27 June 201116 December 2022 4WardEverUK

Police officer who killed Oscar Grant free, some protesters still face jail

originally by: Truthout
19th June 2011

Johannes Mehserle, the former BART police officer who shot and killed Oscar Grant while he was lying face down on the Fruitvale station train platform on New Year’s Day 2009, was released from a Los Angeles jail June 13 after serving a total of 365 days for his involuntary manslaughter conviction. He was sentenced to two years behind bars, but Judge Robert Perry granted him an early release due to credit for time served and good behavior.

The same date of his release, the National Lawyers Guild filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of 150 protesters who were mass-arrested during the Nov. 5, 2010 demonstration in Oakland in the wake of Mehersle’s sentencing.

22 May 201116 December 2022 4WardEverUK

Campaigner: ‘Pressure cuts deaths in custody’

originally by: Socialist Worker Online
published: 13th April 2011

Tippa Naphtali is the cousin of Mikey Powell, who died in police custody in 2003. He spoke to Socialist Worker

“Smiley Culture’s case should be a spark to help light up the issue of deaths in custody. I’m one year younger than him. I had the privilege to meet him. He was such an icon in the 1980s and 1990s, I looked up to him back in the day.

Because no other victim of death in custody has been as high profile a figure, as sad as it is, we need to use the opportunity. We need to raise the fact that this has been going on for a long time.

There is remarkable little mention of deaths in custody in the media. We have to keep it in the limelight. One difficulty for families is that there is lots of support in the early days then it dies away. It is important to keep pushing.