Killer Cop Johannes Mehersele
Looks like the father and un-remorseful police supporters of the killer cop Johannnes Mehserle who killed an unarmed Oscar Grant in front of hundreds New Years morning 2009 will not let up. According to Indy Bay the father and Mehserle’s brother have hung huge ‘Free Mehserle‘ banners from their Yacht in the McCovey Cove which is right outside of AT&T Park where the SF Giants play.
The other night the Yacht and sign made national attention and enraged the community which quickly responded by sending out boats carrying signs calling for Justice 4 Oscar Grant. Yesterday we talked about this on our Hard Knock Radio show and learned from our guests that when folks holding the Oscar Grant banners showed up, Mehserle’s dad tried to run his boat into their smaller craft.
What’s at stake here is that Mehserle who is facing involuntary manslaughter charges is scheduled to be sentenced November 5th. The verdict is seen by many as unfair and way too soft for a guy who has a history of violence both on and off the force. Many feel that Mehserle is literally getting away with murder. The fact that every single police union in California petitioned the California Assembly in support in addition to funding his defense where expert witnesses were being paid 50 and 60 thousand dollars a pop sent a clear message. The police although paid by tax payer dollars are not in step with many of the communities they serve.
There’s a reason why so many people of all backgrounds have taken to the streets in support of Grant. First, what took place that fateful night was egregious. Racial epithets being hurled at Grant moments before he was shot, police falsifying reports to cover up the incident, the men on the platform forced to sit there for handcuffed hours after Grant was killed was inexcusable. The fact that there were no police officers holding press conferences assuring the public what took place was wrong brought up painful memories for many who have been victim or witnesses police misconduct.
As was pointed out during our interview with organizers Rachel Jackson, Jack Bryson and Jack Heyman of the Longshoremen’s Union it should be remembered that since the late 70s over 10 thousand people have been killed by police. Bryson pointed out the overwhelming majority Black and Brown men.
Since the verdict, the police and cops-can-do-no-wrong Mehserle supporters have held all sorts of rallies around the Bay Area in an attempt to influence the sentencing judge. The rallies are held as a way to show that the public backs Mehserle and believes his story that he accidentally grabbed his taser as opposed to a gun.
Most of these rallies have been held in the suburbs 20-30 miles outside of Oakland where Mehserle did his dirty deed. I guess they wouldn’t find a supportive crowd in this neck of the woods which again, should show you just how disconnected things are between the police and communities they serve.
It’s interesting to note that the police have adopted many of the tactics and populus slogans used by activists to bring attention to political prisoners. At these often sparsely attended rallies, you will see signs that read ‘Justice 4 Johannes Mehserle‘, ‘Free Johannes‘ even the ‘The System is broken Free Mehserle‘ Organizers present the story as if Mehserle is the victim, even though he’s the one who did the killing and has yet to personally apologize to the family including Grant’s 4-year-old daughter.
The community responded to Mehserle's father Free Mehserle signs with signs supporting Grant
The stunt with the Yacht is pulled from the direct action playbook of activists who often find themselves shut out by mainstream media and resort to hanging banners in public spaces as a way to bring attention to a cause. What’s sad here is that the police already have tight relationships with the media. We saw that during the day of the verdict where reporters were mainstream reporters were embedded along with the police while everyone else including scores of independent journalists were threatened with arrests, even after show department issued press passes. The police had created a second tier of passes.
Grant supporters are not sitting back and allowing this to go unchallenged. In addition to dispatching boats of their own, there are a plans by the Longshoremen’s Union to shut down the port of Oakland this Saturday. As Jack Heyman pointed out, many of his members could relate to the Grant killing. They have sons and daughters who have been mistreated by the police. Many of his members have found themselves being hemmed up. Heyman pointed out that when their union was forming there were striking members shot by the police. Heyman wrote a great article explaining why the Longshoremen’s Union will be shutting things down this weekend in support of Oscar Grant. Justice for Oscar Grant! Jail for Killer Cops! Longshore To Shutdown All Bay Area Ports
There will be a big rally in support of Oscar Grant this Saturday at 12 noon in front of Oakland City Hall. Perhaps folks should show up with signs that read ‘Fry Mehserle’ instead of ‘Free Mehserle‘
written by Davey D
If the Judicial System doesn’t want to protect THE PEOPLE from police officers who abuse their authority, THE PEOPLE should take up arms and defend themselves. Once Johannnes Mehserle gets out of jail/prison the people should execute him. The People should start to govern themselves against corrupt cops because that the only way justice will be served, and The People most keep the punishment of corrupt cops to themselves, NO SNITCHING ABOUT THE PUNISHMENT.
SMH!
I tend to agree with Justice…
I’m actually glad Mehserle’s father and brother did this. Yachts of all things. They’re only revealing the elitist culture that the police have become. So when cops try to act like they’re a part of the working class and victims of unfair criticism by liberal elites, we’ll remember the Mehserle family riding high on their yacht, sipping cocktails, and enjoying the world series while the rest of us can barely afford gas.
^^^ playoffs, not world series. lol. I do watch sports. Just a slip.
The people already do have the right to defend themselves against the government, which includes the police. It’s right in the 2nd amendment. The only problem is, when minorities take advantage of this right, they pass local laws to counter the 2nd amendment. That’s what they did with the Black Panther Party in California. California’s gun possession laws were only passed because of the Panthers. But when white militias form, they give them major air time on the news and call them “patriots”. See: Tea Party.
I can’t comprehend the lack of morals, standards, and values people have lost in this world today. My parents NEVER took up for our wrongs, even in simple disagreements with my siblings or friends. I have raised my son with the same values. I remember him getting into a disagreement with a girl, and they were throwing rocks at each other. I marched his behind over to her house when her parents where there and made him apologize, it didn’t matter what she said to him, he had no right throwing rocks at anyone!!
Now as far as I’m concerned Johannes Mehserle father, any other family members, & cops that support Johannes Mehserle to free him after getting away with murder are just as guilty as Johannes Mehserle for killing Oscar Grant, and should receive whatever sentence he receive, which to me should be life in prison without the possibility of parole. There is no way in this world you can confuse a taser with a SIG Sauer P226 gun!
If Johannes Mehserle father had any conscious what so ever, why would he try to run over a small raft carrying a banner for Oscar Grant with his yacht? What if the shoe was on the other foot? Has he thought about that for a millisecond? What if it was his son that was killed?
I hope the Bay Port Authorities keep their word!
Peace!
Sherry have ever shot a Sig or Taser? Where is the intent he was trying to kill Mr. Grant. If you run a stop sign and kill someone should you be sent to jail, without parole. That is where intent comes in to play, otherwise the gun owner who has a child kill himself or a friend should be charged with murder.
If that is the society you want to live then I’m cool with that.
They say in the military, when they train people to shoot, that there is no such thing as a gun accident. Either a shooting is intentional or it is criminal stupidity.
Leo, yes people should go to prison if they kill someone running a stop sign. Absolutely. When you run a stop sign or a red light, you put peoples’ lives at risk. That’s why the punishment for doing it even with non fatal results is such a steep fine. It should be worse. People who put other peoples lives at risk with selfish and stupid behavior should be in prison, no matter how common and popular their actions are. Your excuses just aren’t flying. Mehserle took an oath and was trained to use a gun, he was sworn in as a paramilitary peace officer. You don’t get the “oops, thought it was my taser” when you’re sworn to protect the public. By allowing Mehserle to use that excuse, it opens a door for cops to just shoot anyone they want at will. All they have to say is that they thought they reached for their taser.
Leo, why shouldn’t gangsters and drug dealers carry a taser at all times now along with a gun? Why shouldn’t they say that they thought they were reaching for their taser if they’re ever tried for shooting someone?
@Leo
It’s so funny how you know so much about my life. Let me tell you something, I have fired a taser & a SIG Sauer P226, a 44, 38, & double barrel shot gun. So, you got the wrong one baby. I know it take both hands to fire & hit your target. It’s not like the movies, and how these gang bangers on the street portray to shoot a gun. I have couple different type of taser’s right now, and a permit to carry a firearm so don’t come to me about getting it confused between a taser and a gun. You Bay officers can pull that bull on someone else but not me!
My father ran the police from his house with his double barrel shot gun in his hand while standing in house off of his property, and I called the police on him as a teen. And they backed up. This past January, my mom ran the police off of her property (it’s really mine) but that’s another story because she didn’t call them and it was a civil matter. I know the law in the state I was born. And they had to back up! When a police stopped my son for walking while black, he know to call me or my mom, and hell will be raised not with a supervisor, but with the Chief of police! If that won’t settle it, they will hear from our attorney’s.
I’m not paying your salary or any other police to kill our black or minority men because you think you are above the law! If you and/or the corrupt police depts. in America don’t pay in the legal system we have, I know you will have to answer to one person & that is God, and baby I would hate to be in your shoes for supporting a cop killer!
Peace!
I think leo thinks he’s the only one who carries a firearm.. or has permission.. That man knew the difference.. he held his taser moments b4 shooting Grant..He’s a murderer plain and simple
i dont think “justice” and “johannes” belong in the same sentence unless we’re talking about Johannesburg.
You’re exactly right Davey D. And they are not happy with the fact Johannes Mehserle is still getting away with murder.
They have so much PRIDE, it reminds me of what Alexander Pope said: “What the weak head with strongest bias rules, Is pride, the never-failing vice of fools.”
And of we are familiar with what the bible say about pride: “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”
So, they will be dealt with one way or another.
Peace!
I cant believe all of you freaking idiots. it is a system broken or not this is the way our USA is ran. He made a huge mistake but I believe not intentional. I think that BART should have trained thier officers better. He was young and not trained. But hey if you want to burn your own city what the hell maybe there will be less ldiots in the morning.
And as for oscar did he deserve to die of course not. But he should have decided to have a better group of friends and he should have been acting like a responsible 22 year old not a little teenager behavior. My children know better then that i have young teenagers that behave better then that 22 year old. If he had been white and white cop killed him no one would be behaving like this. Get over your self slavery is over “your people have been freed” you need to grow up and relize life is not free.
Oh have to answer to god what the hell have you ever seen god I dont think so he does not exsist. Take responsiblity for what ever color you are and behave appropriately.
This is Sherry:
I still believe in God, with a verdict like this, and the idiotic comments like the person said that “your people have been freed” I have to believe in God or I would be just as angry as the people in the streets in Oakland!
The problem is you all think you owe us something or that “we” belong to “you”. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but the only person that own us including you is God. Even when the Europeans thought they were being slick and taking us from our homeland and bringing us to the stolen homeland of my people, God gave us the strength to fight our way to freedom. No one gave us anything! We worked for everything we have! Only the Europeans & some Jews have stolen from African & Native Americans!!
Another thing I know, if you don’t serve God, you are serving the devil. And I’m not anyone’s judge, but the Bible say “you reap what you sow”! And I believe Johannes Mehserle may have been forgiven for the sin of murder if he had told the truth from the beginning or at some point of time. But all during this time all the way through to his verdict he has claimed, he confused his taser with his 40 caliber weapon, which we all know is a lie!! The Bible also say God “HATES” a “LIAR”! Money can’t buy your soul, I guarantee you that.
Is it right for the people of Oakland to riot and tear up the city? NO! Is it right for a police to kill an unarmed man, lie about it, celebrate it, and only get 2 years for murder? Hell to the NO!!! You can repair a city, but you can’t bring Oscar Grant back!! In fact let Johannes Mehserle & all the police who wanted to cover up this case by trying to collect all the cell phones pay for the repairs, since they feel he did no wrong. While Oscar’s mother is crying herself to sleep every night, and his daughter will grow up not knowing the smell of her father, how he walked or talked, because some racist cop Pirone called him a “bitch ass nigger” three times and crushed his skull in, and Johannes Mehserle, took the time to say three times to step back before he shot him, but he didn’t know he was holding a 40 caliber weapon. Stevie Wonder can see through this story!! So, go tell this to the fish in the gulf with BP & all their lies!!
I hope there is an injunction that the Mehserle family (father, mother, brothers, sisters, wife, etc.) can’t write a book, movie or anything to profit from this situation! A petition need to be started ASAP!!!
In due time the father will be dealt with by the man up above, he is not off the hook either, he is just as guilty.
From the real Sherry.
Peace!!
Sherry people werent tearing up Oakland.. I have lots of eye witness accounts we gonna have folks on to talk about what they witnessed
Okay, I apologize for that statement. I went by the comment, media & all the arrests. Sorry to the citizens of Oakland.
Peace!