The Berkeley/Oakland area was on high alert last week...but not because of a natural disaster, like an earthquake. A jury was deciding the fate of a white police officer charged with killing a black male at a BART station. People all around town began preparing for riots, certain that if the verdict was "not guilty," the streets would erupt with violence. The police officer was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, a lesser charge than many hoped for, but still a prison sentence of years. The first night after the verdict, 83 people were arrested, which, as riots go, is pretty tame....
