Thug Life Army

News Years Day 2009 started with the execution-style murder of 22 year old Oscar Grant III. Brother Oscar became a victim of police terrorism at Oakland’s Fruitvale BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Station. Brother Oscar was shot, while laying face down, by Bart Officer Johannes Mehserle. While the victim and his friends were cornered in and terrorized by the BART Police. Oscar Grant could be heard saying “…don’t kill me, I have a 4 year old.” Oscar and his friends were utilizing the BART stations all night service, an annual process on News Years Eve.

On January 7th, Oscar’s friends and family laid him to rest. The spirit of Oscar Grant lives on as a powerful rally of over 1,000 strong protested and shut down Fruitvale BART Station. A crowd of Bay Area youth, adults, activists and artists demanded that charges be brought against Johannes Mehserle. The people have grown tired of the domestic militarization of Oakland’s Black and Brown communities.

Later in the evening of January 7th, a crowd of fed up youth and young adults rebelled in downtown Oakland. Mayor Ron Dellums was forced to come to downtown Oakland. Instead of responding to the crowd’s legitimate tone of outrage, the Oakland Police picked up where BART Police left off by terrorizing the crowd and arresting over 150 people.

Many youth are consistently victimized by public services, and treated like new millennium slaves by the transit services they help pay. This atrocity was caught on tape for the world to see. Many people, who have been accused of similar crimes, are immediately jailed, often with high or no bail amounts. The fact that this murder was caught on tape and involves a trained officer of the law speaks of the highest injustice. An outright execution caught on videotape, in the year 2009, with no charges brought against the officer! The United States is an empire bent on staying oppressive regardless of false claims of “change.”

The launch of 2009’s police oppression continues a racist, militarized method of no accountability. Brother Oscar’s murder is no different from the 2008 police killing of 15 year old José Buenrostro-Gonzalez, as well as the 2007 police murder of 20 year old Gary King Jr. A similar BART sponsored execution took place in 1992, when 19 year old Jerrold Hall was shot in the back of the head by Bart Officer Fred Crabtree. Hall was falsely accused of stealing a walkman. No legal action was ever taken against Crabtree.

This is the unfortunate legacy of Oakland youth being targeted and executed. The people of the world have to stand up. We live in an empire that was built upon bloodshed. We must demand accountability. Now is the time to stop Police Terrorism in every Oakland around the world.

Free The Land! Free The People!

The Malcolm X Grassroots Movement

JUSTICE FOR OSCAR GRANT III

In response to the January 1st, 2009 Murder of Oscar Grant, the People Demand THAT:

    1.    FORMER Bart Officer Johannes Mehserle be charged with the murder of 22 year old Oscar Grant III.

    2.    THE U.S. Justice Department investigates the incident as a violation of civil rights.

    3.    BART establishes an independent citizens’ review board for its officers.

    4.    BART Police Officers be disarmed.

For IMMEDIATE review by County of Alameda District Attorney - Tom Orloff

    TELEPHONE: (510) 272-6222

FAX: (510) 271-5157