Posted on 06/28/2010 4:15:39 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The Johannes Mehserle murder trial looks like it will wrap up in Los Angeles this week and that has people in Oakland bracing for possible trouble once the verdict is read.
While city leaders are calling for calm, people who use Lake Merritt found messages preaching the opposite. The sidewalks that circle the lake were spray painted this weekend. Some were mundane such as "Justice for Oscar Grant." Others seemed to point to trouble with the words "LA Better Get It Right Or Else." One appeared the threaten the Mehserle's life.
Workers were out Monday morning trying to remove the paint, but not before hundreds of people read the words.
Late last week, Oakland city leaders sent out a few tips for people to keep their stuff safe, just in case post-verdict protests do get out of hand.
In a community bulletin issued Friday officials advised residents to park cars in a secure location, remove large trash bins from the curb and report any vandalism or destruction they see by calling 911.
Mehserle is accused of murdering Oscar Grant at the Fruitvale BART station early January 1, 2009. The trial was moved to Los Angeles due to pre-trial publicity. The case is also rife with racial tensions. In the early weeks of 2009, protests turned into riots. Dozens of businesses were vandalized, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. The worry is a verdict of innocent, or even guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter, protests could turn violent again.
"It's such an unpredictable situation," said Nicole Lee, executive director of the Urban Peace Movement told Bay City News. "On all sides, everyone is sort of bracing. "... It's going to be a very emotionally charged situation."
Even before the trial began, protest organizers announced that they would meet at 16th and Broadway in Oakland at whatever time the verdict is announced. They said they would decide what to do and where to go once they know the outcome.
You know, this is to be expected anytime the victim of a violent crime is Scandinavian.
So basically, it will be as if LA lost (or won) an NBA Championship, right?
Oaklanders: if you don’t like the verdict, just boycott L.A.
just like you boycott Arizona.
I like the AK clone, semi, of course, for short range dangerous targets. Like the 30 round mag, too.
Other than that, I stay with the AR, from past military experience, but YMNV.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.