Ain't Nothin' Changed (Oscar Grant Reaction)



Before we get started on the reaction, let me give a brief summary of the case for those whom may not know. On New Year's Eve of last year, Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old African American male, whom was arrested and face-down on the ground, was shot in the back and killed by former police officer Johannes Mehserle at the Fruitvale BART Station in Oakland, CA. The entire act was caught on multiple camera phones which were shown on national television multiple times after it happened. Mehserle has testified that he mistook his gun for his taser although it has  been reported that he was holding his taser shortly before he drew his weapon and shot Grant. The trial, which was moved to Los Angeles, has brought about much controversy because the jury did not hold a single African American. This has obviously had many of the makings of the Rodney King incident in 1991. Mehserle was going up against three counts; 1) second degree murder, 2) voluntary manslaughter, 3) involuntary manslaughter (or acquittal). In what most would assume to be an open-and-shut case, people still feared that Mehserle would get the least severe punishment (involuntary manslaughter) or even worse, acquittal. People's fears came true today (July 8, 2010) when the jury came to a decision, after only one full day of deliberations, of guilty of involuntary manslaughter. By law, involuntary manslaughter carries a sentence of anywhere from 2-4 years in prison, but many believe that Mehserle may get nothing more than probation (the sentencing is not until the beginning of August).

While this decision doesn't really come as a surprise, hearing the decision still leaves people (as well as myself) with much anger and heavy hearts. There are people who wonder why artists like Ice-T, Scarface (and Gheto Boys), and N.W.A. exist. They wonder why these artists created the types of music they did. They wonder and are fearful of the amount anger and violence within the hip hop music and culture, especially toward law enforcement. While I do not condone the violence at all, the answer can be found in the most unfortunate situations like these that people of color have had to face throughout history. Even after many warnings from artists such as N.W.A. and Ice Cube during his solo projects, we still had the brutal beating of Rodney King. And even after the fatal shooting of Sean Bell in New York in 2006, in which all of the police were acquitted, we still have the Oscar Grant shooting two years later in which the officer gets a slap on the wrist for what was a blatant disregard for a black man's life. There are other numerous cases similar to these that we don't even hear about or that receive much attention and until we move away from this type of mistreatment and complete neglect of life for all people of color, hip hop will continue to house this anger and represent the frustrations of the people. 

Given this verdict, it shows that very little has changed with regard to life of African Americans (and other people of color) in America. Even with the opportunities and equalities we have been able to get after years of struggling and fighting, even after electing the first black President, this verdict of involuntary manslaughter goes to show that there is still the belief that a black life is worth less than another. Not even evidence and a faulty (read: dumb) excuse could prevent the legal system from finding a way to get a (clearly) guilty man off the hook (although he was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter which asserts that the killing was an accident, it is very apparent that it was not an accident at all). 

I have never been one to go around screaming "f*ck the police," especially given that I have a family member that is a police officer and that I know that not every cop is dirty. Instead, I feel more like Big Boi on Stankonia when he said "F*ck the 'ho'lice/that's if ya racist or ya crooked." Not all police are bad, but minorities have had too many encounters and misfortunes such as this one to have a healthy relationship with the law and the justice system. This case shows that we are  still a target and that times are probably more dangerous now than ever before. While not an acquittal, the finding of involuntary manslaughter was still a slap to the face of Oscar Grant's family and everybody in the black community. 

Hopefully this gets people mad. Hopefully people do react. But I am not talking about rioting and destroying things. I'm talking about coming together as a people and protecting each other. Realizing that things won't change until we start helping ourselves. Teaching those coming up how to handle themselves in certain situations and to prevent this tragedy from ever happening again. Working together and building alliances with one another so that sooner or later this type of behavior and weak punishment is no longer acceptable in the eyes of anybody. Hopefully, it puts things in perspective and we can learn that we have a lot more to live for than just material items. During this time, I hope that everybody stays safe and peaceful. Let's not riot in the memory of Oscar Grant. Instead, lets unify and become a force to be reckoned with so that from now on, the police and anybody else won't be able to get away with these types of heinous acts. My prayers and condolences out to the family of Oscar Grant. 

What were your thoughts and feelings surrounding the trial and verdict? Where do we go from here? What does the verdict tell you about the state we are currently in? Leave all your opinions here and you can always e-mail at straightouttahiphop@gmail.com.

R.I.P. Oscar Grant

Posted by H.E.R. Lover at 7/8/2010 11:02 PM
Categories: General
Tags: brutality police shooting Oscar Grant Sean Bell music hip hop Rodney King
 

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  • 7/12/2010 2:04 PM JG wrote:
    While I do believe there are many injustices within the system, I think in this particular case that it is important to remember that it wasn't necessarily a failure in the system that led to this verdict. A jury of 12 people decided that based on the evidence presented in court, that a charge of involuntary manslaughter was the most appropriate. I think it is a valid argument though that those 12 people were not necessarily peers of the victim, but they were peers of the accused offender.
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