Matt Nelson on Oscar Grant shooting: INDEFENSIBLE

Matt Nelson is a former co-chair of TUPOCC.

INDEFENSIBLE
By Matt Nelson
Spokesperson
Milwaukee Police Accountability Coalition

The shooting of Oscar Grant is indefensible. The inaction from the Alameda County District Attorney and Oakland mayor is also indefensible. Recently, I watched a clearer version of the videotape of the shooting. I saw a blatant execution, a total failure of the officers to act to help Oscar live, a clear attempt by all of officers shown in the video to cover up this crime.

All officers involved should be criminally prosecuted by the Alameda County District Attorney. It is likely that this fool, the Alameda County DA Tom Orloff, will not do what is just. So perhaps, the officers will be federally prosecuted, but this means turning over police accountability to the US Department of Justice. This is akin to having the fox guard the hen house.

It is likely the Oakland mayor will do little to halt the daily occurrence of police brutality. With California law as it is now [see Copley Press v. Superior Court, 63 Cal.App.4th 367 (1998)] it is unlikely that true reforms to the BART system of police accountability will be fruitful in Fruitvale, without a protracted legislative struggle.

So what do we want? Remember point #7:

WE WANT AN IMMEDIATE END TO POLICE BRUTALITY AND MURDER OF BLACK PEOPLE, OTHER PEOPLE OF COLOR, ALL OPPRESSED PEOPLE INSIDE THE UNITED STATES (Black Panther Party, Platform and Program- What We Want, What We Believe, 1968).

So what can we do?

Force the DA to bring charges against the officers involved. He has the power to do this. The public should be in his face (office, house, favorite restaurant, bingo hall, bridge club, golf club, and night club) at all times until he concedes.

Expose the corrupt police union(s) which protect criminal cops. If you know how to expose criminal politicians, criminal corporations, and Ponzi scheme criminals, you know how to expose criminal police unions. They will scatter like roaches when the light shines upon them.

Do our own police accountability work, everyday and every night. Safe (cop free) zones, cop watch, know your rights workshops, and the like. We have to be inspired by the great public camera work done to capture the murder of Oscar Grant. We can multiply that by thousands. Let us take care of each other and be accountable for our own neighborhood safety.

Another stolen life taken has been by police violence. It will continue without a powerful, strategic and consistent resistance. We grieve together, but we will fight together for justice. We will stand with the family of Oscar Grant and we know that we cannot allow officers to act above the law.

In the last few years we have witnessed an increase in harassment, racial profiling, false arrests, beatings, and wrongful deaths against young people of color in our cities. Pledging to eradicate police violence and create effective structures of police accountability are necessary first steps in order to keep our people and our families safe. We must continue to offer direct support to the family knowing that they are under tremendous pressure to be silent.

Justice for Oscar Grant is justice for all!

Contact Matt Nelson at: mattnelson64@hotmail.com