BART killer-cop gets two years. Yes, you read that right.

[Red Commissar]

Some of you may remember that nearly two years ago about the case of Oscar Grant, an unarmed civilian who was killed by BART cop Johannes Mehserle.

Here is an amateur video of the event as it happened on January of 2009:

jFNDK8PQGNw

At 2:55 you can hear the pistol being discharged.

Some of you may have continued to follow the court trial that ensued. Some of you may have not. The case closed, with Mehserle apologizing and iterating once again that he had mixed up his tazer and handgun while he was trying to restrain Oscar Grant. Media aided this by presenting an image of the taser and handgun side by side, saying that it was perfectly reasonable to mix the two up.

The jury found Mehserle guilty on "Involuntary Manslaugher", while giving him not guilty for second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter.

The courts gave the killer-cop the minimum two years for the murder. Two years. The court reasoned that Mehserle was already serving "time" in the years preceding this decision, and that gave him credit towards it. The court also waved the 2-10 year gun enhancement the jury found Mehserle guilty of. All things considered Mehserle might be eligible to get out within the year.

I wonder how the case would have proceeded differently had the positions been reversed.

Activists have already erected a memorial outside the court to Grant, and protests are forming against the verdict.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/11/oakland-residents-erect-a-memorial-in-front-of-city-hall-for-man-shot-by-former-bart-officer.html

[Magón]

Could you have expected anything more really? I mean the guy's a dirty cop, (like them all, but you know what I mean.) I always guessed he'd get some sort of light sentence, and this is it. The Courts won't listen to the protesters, the Cop will "do" his time and then be set free, never to be seen as a problem to society again.

[Red Commissar]

Could you have expected anything more really? I mean the guy's a dirty cop, (like them all, but you know what I mean.) I always guessed he'd get some sort of light sentence, and this is it. The Courts won't listen to the protesters, the Cop will "do" his time and then be set free, never to be seen as a problem to society again.

Apologists are already come out over this anyways, either trying to justify his actions or downplay them. Just like any other time an unarmed man get shot by a cop, they try to downplay the fact that someone got killed and rather focus on "well he didn't mean to shoot him" or "it was an accident". The court system is quite clearly able to give the benefit of the doubt to a cop, but won't extend that to anyone else.

[FreeEire]

Absolutely mad. I've just been reading up on this case after reading this thread and it's bizarre to say the least.

At least I'm glad to see that those involved aren't cops any more. Even if you accept his defence of mistaking his gun for his tazer, he must be pretty stupid to not be able to distinguish between the two, so stupid in fact that he poses a danger to society in any such role.

[Peace on Earth]

Oscar Grant is on the ground, surrounding by law enforcement officials, and Mehserle thought it was neccessary to use a taser? A man lost his life because of an overzealous and aggressive protector of state power, whose only punishment is a year, maybe, in a prison that I doubt will be anything too tough.

As they say, "fuck tha police."

[Os Cangaceiros]

He's going to have to watch his back in jail. Cops rank right around pedophiles in the prison hierarchy, and this is a high-profile case. Prison in California is no joke.

[the last donut of the night]

He's going to have to watch his back in jail. Cops rank right around pedophiles in the prison hierarchy, and this is a high-profile case. Prison in California is no joke.

Yeah, true. I'm not really sure how that guy's gonna survive.


Let's hope he doesn't.

[Magón]

Yeah, true. I'm not really sure how that guy's gonna survive.


Let's hope he doesn't.

He probably will. The guards in prisons will probably give him a fine dinner for his work, celebrating what they can't do but want to so badly.

[Jazzhands]

He's going to have to watch his back in jail. Cops rank right around pedophiles in the prison hierarchy, and this is a high-profile case. Prison in California is no joke.

oh yeah. They're gonna make total destroy on his ass.:D

But really, what do you expect? The legal system protects its cronies. I mean, anyone can see that the gun-for-tazer switchup is a lousy and probably false argument. I mean, police are trained for years and years precisely so that they become familiar with their equipment, weapons, and the proper usage of lethal vs. non-lethal force. So the idea that this donut-munching pig can somehow throw all that training, knowledge and plain common sense out the window in the one instance when it was needed is fucking ridiculous.

[FreeEire]

There's riots in Alameda County according to other forums. Audio from police can be listened to online at radioreference.com in their Live Feed section.

[KC]

oh yeah. They're gonna make total destroy on his ass.:D

Seriously dude? What the fuck is wrong with you?

[Magón]

Well I think the Cops and everyone else got the response they were expecting.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/11/05/BAME1G7SPJ.DTL

FYI: It was fun, people were shouting and everything. And I'm thinking the people will speak again. :thumbup:

[Property Is Robbery]

It's not like this is the first time BART pigs have shot unarmed civilians either. Back in 1992 a young black man named Jerrold Hill was shot in the back in broad daylight by white pig, Fred Crabtree. Then in 2001 Bruce Seward, a mentally ill black man, was found naked at a BART station, it was obvious he was going through a severe psychological crisis, but BART pig David Bentancourt probably figured shooting him was a hell of a lot easier than helping him.

[Property Is Robbery]

He's going to have to watch his back in jail. Cops rank right around pedophiles in the prison hierarchy, and this is a high-profile case. Prison in California is no joke.

They'll probably put him in solitary confinement or in his own cell

[B0LSHEVIK]

Well, Ill take the cynical approach.

Im surprised the officer is getting anytime at all. Really. Here SoCal, this shit happens on a regular basis. And the cop always gets off scott free. Its a twisted/minor victory I guess. Personally, I would have give him in life in prison.