Dozens of people rallied Monday in support of a white former transit officer convicted of killing an unarmed black man on an Oakland train platform.
by Terry Collins
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. (AP) — Dozens of people rallied Monday in support of a white former transit officer convicted of killing an unarmed black man on an Oakland train platform.
The emotional display brought an outcry from hundreds of counter-protesters upset that Johannes Mehserle was convicted of involuntary manslaughter instead of murder in the death of 22-year-old Oscar Grant on New Year’s Day 2009.
Authorities in Walnut Creek, an affluent suburb about 15 miles east of Oakland, wore tactical gear as they stood watch over the dual demonstrations.
Both factions initially waved signs and hurled insults across metal barriers. Counter-protesters soon crossed the barriers, sparking face-to-face staredowns and shouting in the street.
Police Chief Joel Bryden said no injuries or violence were reported as the confrontation ended peacefully.
"I have no shame being out here," said Tiffany Maldonado, 21, of Hayward, who joined others in showing support for Mehserle.
She carried a sign that read, "Can we all just get along? Justice was served," an apparent reference to Rodney King’s comment after the acquittal of four police officers in his beating sparked riots.
"I’m not saying what he (Mehserle) did was right, but he said it was an accident and he said he was sorry," Maldonado said.
A Los Angeles jury earlier this month found the 28-year-old Mehserle guilty of involuntary manslaughter for fatally shooting Grant on the Bay Area Rapid Transit platform. Mehserle could face a sentence of 14 years in prison in November.
Prosecutors had pushed for a murder conviction. The verdict on the lesser charge sparked a wave of protests in downtown Oakland, resulting in damage to businesses and dozens of arrests.
On Monday, Mehserle supporters carried signs that read, "Mercy for Mehserle" and "Mehserle is Not a Monster."
"He made a tragic mistake under tremendous pressure," said Mike Di Lorenzo, 47, of Concord. "He will pay the penalty and his family and the Grant family will suffer for the rest of their lives."
Counter-protesters carried placards that read, "Justice for Oscar Grant" and chanted,
"Murder is murder is murder!"
Cat Brooks, a member of the Coalition of Justice for Oscar Grant, shook her head, bewildered by the support for Mehserle.
"Our intention was to come out here and hold up signs and make the people that organized this rally understand that this is a slap in the face," she said.
Joe Avila, 39, a veteran police officer in Richmond, was surprised there was some civil dialogue between the factions.
"I hope that we can find that common ground, someday," Avila said.
The former officer’s father, Todd Mehserle, attended the demonstration but declined to comment.
Monday’s rally was a sharp contrast to the violent protests that rocked Oakland after Grant was fatally shot 19 months ago.
Mehserle’s trial was moved from Alameda County to Los Angeles because of racial tensions and concerns about whether an unbiased jury could be assembled in Oakland.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.
Photo Caption: An Oscar Grant supporter holds up a paper at a rally in Walnut Creek, Calif., Monday, July 19, 2010. Former San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer Johannes Mehserle was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for fatally shooting unarmed Oscar Grant on New Year’s Day 2009 at a BART station in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
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