Reflections From Oakland – The Oscar Grant Verdict

Today I send my condolences to Oscar Grant's family and loved ones. It was only on the strength of modern day technology and fearless citizens that this incident was even recorded and made News. We all witnessed and blatantly saw a cop murder this young man in cold blood.

We now know his name and story. But at 4pm on Friday I stopped my sessions in the recording studio, nervously waiting and wondering if I should be praying. There were so many elements and contemplation of my prayers. Should I be praying for Justice in a system that seems to let me/us down all the time? Praying that the media doesn’t just tape the few kids that start rioting if Mehserle gets off? Praying that the police who stood near 14th & Broadway wouldn't actually use the tear gas I saw them holding when I drove by, or even worse more guns? Perhaps I was praying that people would finally be fueled enough to really want to start a movement, and community leaders would be there to keep it organized. I keep thinking to myself what is the final straw? Not Bush, not 911, not Katrina, not racist immigration laws, not Mumia Abu Jamal on death row, not trillions being spent on wars and jails but the schools get nothing but budget cuts.

We receive little sprinkles of hope here and there to keep us pacified enough to not really want to get involved and change shit. We are all people and we should be treated as such. So why is racism still so real? Why did Michael Vick get more time for dog fighting than a police officer gets for murdering an innocent black man?