Oscar Grant's friends have every right to file a federal civil rights suit that could potentially hold the BART police accountable for the actions that led to Grant's death - the greatest tragedy of that early morning confrontation.

The men - Jack Bryson, 21, and his 19-year-old brother, Nigel Bryson; Michael Greer, 22; Carlos Reyes, 21; and Fernando "June" Anicete, 20 - endured "several hours of being painfully handcuffed and/or mercilessly interrogated, all while mourning the demise of their childhood friend," said the… Read More

  Davey D is the truth. And not just on Twitter. He aint never lied about keeping a close watch of the Oscar Grant preliminary hearing that starts today - the hearing is expected to last for two weeks and will determine if the cop who shot Grant will actually go to trial for murder.… Read More

  The El Monte Police Department (EMPD) must not have gotten the memo that they can not go all Rodney King on a pursuit suspect after… Read More

    I've always been fascinated with Huey Percy Newton. Today would have been Newton's 67th birthday if he hadn't been gunned down by an Oakland drug dealer, 20 years ago, in the same streets he use to protect the people from the police.   That iconic photo of Newton, spear in one hand, shot gun in the other, cloaked in ghetto wears, always grabbed my attention. Mostly because as a child, my family use to own a wicker chair like the one Newton… Read More

 

  It's not just Lincoln's birthday today.  It's also the 100th anniversary of the NAACP and folk might fool you into thinking that's not important because the occupants of the White House are black, but don't be hoodwinked y'all.  Sure the old guard may need to loosen it's reign over the organization and continue to embrace the youngsters, but that doesn't mean the group is no longer relevant. As long as there are… Read More

The attorney for the cop who shot 22-year-old Oscar Grant in the back at an Oakland train station on New Years morning, is claiming that his client mistakenly pulled out his gun instead of his Taser.

The lawyer for a former transit officer who shot and killed an unarmed man says his client may have mistakenly pulled his service pistol instead of a stun gun.   Attorney Michael Rains made the argument Friday in urging a judge to grant 27-year-old Johannes Mehserle bail [...]   But in a court filing Friday, Rains says witness accounts indicate that Mehserle meant to draw his Taser, but instead pulled his pistol.… Read More