While police violence, especially in communities of color, has been a pretty constant force, the amount of evidence for police brutality claims certainly has gone up. That was especially clear when a violent video surfaced last year of Oscar Grant, who sat handcuffed with his back to the wall in an Oakland metro station Jan. 1, 2009, when a transit officer pulled out his gun and shot him.
The trial for the officer accused in the murder, Johannes Mehserle, began with jury selection today, and the defense is expected to argue that Mehserle meant to reach for his Taser when he pulled out his gun.
But watching the video again, it's hard to see how even the use of a Taser was merited. While it's refreshing that officers in the incident lost their jobs, including Mehserle, who resigned, I'm not optimistic that he'll be convicted. The problem with these incidents with police is that officers work in situations that can get dangerous fast, and so they can often articulate a fear for their safety that sounds somewhat reasonable on the surface. Also, at least in the professional sense, officers are allowed to make mistakes within certain boundaries. The difference is, in this instant, a mistake needlessly cost Grant his life.
Also, it looks like the defense will be up to the same old tricks, bringing up Grant's arrest history, including his history of allegedly resisting arrest. It's hard to see how that would prove that force was justified in this case. All of it poses a danger that the plain truth of what is visible in the video will be obscured.
-- Monica Potts
