The Mad Professah Lectures

You may remember Michael B. Jordan as the star of the movie Fruitvale Station in 2013, the dramatization of the horrible killing of Oscar Grant by BART cop Johannes Meherle (who was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and only served 11 months in jail before being released despite shooting Grant in the back while the black man was face down on the sidewalk on New Years' Eve of 2011.)

Jordan (and the director of Fruitvale Station, the talented Ryan Coogler) is back in theaters this week with Creed, the latest installment of the Rocky franchise (some 40 years after it began in 1975) as the son of Apollo Creed, Adonis Johnson. Jordan worked hard to get into shape for the role (and he is getting much deserved attention for the results) and the film is getting strong reviews. Both Jordan and Coogler are young African-American men. Jordan is 28 and Coogler is 29.

Go ahead, young bruthas!

The other half and I saw Fruitvale Station at the Arclight Cinemas Pasadena when I was back in Los Angeles last week. Fruitvale Station is a movie based on the life of Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old African American man who was fatally shot (in the back, while face down on the pavement!) by BART police officer Johannes Mehserle in the early hours of January 1, 2009 in front of a group of his friends while taking the train from partying in San Francisco. The shooting was caught live on multiple cell-phone videos that went viral on the Internet in the days and weeks following the killing. Mehserle was eventually charged with murder, the trial was moved from Alameda County to Los Angeles County but he was only found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to two years. He served 11 months in prison and was released. He was the first peace officer to be tried for murder for a line-of-duty fatal shooting in over 15 years. The Oscar Grant case was a cause celebre for several years and every New Years Day there are events to remember Oscar in Oakland and Northern California.

Fruitvale Station is the movie about the famous Oscar Grant case. It is filmmaker Ryan Coogler's very first film (although it was executive produced by Oscar winner Forest Whitaker) and stars Malcolm B. Jordan (Chronicle) and Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer (The Help).

Stylistically, Fruitvale Station is somewhere between a documentary and a drama. It is most definitely not a hagiography of Oscar Grant. We seem him make foolish choices as well as bad ones. But the film makes it clear he loved his daughter Tatiana and her mother very, very much. When he is on the floor of the BART Fruitvale Station after being shot he says to the officer who shot him "Why did you do that? I have a daughter." It is an absolutely devastating moment in the film, which is replete with them. Spencer plays Oscar's mom and the two have a very close relationship. She knows that he has a tendency to wander astray and you can see it in her eyes as she watches her son carefully. The other emotionally devastating scene in the film is the one in which we see Oscar's mom get the news about her son's death and then again when she views the body of her son.

A word must be said about the performance of Michael B. Jordan in the lead role. He is absolutely mesmerizing, despite being on screen for almost every scene one never gets bored or uninterested in what he is doing, even when one is annoyed with the choices his character is making. Hopefully this performance will not be forgotten when the end of the year comes around and film accolades for the year are announced.

That being said, even though it is an emotionally draining experience Fruitvale Station is most definitely worth your time and attention to see. It is exactly the kind of film the medium is made for, to impact the audience in a meaningful and lasting way another art form may not have been able to.

Title: Fruitvale Station.
Director: Ryan Coogler.
Running Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.
MPAA Rating: Rated R for some violence, language throughout and some drug use.
Release Date: July 26, 2013.
Viewing Date: July 30, 2013.

Writing: A-.
Acting: A.
Visuals: B+.
Impact: A+.

Overall Grade: A/A- (3.85/4.0).

George Zimmerman admits to shooting and killing Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black teenager

Finally! More than a year after the news about the fatal shooting of another unarmed Black male became a huge sensation, the trial of Trayvon Martin's killer is beginning in a Florida courtroom today. George Zimmerman, 29, claims he shot and killed the 17-year-old in self-defense. The story became an international story when police authorities in Sanford, FL questioned but released Zimmerman after hearing his story, raising questions about how police in a Southern state consider and (de)value the life of Black person. After weeks of marches and protests in multiple American cities, Zimmerman was finally arrested an charged with a crime (second-degree murder).

According to CNN:

Monday marks the start of jury selection in Seminole County, Florida, where Martin was fatally shot on February 26, 2012. The shooting put a national spotlight on Zimmerman's hometown of Sanford and sparked fresh debates about race relations and gun laws in America.  

Zimmerman is Hispanic; Martin was African-American. 

An initial decision not to pursue charges against Zimmerman led to the dismissal of the town's police chief and the appointment of a special prosecutor, who accused the neighborhood watch volunteer of unjustly profiling and killing Martin. 

Zimmerman now faces a second-degree murder charge in Martin's death. He has pleaded not guilty and is currently free on $1 million bond.

The Zimmerman-Martin case became another Rorshach test on race in America. We (at MadProfessah.com) shall be watching to see if the criminal justice system (in Florida, no less) can pass the test of "equal treatment under the law."

There's a major motion picture being made about the horrible killing of Oscar Grant on January 1, 2009 by an Oakland police officer. It's called Fruitvale Station. The trailer is out now!

Trayvon Martin was shot at point blank range by a white guy who said he felt "threatened" by the 17-year old

Ugh, here we go again. There's another case of an unarmed Black male being shot dead by a non-Black person (what a shocker, it's a white guy!). The twist in this case is that the Black male was carrying an ice tea and a bag of Skittles while the shooter is 28-years-old and not a cop, but a "neighborhood watch" vigilante with a 9mm gun.

Charles Blow of the New York Times recounts the facts of the case:

Trayvon had left the house he and his father were visiting to walk to the local 7-Eleven. On his way back, he caught the attention of George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old neighborhood watch captain, who was in a sport-utility vehicle. Zimmerman called the police because the boy looked “real suspicious,” according to a 911 call released late Friday. The operator told Zimmerman that officers were being dispatched and not to pursue the boy. 

Zimmerman apparently pursued him anyway, at some point getting out of his car and confronting the boy. Trayvon had a bag of Skittles and a can of iced tea. Zimmerman had a 9 millimeter handgun.The two allegedly engaged in a physical altercation. There was yelling, and then a gunshot. 

When police arrived, Trayvon was face down in the grass with a fatal bullet wound to the chest. Zimmerman was standing with blood on his face and the back of his head and grass stains on his back, according to The Orlando Sentinel. 

Trayvon’s lifeless body was taken away, tagged and held. Zimmerman was taken into custody, questioned and released. Zimmerman said he was the one yelling for help. He said that he acted in self-defense. The police say that they have found no evidence to dispute Zimmerman’s claim.

 Zimmerman has not been charged with any crime more than 3 weeks after the incident. Of course this raises several questions in the head of most observers. Blow goes on to list just a few:

Why did Zimmerman find Trayvon suspicious? Why did he pursue the boy when the 911 operator instructed him not to? Why did he get out of the car, and why did he take his gun when he did? How is it self-defense when you are the one in pursuit? Who initiated the altercation? Who cried for help? Did Trayvon’s body show evidence of a struggle? What moved Zimmerman to use lethal force?

Another columnist, Leonard Pitts, Jr. writing in the Houston Chronicle lists some more questions:

How can you get out of your truck against police advice, instigate a fight, get your nose bloodied in said fight, shoot the person you were fighting with, and claim self-defense? If anyone was defending themselves, wasn't it Trayvon Martin? Would police have been so forbearing had Martin confronted and killed an unarmed George Zimmerman? 

Is this really a racial Rohrschach test? Do white people and black people see this case differently? If you wonder why Black people don't trust in "justice" in America, the names Amadou Diallo, Sean Bell, Oscar Grant and nowTrayvon Martin are just a few of the reasons.

The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has agreed to pay Oscar Grant's mother, Wanda Johnson $1.3 million to settle a civil lawsuit over the unnecessary death of her son at the armed hands of former BART employee Johannes Mehserle who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and served less than a paltry year in prison for the shameful act.

BART had previously agreed to pay out $1.5 million to Oscar Grant's 5-year old daughter Tatiana Grant last year.

The San Francisco Examiner reports:

“No amount of money could replace Oscar. Not $1 or $100 million,” Wanda Johnson, Grant’s mother, said during a news conference in Oakland. “My heart feels broken for the loss of my son.

“It didn’t have to be this way.”

Grant was fatally wounded after being shot by BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle while laying facedown on the platform of the Fruitvale station on New Year’s Day 2009. Mehserle had claimed that he thought he was firing his taser when he shot Grant by mistake with his gun.

Grant’s mother filed a $50 million lawsuit against the agency for its role in the death of Grant. On Tuesday, the two sides agreed to a settlement that will pay Johnson $1.3 million, according to BART spokesman Linton Johnson.

“No matter what anyone’s opinion of the case may be, the sad fact remains that this incident has left Wanda Johnson without a son,” BART board member Lynette Sweet said. “We’re working hard to make the Police Department the best it can be for our officers, our customers and our community. This settlement is critical in our efforts to move forward.”

This will be the second and final settlement paid out to a member of Grant’s family since his death. In January 2010, BART delivered a $1.5 million settlement to Grant’s then-5-year-old daughter, Tatiana.

So now we know how much a black man's life is worth: 220 days in jail and $2.8 million dollars. Disgusting.

Johannes Mehserle claimed that he shot Oscar Grant by mistake, using his gun instead of his Taser, and a jury with no Black members agreed

The former BART police officer who shot and killed an unarmed Black man while holding him restrained face down on the ground on New Years Day 2009 has been released from prison this morning after serving an astonishing (and sickening) 220 days in prison after being found guilty of involuntary manslaughter (as I blogged about last fall).

The San Francisco Chronicle reports:

E-mail and phone notifications made at 12:01 a.m. today said Mehserle had been released, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's online inmate locator also said he had been freed.

[...]

Mehserle, 29, was sentenced to two years for shooting Oscar Grant in the back while the 22-year-old Hayward man lay face down on the platform at Oakland's Fruitvale BART Station after being pulled from a train.

Mehserle has been imprisoned in Los Angeles County Jail since being convicted July 8. He was eligible for release with credit for time served before his trial and what is known as "good time" credit: one day for every day spent behind bars.

[...]

Mehserle testified that he had thought he was firing his Taser stun gun instead of his pistol as he was trying to arrest Grant for allegedly resisting an officer. The case drew widespread outrage, prompting the trial to be moved from Alameda County to Los Angeles. The jury there acquitted Mehserle of murder.

[Mehserle's attorney] Rains said at least eight other law-enforcement officers across the country have similarly mistaken their Tasers for their service weapons and were never criminally charged "and, in some cases, not even disciplined."

On Sunday, several hundred protesters marched peacefully from the Fruitvale BART Station to 14th Street and Broadway in downtown Oakland.

The saddest part of this case is that it must be considered progress that Mehserle was even charged with murder, since as the lawyer says, this was one of the rare times that the "peace officer" offending actions were caught on video and a public outcry finally lead to a criminal prosecution for murder.

Wow! Johannes Mehserle, the Oakland public transit officer who shot and killed Oscar Grant III on January 1st, 2009 has been sentenced to two measly years for the unarmed fatal shooting of a Black man by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge. Mehserle had previously been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter this summer but could have received a maximum of 14 years with a gun enhancement.

Judge Robert Perry threw out the sentence enhancement due to the commission of  a crime using a gun by calling the incident "an accidental shooting" AND gave Mehserle credit for time served so far, so that the killer cop could be released in 219 days.

The Los Angeles Times reports:

After the sentencing was announced, Grant's mother, Wanda Johnson, emerged from the courtroom muttering, "Nothing, he got nothing!" The family declined to talk to reporters.

About 50 Grant supporters lined up in front of the courthouse chanting, "Mehserle is guilty, guilty. The whole damn system is guilty, guilty."

In downtown Oakland, where a memorial was being set up for his grandson, Oscar Grant Sr., 65, said, “It’s a bad decision. No time can bring [Oscar] back. But [Mehserle] should have served some time. Otherwise, they’re telling the public, though he went to trial, a policeman can shoot someone and go free. These guys have a license to kill.”

But the elder Grant discouraged violent protests.

We'll see! This is really a sickening situation, especially since the original incident where Mehserle shot and killed Grant in the back while he was lying face down on the ground was captured on video!

2 to 4 years in jail for killing a Black man. 28-year-old Johannes Mehserle was found guilty (by a jury with no Black members) of involuntary manslaughter for shooting Oscar Grant.

A Los Angeles area jury with no African American members will decide the fate of a white former BART police officer who shot and killed Oscar Grant on January 1, 2009.

The murder trial of Johannes Mehserle, the white BART police officer who shot Oscar Grant to death in the back while the black man was laying on his stomach, continued last week with Mehserle testifying in his own defense.One member of the audience was not impressed by Mehserle's tears. Timothy Killings, 24, shouted "You should save those [...] tears, dude" and Grant family members applauded.

MadProfessah has been following the case of Oscar Grant closely since it became public in January 1, 2009. On that day a 27-year-old Bay Area Rapid Transit cop named Johannes Mehserle shot and killed Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old father of two in the back while Grant was face down on the ground being arrested by Mehserle. The shooting was captured by multiple cell-phone videos and the horrific incident became an internet sensation. Because of pre-trial publicity, the murder trial of Mehserle was moved from Alameda County to Los Angeles County and began last week.

Big news in the case of the former BART police officer who was videotaped fatally shooting an unarmed 22-year-old Black man named Oscar Grant on January 1, 2009. The judge has moved the trial of 27-year-old Johannes Mehserle to Los Angeles County from Alameda County:

The trial of a white former San Francisco Bay Area transit officer charged in the killing of an unarmed black man will be moved to Los Angeles County because of extensive media coverage and other possible distractions to trial participants, a judge in Oakland ruled Thursday.

The decision by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Morris Jacobson comes a month after he decided the murder trial of Johannes Mehserle would be moved out of that area.

State court officials recommended Los Angeles and San Diego counties to the judge as possible sites for a trial.

[...]

According to 2008 Census figures, 14% of Alameda County’s 1.5 million residents are African American, compared with 9% of the 9.9 million residents in Los Angeles County and 5% of 3 million residents in San Diego County.

MadProfessah helped organize a vigil and rally earlier this year in Leimert Park calling attention to the senseless murder of Oscar Grant.

Oscar Grant was an African American, 22-year-old father of two who was shot to death by a BART police officer named Johannes Mehserle in the wee hours of January 1, 2009. The killing was caught on video and was a cause celebre earlier this year. The Barbara Jordan/Bayard Rustin Coalition (a Black LGBT organization that MadProfessah is the board president of) organized a candlelight vigil in Liemert Park in support of justice being done for the man who shot a Black man at point blank range in full view of hundreds of other people for no apparent reason.

About 50 people showed up for the vigil in honor of the memory of Oscar Grant at Leimert Park on Wednesday night. Speaking at the podium were

Vincent Jones (Jordan Rustin Coalition)
Vallerie Wagner (National Black Justice Coalition)
Elmer Roldan (Community Coalition)
Latrice Dixon (Here To Stay Coalition)
Brian Morgan (Courage Campaign)
Nakhone Keodara (Gays United Network)

Here is the press release for the event:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 14, 2009
Press Contact:
Nii-Quartelai Quartey
Mobile: (925) 698-4373

SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCACY GROUPS COME TOGETHER TO DEMAND JUSTICE FOR OSCAR GRANT IN PEACEFUL CANDLELIGHT VIGIL

The Jordan Rustin Coalition, Courage Campaign, Here to Stay Coalition, California NAACP Youth & College Division, Community Coalition, and Gays United Network organized a peaceful candlelight vigil tonight in Leimert Park as part of a National Day of Action to demand justice for Oscar Grant, an unarmed and handcuffed African-American man, wrongfully shot and killed by a BART Police officer on New Year’s Day.

The vigil is one of many events planned across the country to express outrage over the senseless killing of Grant and demonstrate support for all individuals in communities whose lives are impacted by discrimination and violence.

“We are united by more than a public execution and gross misuse of authority,” says Jordan Rustin Coalition Board Member Vincent Jones. “We come together tonight because all of our civil rights are at risk when we don’t lift our voices against this type of injustice.”

The goal of today’s National Day of Action is to put pressure on legislative leaders to create an independent body with oversight powers over BART police and to have BART officer Johannes Mehserle arrested and charged to the fullest extent of the law.

“There is only one answer to a tragedy like this: justice. On behalf of our nearly 400,000 members, the Courage Campaign calls for an immediate independent oversight of the BART police,” says Courage Campaign Chair Rick Jacobs. “We join in solidarity with hundreds of people across the country in mourning this horrific shooting and pledge to redouble our efforts to build social justice in our state.”

“In light of last night's arrest of the former officer who committed the killing of Oscar Grant, it is now more important then ever for a national showing of solidarity and demand for and end to police brutality everywhere,” says Sean Dugar, President of the California NAACP Youth & College Division.

The death of Oscar Grant has brought together a diverse coalition of groups committed to ending discrimination and violence. A number of LGBT groups have stepped into the struggle in a show of solidarity.

“We are stunned and outraged at the continued pernicious attacks that the Black community suffers at the hand of the police,” says Latrice Dixon of the Here to Stay Coalition, a Black LGBT organization.” From the murders of Amadou Diallo and Sean Bell by the NYPD to the recent assassinations of unarmed Dante Story in South Central and unarmed Oscar Grant in San Francisco, the Here to Stay Coalition condemns the repeated police terror of Black and poor communities and calls for all communities to use King's example and organize for justice!”

"Gays United Network is standing with the African-American community to fight injustice in all of its forms,” says Nakhone Keodara, Gays United Network Founder & Community Organizer.

-About Oscar Grant-
Oscar Grant was a 22-year-old young man from Hayward, California. He is survived by his 4-year- old daughter. In front of hundreds of BART patrons, Grant was told to lie on the ground, with hands behind his back, when Officer Johannes Meherles pulled out his gun, stood over Oscar and shot him in the back. Many people captured the shooting with cell phone cameras and the world saw injustice.

###

The white police office who was caught on video tape shooting an unarmed, prone Black man in the back has been arrested in Nevada.

Johannes Mehserle, the San Francisco BART police officer who shot and killed an unarmed man at point blank range on an Oakland subway platform early on New Year's Day, has been arrested on a fugitive murder warrant.

Mehserle's actions, in which he pulled out his gun and shot 22-year-old Oscar Grant in the back while he lay prone and subdued on the platform. were recorded on several phone video cameras and posted to YouTube. The senseless killing sparked riots in Oakland.

AP: "The 27-year-old Mehserle surrendered without incident, authorities said...Hundreds of protesters have taken to the streets calling for the prosecution of Mehserle, with one rally last Wednesday spiraling into violence and resulting in more than 100 arrests and dozens of businesses damaged. John Burris, the attorney for Grant's family, said he talked to Grant's mother, Wanda Johnson, on Tuesday night and she was delighted with the news of the arrest."

The Barbara Jordan/Bayard Rustin Coalition, a Black LGBT group, is planning a candlelight vigil in Los Angeles tonight to honor the memory of Oscar Grant.

The Barbara Jordan/Bayard Rustin Coalition is sponsoring a candle light vigil in Leimert Park to honor the memory of Oscar Grant, who was shot and killed in the very early hours of 2009 by a Bay Area Rapid transit officer in full view of other passengers while he lay on his back in handcuffs. Many blogger, especially Pam's House Blend has been covering the controversy extensively soon after it happened on New Years Day, including the video which shows the point blank execution of the African American 22-year-old father of two.

The vigil will be at 7pm on Wednesday January 14th at Leimert Park. Hope to see you there!

Here are more details:

Peaceful Candlelight Vigil TOMORROW (Wed. 1/14) from 7-9pm
in Leimert Park

as part of the National Day of Action to demand justice for Oscar Grant.

As you may know, a police officer shot and killed Oscar early in the morning on New Year's Day.

You can watch this YouTube video that tells the story in all its gory details: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKy-WSZMklc

Hundreds of people across the country will be gathering tomorrow to bring more awareness to this senseless killing and to demand:

1. Criminal prosecution of ALL officers involved in the incident at the Fruitvale BART station that resulted in the death of Oscar Grant III,
2. BART to hand over this investigation to the CA State Department of Justice,
3. BART to provide the community a forum to voice their concerns, and
4. BART to present to the public a policy that will ensure that this will never happen again.
5. You can help by forwarding this email far and wide or helping to spread the word about the vigil, showing up at the vigil, or getting your group to join the diverse coalition that is coming together.

Spread the word!