multimedia stories about the Oscar Grant case.
Oakland parking officers were asked to enforce parking citations in less wealthy areas of Oakland, like East and West Oakland. Parking officers have been asked to leave Oakland Hills and other areas un-patrolled for parking violations. Residents in those areas have received courtesy letters from Council members excepting them from being cited.
Parking officers held a rally on Thursday in front of Oakland’s City Hall to stand against this issue. Service Employees International Union 1021 (SEIU) sent a letter to City Administrator Dan Lindheim requesting that he investigates this issue. The letter also request that Noel Pinto, Oakland Parking Director to be immediately relieved of his duties as this issue gets investigated.
This is what parking officers had to say about this issue.
Oakland's City Council wants to update cabaret laws which would extend bar and club closing times to 5 AM. Members of the City Council see a potential increase in revenue if the current law is changed. But moving along with these changes may not be that easy. Some Oakland residents feel that in order to make this shift that the city needs to tone down its violenent crime rate first.
Currently the cabaret law states that club owners need to apply for "zoning approval, submit to background checks, and get fire and health inspections in order to play live music or music hosted by a disc jockey at their venues." Small and large venues pay the same fees for some permits. The new cabaret law would reduce permit fees for some bars to $600 from $2,200, create a smoother application process and extending closing time to 5AM from 2AM.
Changing the closing time for clubs would likely require a greater police presence at those hours. CQ press--an independent publisher--released in 2009 their annual city crime rankings and Oakland ranked as the third worst in the nation. The rankings were based on murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and vehicle theft. Is Oakland ready to have more people out at night?
