Riots in Oakland

[sgreger1]

For those who don’t know, yesterday was the verdict on the Mehserle (sp?) case where a (white) cop shot a (black) guy on the BART on “accident”. Basically the guy was resisting arrest and he went to pull out his tazer to subdue him but “accidentally” pulled out his gun and shot the kid.


As you can imagine this created a Rodney King like atmosphere around the black community in Oakland and they had to move the trial to Los Angeles because people were rioting.


Anyways, my trip on the BART was delayed yesterday because they announced the verdict right as I got off work (FAIL). And everyone was pissed. He got the lesser of the possible convictions, involuntary manslaughter du to gross negligence.


As always, people took this opportunity to protest the verdict and seek “justice” by lighting fires and looting local stores and attacking police, but overall wasn’t as bad as it could have been.




They wanted to get him on a murder charge but frankly I felt the verdict was fair. A police officer is held to a higher standard in regards to operation of a firearm and should have known right off the bat that he didn’t pull out a tazer. I mean the weight differentce and feel of a tazer compared to a pistol is extremely noticeable, but I think he was in the moment and, being a cop from Oakland, probably expecting the worst so he just spazzed out and grabbed something from his belt and pulled the trigger.

I think the cop was EXTREMELY negligent and should have known he had un-holstered his firearm and not his tazer, but I also don’t believe he intentionally tried to shoot the kid or premeditated a murder against the young man. I think involuntary manslaughter and a HUGE payout to the family is fair.

What do you think of this. Is this police maliciously attacking a black or is it a cop just being scared and acting stupidly? If a white person had been shot, would the masses of Oakland be rioting?

[tom502]

If it had been a white guy resisting arrest, and shot by a black cop, I doubt we'd hear anything, because whites generally don't have a racist mentality that is pro-crime. Sure we'd be miffed, and shake our heads, but our racial bretheren would not amass in the streets and riot and loot, rape and kill and sing praises to crime and hate honky.

Is the cop quilty? Seems so. Did he "really" mean to shoot the guy? We can only guess.

I don't approve of riots, be it thug city, or G-8 anarchists, it just reeks of uncivilization.

But I do think we really need to racially segregate the cops to the areas they patrol based on race. Because this crap happens now and again, and the anti-cop/white pro-crime thug parade is too quick to march and riot.

The question, really, is would the "reaction" be the same, IF if was a black cop, and a black guy getting shot? That's the question.

[bipolarbear1968]

I believe a person that "cry racists" are usualy the ones that are...

Accusing other's of being racists to get away with a certain crime doesn't fly.

[sgreger1]

But surely the only way to seek justice for someone who unjustly had a crime commited on them is to riot and unjustly commit crime on other innocent shop owners, right?

[bipolarbear1968]

Well Sperger, It depends if that shop owner carries Bla or Skruf (lol)

[truthwolf1]

They get a gold star in my book for at least 80 arrests.
I know how it feels when you get something vandalized or stolen and have to pay for it out of your own pocket.

[LaZeR]

Well Sperger, It depends if that shop owner carries Bla or Skruf (lol)

+1

[sgreger1]

Next time a white person is attacked in the ghetto by a black person I am driving straight to PA and busting out the Windows of Northerner's warehouse to steal some thunder frosted. You know, to fight for justice, or something.

[lxskllr]

What sentence would YOU have gotten if you did the same thing. I think that answers your question....

Riots are lame, and counter productive. If they really wanted to make a statement, they'd invade the local government buildings....

[sgreger1]

What sentence would YOU have gotten if you did the same thing. I think that answers your question....

Riots are lame, and counter productive. If they really wanted to make a statement, they'd invade the local government buildings....

This is an excelent point. If I were carrying on me (legally) a pistol and a taser, and I ended up shooting someone in a situation which i felt was self defence but really wasn't (involuntary manslaughter), I would get the ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM charge. Probably first degree murder somehow. In CA if I shoot someone I am liable to get at LEAST 12-20 years in jail.

At the same time I do feel cops should have some leniency. This is what soldiers have to deal with too; they are in an environment that has them constantly paranoid and people are always attacking them, so they tend to be a little on edge when they feel they have to defend themselves. Just like I don't thin we should be ailing soldiers for hittig a civilian in the crossfire, I think we should show some understanding when it comes to police.


But the negligence was SO gross in this situation I can't help but feel this isn't justice. I feel the ruling was correct, as I feel it was involuntary manslaughter , but they are saying the sentence will be 4 years in jail, which in CA means you don't goto jail and just stay on probation for a while. So pretty much a slap on the wrist. I feel he deserves a jail term as well as a huge payment to the family.

If I shot someone in CA, they would throw the book at me. They do not play that shit here.

[Mr. Snuffleupagus]

I think the local government was and is ready to protect their buildings from a potential invasion.

If that really was an accident, that cop made one hell of a mistake and should pay for it, no matter what race anyone is. 2-4 years is not enough IMO.

I don't think the riots are over. The weekend is just getting started and there's probably gonna be some more pent up hyphy coming.

[f. bandersnatch]

If it had been a white guy resisting arrest, and shot by a black cop, I doubt we'd hear anything, because whites generally don't have a racist mentality that is pro-crime. Sure we'd be miffed, and shake our heads, but our racial bretheren would not amass in the streets and riot and loot, rape and kill and sing praises to crime and hate honky.

Is the cop quilty? Seems so. Did he "really" mean to shoot the guy? We can only guess.

I don't approve of riots, be it thug city, or G-8 anarchists, it just reeks of uncivilization.

But I do think we really need to racially segregate the cops to the areas they patrol based on race. Because this crap happens now and again, and the anti-cop/white pro-crime thug parade is too quick to march and riot.

The question, really, is would the "reaction" be the same, IF if was a black cop, and a black guy getting shot? That's the question.

This is a foolish argument. Blacks have not enslaved and objectified whites for hundreds of years. Implying that the situation in reverse has any analytical merit is just as racist as shooting a black man in the back cause you're a white cop and you can probably get away with it.

[f. bandersnatch]

I think the local government was and is ready to protect their buildings from a potential invasion.

If that really was an accident, that cop made one hell of a mistake and should pay for it, no matter what race anyone is. 2-4 years is not enough IMO.

I don't think the riots are over. The weekend is just getting started and there's probably gonna be some more pent up hyphy coming.

Ghost ride the whip? Through a Best Buy?

[tom502]

I still think this is an expression of black racism against whites, and an excuse to be uncivilized and riot and loot and steal, and praise crime. The reason I believe this, is because if the cop had been a black cop, would they(the black rioters) still be out setting fires? I just don't think so. And I never understood the mentality that somehow pro-crime equals justice? So, this crappy college literally robbed me a while back, and I ended up caving and paying, because it was coming out of my tax returns, now how could me setting fires to parked cars, or smashing shop windows be justice for my being wronged? It just doesn't make sense, that to burn down your home and do crime in anyway creates this "justice". It's just a lame excuse to commit crime and think you are owed by the cracker.

[lxskllr]

I still think this is an expression of black racism against whites, and an excuse to be uncivilized and riot and loot and steal, and praise crime. The reason I believe this, is because if the cop had been a black cop, would they(the black rioters) still be out setting fires? I just don't think so. And I never understood the mentality that somehow pro-crime equals justice? So, this crappy college literally robbed me a while back, and I ended up caving and paying, because it was coming out of my tax returns, now how could me setting fires to parked cars, or smashing shop windows be justice for my being wronged? It just doesn't make sense, that to burn down your home and do crime in anyway creates this "justice". It's just a lame excuse to commit crime and think you are owed by the cracker.

Racism either way doesn't have anything to do with it. These people are just using this as an excuse to get free shit, and act like animals. There's no doubt in my mind they could take down a courthouse if they organized their efforts. That action I would applaud, but sadly, there isn't any good free stuff in a court house, so we'll never see that.