"There is no doubt in my mind that Mr. Mehserle intended to shoot Oscar Grant with a gun and not a Taser."
Alameda County Superior Court Judge C. Don Clay
With these condemning thoughts Judge Clay legally ordered former Bart policeman Johannes Mehserle to stand trial for the murder of Hayward,Ca. resident Oscar Grant.
With video footage that clearly shows Mehserle shooting to death a subdued and unarmed Grant, and no testimony from Mehserle explaining his murderous actions, Judge Clay rendered a decision that gives victims of police brutality and unjust courtroom practices a ray of judicial hope.
Unfortunately for Oscar Grant, today's judicial ray of hope won't pave the way for him to return to his 4 year old daughter and family.
What made the hearings even more shameful were the contradicting statements of fellow Bart police who were at the crime scene: "Bart cops testimony contradicted by video in Oscar Grant shooting case"
For as much as I feel that our right to privacy has been violated while in places of public today, I and many others are grateful for the cell phone footage that sadly recorded the senseless actions of a few police against what appears to be a cooperative citizen. For without that footage history tells us that such incidents as these usually end with the disciplining of an officer by temporary suspension with pay pending a full investigation. Yeah, standard operating procedure. But not in this era of handheld technology and terror alert citizens. Bad cops beware, the SF bay area is watching and recording when you least expect it.
As long as the prosecution just presents the facts, any verdict other than guilty will be a disgrace to the judicial system of the United States. Guns don't kill people, people kill people.
The trial will be nationally monitored.
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