From Athens to Oakland: another cop murder sparks flames in the streets

by Oscar Grant Mon Feb 23, 2009 18:28

On Thursday, February 12th, community activists and leaders both political and religious attended a BART Board of Directors meeting to voice their concerns about the Board's inadequate response to the abuse and murder of Oscar Grant III on January 1st. After a half hour of being largely ignored by the Board, Coalition Against Police Executions (CAPE), the Black Panthers, and No Justice No BART assumed control of the meeting and unfurled a banner in the room. Three demands were issued: 1) fire BART Police Chief Gary Gee; 2) Fire and prosecute BART police officer Tony Pirone; and 3) respond to community demands in public. BART hired an outside law firm to investigate police actions related to the the murder of Oscar Grant without any public input. After the demands were made, demonstrators then worked their way through the Board asking them one by one to publicly commit to the demands. While most directors skirted the direct questioning or responded that they could not support the demands at this time, director Lynn Sweet stood out for agreeing that Chief Gee should be fired. Director Tom Radulovich agreed that all related proceedings should be held in public, adding that the incident has been mishandled by BART, that BART police review has been inadequate, and that BART's General Manager Dorothy Dugger should be dismissed. Activists promised that "more, much more is coming," unless BART as a whole accedes to the community's demands for more accountability and transparency...

Further infos from IMC-BAY AREA

by Oscar Grant Fri Jan 16, 2009 13:00

Tribute music video to memory of Oscar Grant at end...

Ex-Officer Charged in Oakland Killing of Unarmed Black Passenger
from Democracy Now :
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/1/15/ex_officer_charge...lling

AMY GOODMAN: We’re joined in San Francisco by journalist and hip hop activist Davey D. He runs the popular website Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner at http://www.daveyd.com/ . He is the co-host of Hard Knock Radio on KPFA in Berkeley.

The killing of Oscar Grant has sparked a series of protests in Oakland. On the night of January 7th, over 105 people were arrested in what’s been described by some as the Oakland rebellion, when some protesters set cars on fire and damaged over three dozen businesses. Another eighteen protesters were arrested last night on vandalism charges after another large protest in Oakland. On Wednesday, a National Day of Nonviolent Action to protest the killing of Oscar Grant was held in over a dozen other cities.

DAVEY D: Well, he was found in Nevada on a fugitive warrant. And I think that was welcome news to many of the people that have been organizing and mobilizing around seeing justice in what is—you know, what most of us see as a straight-up execution.

And I don’t think people can really appreciate how traumatic that is. I mean, we saw an execution, a modern-day lynching, take place before our very eyes.

I just feel that there’s a lot of people that are very angry, and this sort of incident is not one that can be resolved by—it can’t be resolved just with one or two actions. Some people are so angry, I don’t think they know how to even express it. When you talk to them, you just hear stories about “The cops have killed my friend,” “The cops have abused me, I’ve been abused,” “Family has been abused.” You hear those stories over and over again. And I think this particular egregious crime has triggered something in a lot of people. Some people can express it better. They have a sense of direction. They have an idea and a plan of action that they can follow.

OG3-Oscar Grant Tribute-This Week With Jasiri X Episode 16
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSFs1CQYDgY
Vid played on Democracy now

Same Story, different place:
Meanwhile In Greece, over a similar youth killed by a cop:

The Truth about protests in Athens
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/90639

Athens, Greece: Cops murder 16 year old boy
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/90111

Oscar Grant with his 4 year old girl - befor cop execution

Caption: Video Id: zSFs1CQYDgY Type: Youtube Video
Embedded video Youtube Video

by Oscar Grant Wed Jan 14, 2009 17:02

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/1/14/headlines#16

by b Sat Jan 10, 2009 00:15

Good Article On Greek Uprising in Le Monde Diplomatique
http://mondediplo.com/2009/01/06greece

Still, some of the looting was indeed the work of hungry crowds, Greek for the most part. “It’s a new phenomenon,” said one student. “In protests in the past you’d get students and trade unions at the front, then political parties with Syriza at the back. Behind them would be the anarchists and, when things kicked off, they would move among the ranks of Syriza… and everyone would get beaten up. But now, behind the anarchists there’s a new bloc – the hungry. Whether they are immigrants, drug addicts or down-and-outs, they know you can usually get something to eat on a protest.”
World turned upside down

A second invention of the government and media is the claim that “angry citizens” have taken the law into their own hands to chase off rioters. On the contrary: they have often tried to chase off the riot police. Small shopkeepers shout at them to get lost; passers-by wade in to try and rescue students they’ve arrested. Having understood they cannot keep their children at home, parents and grandparents join them on the streets in order to look after them. A world turned upside down.

by Oscar Grant Fri Jan 09, 2009 23:09

Photo found from Polish Indymedia

I am Oscar Grant