If you've seen video of the MURDER, it was completely, totally and utterly unwarranted. a man who is face down, with someone's knee crushing his neck, who is not resisting, is not a threat. The murderous cop here deserves the death penalty. the Oakland attorney who's taken on this case, John Burris, wrote a book, Blue vs Black (http://is.gd/eQVe) about the STATISTICALLY evident pattern of police brutality against blacks in Oakland which has persisted for DECADES. This small riot is just a spark. Stay tuned! - .LAG
"A march protesting the police killing of a young Oakland father at the Fruitvale BART station on New Year's Day has turned violent, police officials told BNO News on late Wednesday." http://www.bnonews.com/news/58... - Stephen Edgar
Got a bunch of shots. May head home. Probably lots of sporadic incidents for the rest of the night. - Thomas Hawk
Sean - a terrible and serious shooting happened at Fruitvale BART station on NYE. A tragic situation has been made worse by eye for an eye thinking. People have been whipping each other up about this for days now. BART hasn't been helping by dragging their feet on interviewing the officer who did the shooting. So I think it was a foregone conclusion that the protest at Fruitvale BART station this afternoon was going to be violent. And then that attracts an element that likes to fuck shit up - Spidra Webster
Love that KTVU can show me a video ad in FF (firefox) but then tells me I have to have a WMV plugin in order to watch the video. #FAIL - CES 20 hrs away!
Karim & Spidra - Thanks for filling me in. I had heard brief mention of it but didn't know the full extent. That is shocking and sad, and violence is never the answer to violence. - Haggis (Sean)
The only challenge with the News report and the various cell phone vid is that we have no clue what was going on with the "suspects". I think the Grant family lawyer makes the best point when he says there's no reason to draw a weapon with a suspect "in that position" (face down, hands cuffed behind him) - CES 20 hrs away!
Car right behind where I parked was torched - Thomas Hawk
well, there's one vid that gives you a pretty good view. i wouldn't want a cop's job, but i still can't imagine how he felt threatened enough to pull his gun out and pull the trigger. i'm dumbfounded. sad, sad, sad. - cjmart
Spidra, it's not just that BART has been dragging their feet on interviewing the officer who shot Oscar Grant. Instead of submitting to an interview, the officer *quit* his job. http://www.mercurynews.com/cri... the officer basically executed a man who wasn't resisting police, and who was being pinned face down on the ground by multiple officers. criminal charges have not yet been filed. as far as i know he is currently walking around, free as a bird. - Karim
cjmart - it's sad, baffling, and totally shocking. But I want that cop tried in a court of law, not on the street. - Spidra Webster
i'd be beyond disappointed if he doesn't end up facing a jury of his peers. - cjmart
Of course the officer quit his job to avoid an internal affairs interview. I'm sure his lawyer advised him to do it. I agree that he should have been arrested if he hasn't been already. I just don't think two wrongs make a right. I want to see the rule of law here. I don't trust mobs. - Spidra Webster
back home. Will process some shots and upload them. It was pretty chaotic and is still going on. Lots of cars burned out. Store windows broken. Broken glass everywhere. Basically the cops are just following a group of a bunch of angry people around downtown Oakland and firing tear gas on them when they start throwing bottles at the cops. A few fires. This riot was about on par with the San Francisco riot after the Rodney King verdict, but I didn't see as much looting. - Thomas Hawk
I didn't shoot any video, brought the 10D instead of the new 5D. Kind of stupid of me to park down there. When I got back to my car the car right behind me had been burned out. It was fine when I parked there. There's just no knowing what direction the crowd is going to go. - Thomas Hawk
my eyes still burning from all the tear gas. Constant buzz of police helicopters over Oakland. - Thomas Hawk
Holy F***. I was living in Rockridge when Rodney King went down. Local store owners boarded up their windows and everything closed early. No rioting happened in Oaktown that night. Things have changed, and not for the better. I hope this cop gets the death penalty, or at the very least, put away for life. - Helen Sventitsky
This is crazy, and I don't know how to show my appreciation to Thomas for his reporting. Don't get yourself into any trouble if you can help it, man. - Derrick
Glad your car was OK. Smart move to bring the old camera. - Jeff P. Henderson
Friend of mine lives up the street (can hear this from window and radio as well) he is hearing open mic radio xmission with officers sounding like they are getting trampled: orders to deploy more tear guess have been issued - Eric Rice
Spidra, it just sounds a little weak when black men get "accidentally" shot and killed by cops on a fairly regular basis, and people call for the rule of law *after.* And where is the rule of law anyway? The cop hasn't been charged with a crime. This article (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/...) says that *if* he is charged with a crime, it will be a *first.* He might be at Starbucks. He might be planning to flee the country. Where is your justice now? - Karim
geez... I hope my ex is ok, this is where he lives and works... and where he parks his car... this neighborhood is not a great one to walk around in, equipment or no, I was mugged here... the only equipment you want to flash here is a weapon... - Paula Wirth
uploading shots to Flickr now. They are a bit grainy because I was shooting in low light with the 10D. It was very tense down there. People are very angry. A lot of tension. The helicopters are still flying over Oakland and I imagine that they will continue to for the rest of the night. - Thomas Hawk
Thomas, thanks for keeping us posted. I'm very angry that mainstream media hasn't picked up on this. FF and local Bay Area outlets/blogs have been the bulk of my intel, and I appreciate your candor and participation. I think we *all* do. - Derrick
I don't know where "my" justice is because I don't run the system. But I sure as hell don't see how running around Oakland torching civilian cars, OPD cars, vandalizing Oakland businesses and threatening bystanders helps. The BART cop who pulled the trigger should be arrested pending trial. He is entitled to due process and innocent 'til proven guilty just as any other citizen should be. I don't call for different rules for different people. - Spidra Webster
I have yet to hear/read any rioter or riot sympathizer give any goal other than "higher publicity profile" for these riots. I have no idea what goal they're going for other than grabbing some rope and hanging the cop from a tree. But I thank you for giving your perspective because you've made me aware of a couple things I wasn't yet aware of. - Spidra Webster
Innocent until proven guilty is a bit of an exaggeration: http://www.ktvu.com/video/1840... He's entitled to a fair trial like anyone else, but until he stands that trial, he's not entitled to walk free. If he is, that's malfeasance. - j1m
I meant "innocent 'til proven guilty" in the sense it's used in court. That the officer shot the man is not in dispute. What the trial will be about is intent and whether it's murder 1, murder 2 or manslaughter. - Spidra Webster
Derrick, I'm sure the mainstream media will pick up on the story. But the headlines won't read, "WHITE COP WALKS FREE, ESCAPES CRIMINAL CHARGES IN EXECUTION-STYLE SLAYING OF INNOCENT BLACK MAN." It'll be more like "UPPITY, ANGRY NEGROES RIOT YET AGAIN ABOUT SOMETHING OR OTHER." - Karim
Spidra you say the cop "should be arrested" and most reasonable people would agree. The problem is, THAT NEVER HAPPENS, because in the police investigation, it's always claimed that it looked like the black guy was reaching for a weapon. Of course in this case, you had a bunch of people standing around with cameraphones. - Karim
"Odds are: If Mehserle is charged with a crime in Grant's shooting, it will be a first. No one we talked with - from the district attorney's office to lawyers who work either side of police shootings - could remember a case in the last 20 years in which an on-duty officer had been charged in a fatal shooting in Alameda County." - Karim
'"Police don't get charged because D.A.'s and police work together, so they sort of get a pass," Burris said.' -- from http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/... - Karim
“Well, the wedding date, time, and venue are set. The officiant is hired, license is in hand, and we're gathering in a small handful of family members and friends. Scott and I have outfits chosen. There are still some details to take care of for the wedding itself, but we're in good shape now. Whew!”
Wish we could throw you an online wedding shower. :-) - Silly Jilly
You know that dance that little kids dance at a wedding... the one where they just jump around and spin... That's gonna be me on the 17th :) - Johnny Worthington
"OAKLAND, Calif. -- A march protesting the slaying of young Oakland father at the Fruitvale BART station early New Year's Day became violent Wednesday evening as a group of marchers attacked a police and lit a dumpster on fire. An estimated 500 people gathered at the Fruitvale Bay Area Rapid Transit station Wednesday afternoon to protest the shooting death of Oscar Grant III at the hands of a transit agency police officer at the station early Jan. 1. For safety reasons, BART trains are bypassing the Fruitvale station while the protest continues. Organizers said the rally was planned to last until 8 p.m., but by 5:30 a substantial portion of the rally spontaneously started marching through the streets of Oakland towards downtown. While the majority of the marchers were well behaved, just after 6:30 p.m. a splinter group of protestors started causing trouble at the intersection of 8th Street and Madison not far from the Lake Merritt BART station. A fire was lit in a Dumpster on wheels that was rolled int" - Thomas Hawk
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it looks like the riots might start sooner than the trial. - Thomas Hawk
Oakland riot police responded, shooting tear gas and approaching the crowd with shields, helmets and batons drawn to force them to disperse.
NewsChopper2 footage of the area showed police pursuing individuals from the group that was causing problems. So far, there are no reports of arrests or injuries. - Thomas Hawk
When I read this headline and saw Thomas had shared it, I automatically thought there was some sort of photography protest. - Matt
My brother's going down to try and check out what's going on downtown. Still debating whether I should go down there with my camera or not. - Thomas Hawk
Definitely not going to make the situation any better... damn sad imho... - Ross Miller
If you live in a police state where innocent people get shot by cops, this is what is going to happen more often. Though it's a bit sad to see protesters using violence as a method to protest a murder. - Jared Mehle
lots of police and news copters circling around nearby here in oakland (i'm in lakeshore) - Paula Wirth
keep it streaming here! I have no live TV. - Mauricio
It does not surprise me that this turned violent. The rule of law hasn't been foremost on people's minds, unfortunately. - Spidra Webster
Yeah, from what I'm reading on the Chron, these clowns are real role models for civil disobedience. Smashing windows, setting stuff on fire...I'm sure that'll solve everything, not to mention continue to give Oakland the high quality of life it's known for. - Spidra Webster
Lake Merritt, Fruitvale, and 12 street Bart all shut down. - Mauricio
I remember the king riots in SF, way back when... they destroyed small businesses, and completely changed the neighborhood... it was great for big businesses who could capitalize on the small businesses going out of business, and build huge flagship stores, but bad for average people... a trail of broken glass and dreams everywhere... - Paula Wirth
I obviously picked the right time to come home on BART, to miss all the excitement... I guess having to leave Macworld to go back to work was a good thing... - Paula Wirth
Having been in protests before, it may not even be the majority of people being violent. But all it takes is one particular group of agitators and the whole protest is tarred with that reputation. - Spidra Webster
Not to justify rioting, or destruction of property, but the shooting was just below the radar until the rioting. Sometime you gotta jump up, yell, and wave your hands to get attention. - Mauricio
Mauricio, I don't know where you live, but the shooting was certainly NOT just below the radar in the SF Bay Area. It's been the subject of intense media attention and online discussion. I can't speak for in-person conversations because I haven't been out much. My friends have been tweeting and retweeting, linking on Facebook, and the videos have been getting (disturbingly) record hits on the sites that host them. - Spidra Webster
Spidra, I've heard about it, my wife hadn't. We assume our social network circles are wider than they actually are sometimes. I'm guilty of it everyday. The below the radar in this case are the vast majority of the people, even in the bay area, who are not "connected". - Mauricio
Spidra, You would, despite this, probably be right that the MAJORITY of the bay area knew about the shooting before the rioting. - Mauricio
I'm not judging it merely by my online friends. If you've been watching sfgate.com since the event happened, the story has been getting the most hits and the most comments of any story in the SF Chron. Then there are the actual print newspapers that have been covering it, plus all the local TV stations. The story hasn't left the top of the news since the night it happened. - Spidra Webster
Spidra, I should add... no TV :( That's why I'm here enjoying this thread. - Mauricio
I don't do TV, either, but needed to mention it because a lot of people get their "news" that way. - Spidra Webster
Among the vehicle's main features are windows that are 5 inches thick, 19.5-inch Goodyear RHS tires (same as super tough trucks), and possibly even a lock safety mechanism that seals off the car like a bank vault in case of an emergency. - Henry Winckelmann
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No low rider? Wheres the hydraulics on that shiz. C'mon man! - Dana D
Is it just me, or does this look like a bad photoshop job? The front looks like an F-150 or an excursion, and I think the grill is a Ford, but the back looks kind of like a Chrysler 300M. - Cecily
And it will be running MS Windows too! Does that mean the car will crash (software wise)? - Alvin
Get some ground effects! How about spinners that spell POTUS in LEDs? - Kevin Leroux
*looks at student loan statement* I could go for a bail out. - Derrick
the porn industries trouble has nothing to do with the economy. It's more like who pays for porn anymore? There's so much free porn on the internet it seems silly to actually pay money for it. - Thomas Hawk
There's plenty of good porn from Sweden, we don't need cheap domestic porn. - Jason Shultz
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A robust domestic porn industry is vital to our national security. - Seth Gottlieb
♫ one of these things, is not like the others ♫ - stretta
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i met jimmy carter at an atl braves ballgame once - he was unbelievably normal, which left a lasting impression on me... - mike "glemak" dunn
The picture proves that politicians need to be introduced to other color ties besides blue and red. - Anika Malone
Jimmy Carter is really sweet. I also got to meet his son and grandkids in Vegas a few years ago and the whole family is really nice. - Anika Malone
Which one of these is not like the other? Come on sing it now!! - Devlin Dunsmore
totally, Anika, I noticed the same things, the ties are all way similar. and so are the suits... how about pinstipes boys? - Ňicķ
anika - one of his teenage grandsons was w/ him at the game & they talked baseball very passionately the entire game - it was a cool thing to witness - mike "glemak" dunn
"The easier the tools became the more they were used. Structural analysis is a sure fire way to reduce weight, improve strength, and take cost out of load bearing components. That was over twenty years ago. Are cars lighter, cheaper, stronger? Well some are, some aren’t. Long story short, good engineers are still good engineers and automated tools applied in a systematic way, while an improvement, are not the solution. Which brings us to Shyama Rose’s great guest blog at ZDNet. She makes the important point that the emergance of code review tools is not a cure-all for faulty security in applications. It is just like using a spell checker: it catches all the obvious stuff but does not ensure that what you have written is good! Here is the list I have assembled of code review tool vendors." - Internet Strategist
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Yeah - I find boner pill commercials much more disturbing. This is probably the least disturbing "feminine product" commercial I've ever seen. - Tad Goes to 11
who remembers the douche commercial where they camera kept not-so-subtly focusing on the chick's hip region talking about how when she suddenly stands up her "smell"... well, anyway, it was pretty bad - zo.blue (Zulema)
Who the hell complained about this ad? I didn't hear anything, it's still on tv. - Andrew Trinh
Very witty and actually very well done. Tasteful and everything. I mean we have erectile dysfunction commercials during NFL football. Why can't this play during Grey's Anatomy? - Amani
Funny commercial. Americans need to loosen up. - Leather Donut
er leather donut: it's an AUSTRALIAN commercial. we haven't seen it state-side, although i suspect it would garner lots of protests if it did. - tiffany. lowercase 't'
My point. If Americans saw it, there would be a lot of whining. - Leather Donut
You should have seen Australia's Next Top Model, where they had to do a promotional ad with a big beaver.. lol was hillarious - Darren Heydon
Didn't find it offensive at all. :-) - Chris Baskind
I'm an American and I've seen it (on YouTube) and I haven't falled into fits of rage, spitting and cursing all that is unholy, and called the FCC. I think it's funny, fairly clever (even if it's not an original concept) and well done. I like it. :) - Jason Shultz
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Everyone in the US I know who sees this thinks it's amusing. - Soulhuntre
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There was absolutely nothing offensive about this commercial. It took a rather embarrassing topic and made it lighthearted and almost sweet. If someone wants to read heavy (pun intended) insight into a woman hanging around with a beaver, that's their issue. It shouldn't be anyone else's. As stated earlier, the viagra ads are a lot more insulting. - Helen Sventitsky
I don't find this offensive, either. And it is slightly amusing. But I find it more tacky than anything. - Type Micah
heh... ditto wouldn't work in US... I wonder if "beaver" is less strong of a word in Australia when used in this context? - Kamilah Gill
That's fantastic! Going to have to show this to my husband. He'll get a good laugh. It sure beats douche commercials with that conversation between the mother and daughter. :-) - Silly Jilly
Kept hoping that Carl Spackler from "Caddyshack" would show up. - Karim
Nice beaver. Much better than hearing about Enzyte Bob's massive boner. - Robert Haas
