Police
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…
“The Wild West was not won by a guy riding in on a white horse,” new Oakland police chief Anthony Batts told the crowd that gathered to meet him today at Peralta Elementary. “It was won by communities that took a stand.”
Attorneys in the trial of BART police officer Johannes Mehserle, who is accused of killing Oscar Grant, debate whether their case resembles L.A.’s 1992 court battle over the Rodney King beating.
Change of venue arguments continue in case of BART police officer Johannes Mehserle, charged with murder in the New Year’s Day shooting of Oscar Grant.
As hearings to relocate the Johannes Mehserle murder trial continued in downtown Oakland today, a prosecutor worked to persuade a judge that the former BART police officer could receive a fair trial in Alameda County.
The lawyer for Johannes Mehserle, the former BART police officer charged with murder in the shooting death of Oscar Grant, is trying to persuade an Oakland judge that his client can’t receive a fair trial here. Story by Jake Schoneker/Oakland North.