On New Year's Eve, Oscar Grant was shot execution-style by a transit police officer in Oakland, California. He was shot in the back while face-down on a subway platform--unarmed and posing no threat.
Twelve days later--despite several videos showing exactly what happened--the officer who killed Grant hasn't been arrested, charged, or even questioned. He quit the force and has refused to speak. The District Attorney has done nothing.
It's time to demand that California Attorney General Jerry Brown take over the case and arrest Grant's killer, and to ask that the US Department of Justice launch an independent investigation into the conduct of local authorities. Please join me:
http://www.colorofchange.org/oscar/?id=2176-544691
In the case of Grant's murder, the DA has already let 12 days pass while doing essentially nothing--the officer who killed Grant is able to travel and leave the state, and he's free to talk with other officers and attempt to construct a story to justify his killing of Oscar Grant.California's Attorney General needs to step in now and arrest Oscar Grant's murderer. And the US Department of Justice should investigate the failure of the authorities in Alameda County to act. It's the first step towards justice. After that, we will push for systemic changes to create public accountability for BART and other police departments. Creating those structural changes will be a much longer fight, but Oscar Grant's tragic death is a wake-up call that should give us a real chance to help prevent this from happening again.
Please join me in demanding justice, and then ask your family and friends to do the same:
http://www.colorofchange.org/oscar/?id=2176-544691
Our take: The refusal to act 12 days later by the authorities is sorta like them indifferently spitting in the face of the black community. This guy blows away an unarmed, defenseless and helpless man on camera and has not been subjected to so much as a question by the authorities? That is unmitigated &%#@*%*. I followed COC's link and submitted a customized letter about this egregious failure by the authorities. You should too.