The Shooting of Oscar Grant at a Bart Station

(Authors note 5-13-2012: This was written right after the shooting of Oscar Grant.This article however can be used for educational and historical purposes)

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

The latest shooting at an Oakland Bart Station has captured national attention after video footage was spread on the Internet capturing the shooting death of Oscar Grant, a local Bay Area man. Oscar Grant was shot at the Fruitvale Bart Station on New Years Day, and his death has sparked national outrage.

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, I lived here before Bart was even built. I grew up riding Bart and I am shocked by the recent violence erupting at our local Bart stations. Oscar Grants death was preceded just weeks ago by the death of Joshua Ligons,18, who was shot to death at the Hayward BART station on Oct.12 by another passenger.

On the day Joshua Ligons was shot I was going to pick up my daughter-in-law from the Hayward Bart and quickly found out there was no way in to safely pick her up because Bart was shut down with news crews at the scene and crime scene tape surrounding the station. Everyone there, including my daughter-in-law, was visibly shaken.

Now, just weeks later, Oscar Grant has also lost his life at a Bart station - just a few miles away in Oakland - this time capturing national attention from a video that shows Oscar face down on the ground while a police officer pulls out a gun and shoots Mr. Grant in the back. What makes this is an even more riveting case is that the shooting has now been broadcast nationally by at least 2 and possibly more people who actually caught the shooting using their cell phones or cameras, and the shooting has been widely shown on YouTube and an almost sort of viral domino effect has begun. Which brings into question how we are now able to not only catch events happening in real-time but also how these real time events can become national events because of the viral nature of the Internet.

Being an prolific writer, reader and follower of both local and national events, I have watched Oscar Grants death become the subject of various forums, all around the world, and watched the ensuing riots in Oakland last night after Oscar Grants funeral. Tensions are high, people are angry and families are grieving.

The Grant family and local officials are calling for peace to be restored while the friends and family of Oscar Grant are also calling for justice as the world watches.

All I can say is that times are growing short and violent, and we must find a way to be able to go to work safely, arrive safely and know that the police are for us and not against us. Perhaps this was a gross error in judgment on the part of the Bart policeman that shot Oscar (there has been speculation that the officer thought he was pulling out a taser gun), but I'm sure that is no consolation to Oscar Grants family as they mourn the loss of a son, friend and father.My condolences go out to the family of Oscar Grant, and may justice be served and peace restored to our city streets.

(Dorsi Diaz is a freelance writer/publisher on the internet who writes about thought provoking subjects. Feel free to comment and join her reader fan club/RSS feed so you can read her latest articles. Thanks for stopping by)