Riot prep in Oakland...

[maillotpois]

Why did I come to work today? There are helicopters all over. Below my office window there are rows of Oakland PD cars in the street, lines of cops in riot gear. The streets outside my office are clearly closed.

Holy cr@p.

[Smilie]

What is happening that there needs to be riot control?

[maillotpois]

Continuation of last night's riots regarding the BART police shooting:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/09/us/09oakland.html?_r=1

[Veronica]

Is it a pretend riot so they can practice?

Nevermind... I ignore news.

Veronica

[spokewench]

There was a protest last night in the streets of Oakland and at the BART stations because a young black man was killed by a BART policeman (I think it was New Years). The story is that the black man was laying on the ground when the officer shot him.

Part of the crowd got rowdy and lit a dumpster on fire and tried to overturn a police car. I'm not sure what is going on this morning.

spoke

[maillotpois]

Oh now I get it - my office is across the street from BART headquarters - and there's a BART board meeting today. I did not know that. :rolleyes:

[Zen]

I saw that video, that was outrageous.

[Aggie_Ama]

I read the article this morning. Be careful MP, I can't imagine watching that outside! We have a lot of the same issues locally with police, they can get very heated.

[maillotpois]

They've closed the streets to incoming traffic. We can leave, but all the streets that go to the freeways are apparently closed both ways. Which blows.

[indysteel]

Yikes, that's scary. Be careful!

[Veronica]

Now I'm worried about you. Be careful please. Remember your goal for the year - not to get hurt.

Veronica

[PamNY]

Good luck and stay safe. I wandered into an urban riot some years ago and it was not fun.

Pam

[OakLeaf]

Be safe MP.

[Smilie]

That is scary. I too, do not watch the news. Please be safe. I am glad I live in the middle of nowhere.

[smilingcat]

Oh this is so awful. To shoot a young man in his back.

Sounds like there was a second officer at the time of shooting and the young man was already on the ground face down. Seems so senseless, and so senseless with the rioting.

Whatever happened to non-violent civil disobedience. Like holding a massive candle lit vigil.

So chicken ^&% of the officer who is not willing to coorperate with the investigation. grrr... No wonder we don't have much faith in some of the officers.

Don't they have psychological screening to see if a candidate is suitable to be a cop? The ones I know are so flat lined that you can't get them rilled up by screaming or saying nasty things to them. They just laugh it off. They tell me that if you can't shrug it off, you shouldn't be a cop. They have my highest regards for the self control and for their discipline.

Sarah, please please be careful.

smilingcat

[Biciclista]

Don't they have psychological screening to see if a candidate is suitable to be a cop? The ones I know are so flat lined that you can't get them rilled up by screaming or saying nasty things to them. They just laugh it off. They tell me that if you can't shrug it off, you shouldn't be a cop. They have my highest regards for the self control and for their discipline.


smilingcat

yes, they do. a cousin of mine (who later committed suicide) wanted to be a cop in the worst way. he applied to several police departments who all turned him down after probation. Apparently he LOVED the power and transformed into a #$#$%^%&# when he was in uniform.

[Grog]

We just watched Crash last weekend. Anyone who hasn't seen that movie should see it fast.

I can understand how angry and frustrated people would somehow feel that sitting and holding a candle does not quite express the anger and frustration they feel... It doesn't excuse anything, but the big picture doesn't look pretty...

[kermit]

There's a process to become a cop, tests, medical and psychological, but once your on the road we call it being "badge heavy". Three months of FTO(field training officer) then you are on your own. I've worked with guys/girls on the road that make a bad situation worse. Noone is happy to see cops show up in the first place, but when you get out screaming at people it just makes the sh** hit the fan. From what I see of the video, uuhhh, I think the officers got a problem. I went to college to go to vet school, oops.

[crazycanuck]

Yikes! Sarah, take care of yourself & ensure you arrive home safely.

[solobiker]

Wow, how scary. Please stay safe.

[Tri Girl]

I hadn't heard about this. Seems like a very sad and preventable tragedy. I'm sorry for the young man's family, and even though I don't condone the violent riot, I can understand the people's frustration. Police are supposed to be the good guys, but like many other "good guy" professions like teaching, medicine and the clergy- it's not always the case. I hope the investigation is honest and justice is served.

BTW, I respect police officers soooooo much. I teach and get drunk on power sometimes. If I had a badge, a gun, and a billy club- I'd be he*l on wheels I'm afraid.

[Aggie_Ama]

Crash is a very thought provoking movie. I think I would like to rent it again, it seemed like a movie that should be revisited.

The whole situation is a mess, sounds like the cop was wrong but then again who knows since he seems to be avoiding questioning. Still violent protests never accomplish anything other than more senseless violence.

MP did you make it out okay?

[maillotpois]

Just got home. :) They were closing down buildings toward the city center area as apparently things were starting up again around 3. I got out of dodge. I hope it is a better night.

[Veronica]

Tomorrow is a good day to work from home I think. :D

Veronica

[maillotpois]

Yeah, I'm on the road tomorrow. :)

[andtckrtoo]

Good to hear that you got home safely and will be no where near your office tomorrow, MP. I've been following the story and I can certainly understand why people are upset. There appears to be no reason this kid was shot. I say appears, as the office who shot the boy has not spoken to anyone, and in fact resigned before he could be called in front of his superiors. There is speculation that he thought he pulled out his Taser and not his shot gun. I don't know.

[Bike Goddess]

There was a letter to the editor in the SF Chronicle today that talks about guns and tasers. Evidently, in this case, it might very well be he thought he had the taser.

Sarah- Glad you are home safely.

When we were out riding (about 50 miles from Oakland) there was a lady standing on a corner with a sign that read: "We are all Oscar Grant" (name of guy that was killed). It has affected many people, not just the folks in Oakland. I'm sorry it happened as well. BART could be adversely impacted by this incident for a long while by angry people.

[Tokie]

This is so sad. And Oakland has such terrible problems with crime as it is...so disheartening. I can't bring myself to look at the video of the incident. I'm glad you are safe Maillotpois. I would never want to go to work every day with the responsibilty of deadly force at my side. Too hard. Tokie

[Trek420]

There was a letter to the editor in the SF Chronicle today that talks about guns and tasers. Evidently, in this case, it might very well be he thought he had the taser.

I've read that cops keep their taser on the opposite side of the belt from the gun. The weight and heft are very different. Certainly the way they are fired is totally different; you pull the trigger on a gun, I don't know what you do on a taser. You'd think he'd know the difference. Even under duress he should know the difference.

It was a senseless killing, avoidable, and very tragic loss of a young man. But we don't stop the violence with more violence.

I take BART everyday, work near 19th st station. I can't work from home. If it seems dangerous in the morning I suppose I just won't go in and "so fire me. There was a riot going on. I stayed home" :(. We were told at one point to stay in the building and not go out unless we absolutely had to, then soon after told it was ok.

Many here think of the BART cops as "the good cops"; handling people jumping the fare gate, angry passengers or drunks, helping people who fall ill, that mysterious package left on a seat .... I support all our cops.

You could not pay me to do a job where people might shoot at me. The police and first responders in all our towns are overworked, under staffed, out gunned, people are more stressed because of the economy .... but draw from the wrong side?

There's no excuse I think.

As I went home today the gym was empty, a helicopter hovered over head, the streets quieter than normal. Yet there were lots and lots of bikes zipping to and fro

[Flur]

If the guy was already on the ground, there was no reason to taser him either...