Crime
Newly appointed Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley, who comes from a Bay Area family of judges and prosecutors, steps into the job at a time of budget cuts and high-profile homicide cases. “It’s still looked at as one of the best D.A. offices in the country,” she said during an extensive interview last week. “I take the job very, very seriously.”
At 23rd and Telegraph, inside a storefront/gallery/craft space called Rock Paper Scissors, neatly hung canvas paintings and framed ink drawings lined the walls. Cards below each piece identified the artist: all are prisoners at San Quentin.
At Fruitvale BART station on Wednesday morning riders were reluctant to share their thoughts on the change of venue in the Mehserle trial. While many shared detailed and passionate opinions off-camera, most wouldn’t venture in front due to the touchy subject matter. Here are a few brave souls who decided to speak their minds.
Oakland’s new police chief was sworn in at tonight’s Council meeting.
State Attorney General Jerry Brown announced this morning that California is suing the State Street Bank of Boston to recover more than $56 million. Brown says the bank has overcharged California pension funds.
An Alameda judge ruled late Friday afternoon that the murder trial of Johannes Mehserle must be moved to another county, citing political controversy and fears of “civil unrest and violence.”
In a storefront art gallery near downtown Oakland, the family and friends of Oscar Grant, along with death penalty activists and concerned Oakland residents, gathered Friday night to celebrate the slain man’s life.
A Superior Court ruled this afternoon that Johannes Mehserle, the former BART officer charged with murder in the Jan. 1 shooting of Oscar Grant, cannot receive a fair trial in Alameda County.
In early September, a small memorial formed at the intersection of 54th and Gaskill Streets in North Oakland, marking the site where bullets cut short the life of Desiree Davis. On Saturday, that subtle shrine turned into a soaring tribute to the 17-year-old’s life at a street fair held by members of Humanity Baptist Church. Voices lifted from a stage just across the street, filling the air with songs of hope, and speakers made impassioned calls for an end to street…