While on my way to work on Friday morning, I heard a news report about citizens in Oakland, California who had been rioting as a result of the murder of a citizen on their public transit system.
I initially shook my hand in sorrow while I reflected on the increased violence that occurred over the past few months in Chicago. However as I listened further my reaction turned to horror as they continued to describe the initial circumstance that prompted these riots.
After celebrating New Year's Eve, the victim, Oscar Grant, and some friends boarded the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) System. Transit police received a report that an altercation had occurred on the train. Grant and his friends were pulled from the train. Grant appeared to question the officers and was taken to the ground. A struggle ensued and the officer removed his weapon and fired it point blank at Grant, killing him. There was no evidence that Grant was involved in the reported altercation nor that he was armed.
The community responded with riots not only for Grant but for the perceived threats they have received for law enforcement for some time. The reporter likened these events to those in 1992 as a result of the Rodney King beating in Los Angeles.
Almost 17 years after the Rodney King beating, over 40 years after the discrimination experienced in the South with Dr. King and less than 30 days before the inauguration of the United State's first black president, I am more than appalled that this type of profiling and violence is still occuring. Although the officer resigned, it is a minimal reparation for the years of violence that has ensued. How many incidents like these does it take before a sytemic solution is found? Really, when is enough, enough?
Read the full story at: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/01/08/BART.shooting/
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