Citing a Kentucky court case with similar circumstances, Johannes Mehserle’s lawyer has filed papers to seek a new trial for his client. Mehserle, the BART police officer who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for the shooting death of Oscar Grant, faces a Nov. 5 sentencing. His lawyer, Michael Rains, is seeking a new trial after discovering a 2008 Kentucky case in which a grand jury declined to indict a law enforcement officer who, much like Mehserle, said he thought he was…
Raymen Justice never gave up. Not on anyone, not on himself. Raymen kept smiling, hoping, and inspiring. The best way to honor his life is to do the same.
As more and more voters perceive that elections are just auctions to the highest bidder, fewer and fewer people choose to vote.
Today is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, and the Oakland Police Department along with the Drug Enforcement Agency is helping residents safely get rid of old prescription drugs, instead of flushing them down toilets, throwing them in the trash, or leaving them in the medicine cabinet, where other people have access to them. The aim of the initiative is to reduce the abuse of prescription drugs, as well as accidental poisonings and overdoses. People can drop off expired or…
Going to the Rockridge Out and About festival this Sunday? Oakland North will have a table near the Rockridge BART station, where you can come by to meet some of our reporters and pick up your free, first edition Oakland North postcards with beautiful photos shot by our own Richard Koci Hernandez. (Those of you with a keen eye may recognize photos from our 24 Hours in Oakland project this spring!) Please come on by, say hello, grab some postcards…
Rejecting Measure BB will retain the incentive for maintaining an adequately sized police force, and will send a strong message to City Hall that we are demanding accountability.
Need some ideas for your weekend? Check out our list of happenings around Oakland
In a city as crime-challenged as Oakland, it is unthinkable that we would reduce the police force by 25 percent.
It is very easy to hate and being horrible to one another, but kindness could have a Domino effect.
What would you put in an Oakland scavenger hunt if you were hoping to stump a smart, enterprising new reporter?
After public complaints about a plan to include only the front-running candidates for Oakland mayor, the Sierra Club Wednesday hosted nine of the ten candidates at a forum on the environment and the upcoming election.
After seeing the portrayal of myself and the anarchist movement in the Oakland North article I feel compelled to give the readers my side of the story.
United States District Chief Judge Vaughn Walker has ruled that he will lift the stay on his ruling overturning Proposition 8, allowing same-sex couples to marry in California starting at 5 pm on August 18.
Breaking: SFGate.com is reporting that Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums has announced that he won’t seek a second term. Oakland currently has at least 8 declared candidates for mayor in the upcoming November race; 7 of them participated in a recent forum on public safety that you can read about here. Well-known candidates for the office of mayor include District 4 Councilmember Jean Quan (click here for our profile of Quan), Councilmember at large Rebecca Kaplan (click here for an exclusive…
A notice from our colleagues in UC Berkeley’s News 21 program, a national partnership between 12 universities and the Carnegie-Knight Initiative to support in-depth and investigative reporting. They are looking for Bay Area residents to interview for a project that may run on Oakland North in the future. They write: We’re two journalists participating in a project called News21, looking at crime and California’s prison system. We’re working on a video about victims of crimes, and the sense of loss they…
Johannes Mehserle won’t be sentenced until later this year, but his involuntary manslaughter conviction could mean he faces up to 14 years in a state prison. Because the notoriety of his crime, the ex-BART police officer could be gravely at risk among other prisoners, but the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has a system to protect high-profile inmates like Mehserle.