Oakland Riots lead to at Least 100 Arrests After BART Shooting

I will never understand the mentality of the rioter.  Why do they damage private property that has no connection to the reason that they are rioting?  I hope the police give them a good beat down!

@ eastvanray,

Rioting is hardly rational behavior. In this instance it is an outpouring of frustration that has been building up in the community (black and youth of all races) for a long time and has a history going back to the 60s. (google Oakland, black panthers, "peace movement", FSM, etc.) 

The question is why is it that a man in uniform, basically a security guard hired by a transit authority granted the legal right to bare and use a side arm, can murder a subdued and unarmed young man and NOT be held by Oakland police pending further investigation? How can you expect citizens to obey laws when those who are paid to enforce them are not accountable to the same laws? If a citizen had done this to another citizen (not to mention an officer) he would be under arrest. Period! Again, the frustration behind this originates over a long period of time. It isn't that arson and vandalism are excusable but it can certainly be understood when the voice of the people regarding inequality of police protection, application of the law and police brutality has consistently been ignored by civil authority for so long. 

I've been tweeting updates. More shenanigans expected tonight. I'll be reporting.

14th and madison st oakland riots

jameswacht has contributed a photo to this story.

How many African men must be shot, beaten and killed by law officers before the nation as a whole decides to take a serious and honest look at itself?  These riots are natural reactions to Euro-American apathy and tacit support for institutional White racism.  The man was shot at point-blank range while he was on his back.  There is no legal or ethical excuse for a highly-trained police officer for such actions.  And even with the incident filmed and filed, the police department, the city of San Francisco and the general White public still supports the officers in question.

The parallels to the Gazan crisis are glaring us all in the face.  What are "we" going to do about it?

This story is tragic and it's completely unnecessary for the police department to have used such a deadly force against a harmless individual.  I am sad, but not surprised. 

I've relatives in northern California who still remember a dreadful case of excessive force that was dismissed by San Francisco grand jury.  Two policemen, well over 6 ft tall, shot a young Vietnamese woman in front of her two young boys because they "thought" the 5 ft. tall woman was wielding a weapon when they busted in her home based on a wrong tip, as it was later revealed.  She had a potato/carrot peeler in her hand.  In short, the San Francisco grand jury dismissed charges against the policemen reasoning that it was accidental since the men genuinely believed that the Vietnamese woman was going to hurt them.  There were protests, letters sent to the police commissioner demanding for the two men to be sacked, which they weren't, but placed on desk-duty.  The at-large community didn't even care enough to step up its social responsibility by convicting the two policemen for using excessive deadly force. 

I still believe society, if we have the will, to force the law enforcement authority to change its tendencies to harm first, ask question later, or not.  It is anathema to a civilized nation. 

To me this is all very simple -- those who are tasked with the responsibility of enforcing the law should be held to (at least) the same standard of law as the common citizen. If a common citizen had shot and killed another citizen and his identity was known, he would be held in custody pending further investigation of the events that led to the shooting and death. Period. However, as we see, that did NOT happen in this instance because the man who held the weapon, discharged it and caused (with criminal intent or not) the death of a  citizen was a rapid transit police officer. This double standard should not be acceptable in a civil society. Why was this man not held for questioning? Why was he not further detained pending investigation?

The answer is because the position of "police officer" is protected under the law from the same level of scrutiny and responsibility that would be expected of an ordinary citizen. Note that it isn't this particular individual that is being protected -- it is the position of authority common to all police officers that is being protected. That is the problem. Why should those who are charged with the responsibility of enforcing the law be protected by a different standard of the law? 

finally americans have shown some balls ,iam shocked i must say , honestly u are biggest pussys and wimps, how many of u get killed abused taken freedom u have no healthcare and no freedoms and u do Nothing about it just take more ,this protest is really nothing but i guess its a little moove ,what else do they need to u before u rise up as nation like romanians did or other nations???

Canada is a wonderful country, Eastvanray.  I visit as often as I can and get some perspective I cannot find here. (Texas)  It is unfortunate that I am even educated about social unrest, police brutality and cultural fictions.  Fort Worth is the first town I have lived in since I was a child where I trust and respect the police.  I am 60 and grew up in L.A. when it was a great place to live.  Later on in the sixties it became LAPD and LA County Sherriffs territory.  I was beat for having long hair.  More than once.  It was just that easy too as everyone thought it was like on TV, Dragnet and other police shows.

I sat two blocks away from the Watts Riots on the day my father was sent home from his job at the bank by the FBI.  Five hours later the spontaneous riots began..

I was a student at Berkley (Cal) when the "Peoples Park riots happened.  Two very different populations with one thing in common.  No one of any import cared or listened to the people involved.  Worst than that, we were pushed.  Violently.  I have never rioted.  I don't really understand it.  I do know what it feels like for authority figures to pick you out and inflict violence. 

I object strongly to any post that declares this murder is about them and their cause.  I work with Africans and travel to Nigeria when duty calls.  Nigerians are appalled by the behaviors of many African-Americans when it comes to family.  They don't want to be judged by those who lack respect for their families.

I admit that diaspora communities have different values and some cannot adapt.  At Fresno State University I was educated by Armenians.  At that time more Armenians lived in Fresno than Armenia.  The 1913 genocide took the lives of millions.  They had a long tradition of family and self-respect to work with. 

Canadians expect justice and respect.  And that is just what they get.  Thanks for being such a good neighbor.

Paddy

I think people are angry because there is no justice when things like this happen, they feel frustrated, and we have all seen time and time again where the process fails to get justice for the victim involved. In this case a young man was executed, cameraphones caught the execution, or else the police would have said he was resisting arrest. The other things that is really horrible about this, is the lack of any respect paid to this young man that had just been shot in the back while lying face down. There is no value for the life that was taken. They just continued on as usual, if they had even freaked out a little, but after a second to react, they all went back to busines as usual, and this is not that uncommon anymore. That is where the anger comes from, you just have to get that out, because the injustice is just so great.