Blueford family rallies supporters outside Eastmont police station
on September 30, 2012
Through tears, Jeralynn Blueford made a promise on behalf of her son, who was fatally shot in May by an Oakland police officer. “Alan cannot speak, so I’m going to speak for Alan,” she said to a crowd of about 50 protesters on Saturday at the Eastmont substation of the Oakland Police Department. The OPD’s “job is to protect and serve—I was not served and Alan was not protected. We are about standing for justice.”
The Blueford family, friends and other members of the Justice for Alan Blueford coalition gathered Saturday to speak out about the officer-involved shooting death of the 18-year-old Skyline High School senior. Though it has been six months since the teen’s death, family members said they have yet to receive a police report detailing the incident.
After each speaker, the protesters, with upraised fists, chanted “Justice for Alan!” and “Peace and power!” When Adam Blueford, Alan’s father, mentioned Miguel Masso, the police officer who shot his son, the crowd murmured in discontent, and some pumped signs with Alan Blueford’s face and the message “OPD You can’t hide! We charge you with HOMICIDE!”
In mid-September, when the family and their supporters went to the most recent city council meeting to demand answers, the large protest prompted city officials to shut down the meeting. Now the Bluefords’ supporters are planning to march Tuesday from the District Attorney’s Office to the upcoming city council meeting.
“We’re not going to stop until we get justice for our son,” said Adam Blueford.
-
- Adam Blueford, father of Alan Blueford, addresses the crowd of about 50 supporters outside the Eastmont police substation on Saturday. Adam Blueford said the family and their supporters will continue to rally until they get answers about their son’s death in May.
-
- Whistles and chants of “Justice for Alan” filled the air outside of the Eastmont substation as Blueford family members and others spoke about their treatment by the Oakland Police Department and the Oakland City Council.
-
- Jeralynn Blueford, Alan Blueford’s mother, speaks through tears about her life without her son. Jeralynn Blueford echoed her husband’s promise to continue to fight for information about her son’s death, saying that “Alan cannot speak, so I’m going to speak for Alan.”
3 Comments
Oakland North welcomes comments from our readers, but we ask users to keep all discussion civil and on-topic. Comments post automatically without review from our staff, but we reserve the right to delete material that is libelous, a personal attack, or spam. We request that commenters consistently use the same login name. Comments from the same user posted under multiple aliases may be deleted. Oakland North assumes no liability for comments posted to the site and no endorsement is implied; commenters are solely responsible for their own content.
Oakland North
Oakland North is an online news service produced by students at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and covering Oakland, California. Our goals are to improve local coverage, innovate with digital media, and listen to you–about the issues that concern you and the reporting you’d like to see in your community. Please send news tips to: oaklandnorthstaff@gmail.com.
[…] Blueford’s death, the latest in a series of officer-involved shootings in Oakland, has prompted public outcry in recent weeks. Protesters shut down a city council meeting two weeks ago, and on Tuesday night […]
[…] power. Blueford’s death, the latest in a series of officer-involved shootings in Oakland, has prompted public outcry in recent weeks. Protesters shut down a city council meeting on September 18, and on October 2 […]
I don’t understand I guess. I read that he was in the middle of a drug deal..which led the officers to confront them..they even noticed something in the waistband of his pants..he took off running..he was persued by an officer, the teenager fell and in doing so aimed the gun at the officer twice. The officer even said that scared him to death. Why shouldn’t he shoot? I have tried to look at this from both sides but I just don’t see how the officer did anything wrong. He did what anyone would do in that situation :defend yourself. It makes no difference if teen didn’t fire or if there were no bullets. The officer didn’t know. WHAT AM I MISSING? I don’t get it. WHY IS THE FAMILY SO IRATE AT THE OFFICER FOR DEFENDING HIMSELF? Please, I’m not being an asshole, is there something I missed?