Johannes Mehserle Sentence: 2 Years

• NO I think that some policemen have this "ican do whatever i want " attitude and the justice systems backs them up everytime wherether they are right are wrong

• that is so ridiculous. I cant believe people think like that. and you are definately righ tthat it is a white and black issue. If it was a black man killin a white man the black man would have gotten LIFE and we know it. And a million dollars wud not bring grant back and nobody else but the man commited a murder and his sentance was too lite

• Believe everything would have went a different way if Grant was white and the officer was black. If a black officer killed a white unarmed man, he would have gotten life in prison without a chance of porole and probaly death row

• i understand that grant was not an angel. However should death be a punishment? The man was face down with his hand behind his back and another officer was kneeling on his neck. there was no need to shoot him. If anything Grant should have been areested serving his time for fighting not dead.

• The ALL NEW Glock 123 Taser... The Taser features the identical grip and trigger that feel, squeeze and look, just like one our of world renowned Glock semi-autimatic hand guns....Your friends will be beside themselves when they slip this baby in to your belt, then stand around and urge you to "tase" the guy that you just subdued...

• Really, people? First, I don't think Mehserle intentionally killed Oscar Grant. Second, I don't think that Mehserle is a racist. But, I do believe he made HUGE mistake that didn't deserve 14 years but deserved a bit more than a 2 year sentence. The people who say that Oscar brought it on himself are just idiots. Was he armed? No. Was he a danger to anyone at the time he was killed? No. He was laying on the ground, surrounded by cops. Last I heard the sentence for fighting (unarmed) or resisting arrest (unarmed) isn't death.

• This was an accidental shooting. The idea that Mesherle deliberately committed a murder in front of witnesses is simply not believable. However, let's imagine, for a moment, that we live in the world of "killer cops" that is described by Oscar Grant supporters and family. And appreciate, then, on their terms, the magnitude of the failure of parenting that goes into the formation of a person who gets himself killed by one...on a Bart train - in Oakland! Pretty much everyone else survives this ride. At the least, it demonstrates bad survival skills on the part of Grant, who behaved like a fool and, rightly or wrongly, got himself killed, because he didn't know when to stop. He should have, especially if he subscribed to the kind of extremist views of the police that are quick to call it murder.

• Ignoring a large portion of the facts seems to be standard practice for this case. As a Black man in Oakland, I see the protests of this situation as the single most significant impact upon negative race relations in Oakland. One of the most important facts ignored by 'supporters' of Oscar Grant is that their cause has been hijacked by self-serving anarchists throughout the state and even out-of-state. The message, after this third protest that ended in violence and destruction, is that the so-called non-violent intent of protest is merely a cover for the anarchist's violence message and opportunistic theft. Like it or not, even those who were sympathetic are now disgusted.

• I respect the justice system for giving Johannes Mehserle the correct sentencing according to the Law of the United States of America without the emotion of the community affecting this case and the judicial system. It is sad for what has happened to Oscar Grant and living a little daughter fatherless but this was not murder or a racial issue.

• This is an insult to human life. It is so sad and proves to us just how little value is placed on the lives of African Americans.

• It is so sad to see people comment who have no real idea about police work or law enforcement weapons. First, all this would never have happened had Grant not been involved in a fight on the train that night, and if he had just followed the officers orders. The police have a DUTY to respond and investigate complaints of crime and there were several complaints about the fight that night. It is a fact established in court that Grant was involved. It is clear on the video that he is NOT cooperating with the officers on scene. Had he not done any of this he would be alive!! Second, it is clear on the video that it was a chaotic scene and that the officers were way outnumbered and being taunted (you can clearly hear several people yelling "f**k" the police!). Keep in mind that BART officers have no way of calling for back up from local police departments, they only have the officers on scene as back up and would have to wait for their dispatcher to call the local police to come assist! The officers were tasked with dealing with a large potentially violent crowd, resistive suspects, the investigation of a possible felony and the need to keep the trains moving. Not an easy situation to be in or to manage calmly! Third, when officers are in high stress situations like this they go into auto mode based on training they have received. Mehserle had only carried the Taser for a short time and the training he received was the minimal required (which is pretty much standard in police work due to budgets). It makes no difference that the Taser and a firearm are not exactly alike, they are similar enough that when an officer is acting on auto mode he/she will not be able to instinctively know whether they have one or the other. This was NOT the first case of an officer accidentally grabbing their firearm instead of their Taser. Finally, like one poster already pointed out, you are a fool if you really believe that Mehserle decided that he wanted to shoot a black unarmed suspect, in the back, in front of dozens of witnesses, because deep down he is a racists!!! Mehserle made a horrible mistake, and as a human I am sure he will feel the guilt over that for the rest of his life. He was trying to do his job and up until he pulled the trigger he had done nothing wrong that night!! As for how race played a role. Every cop in the Bay Area knows that had Grant not been black or if Mehserle had been black, there would never have been a prosecution and there never would have been the media and public outcry that we saw with this case!!! Mehserle made a horrible, tragic mistake, that was precipitated by Grant. Grant did not deserve to die that night, but Mehserle did not deserve to be prosecuted either. Fired maybe but, not prosecuted. Trying to compare what he did with any civilian "accident" is comparing apples and oranges so don't bother trying. And stop trying to say the only reason he got a "light sentence" is because Grant was black. That is just plain stupid. He got what was appropriate based on all the FACTS!!

• Stop looking for reasons to lash out...heres the facts...deal with it Oscar Grant was involved in being roudy on New Years Eve...fighting like an idiot..hes in the wrong for this...Meserle did NOT intentionally kill Oscar...Meserle is an incompetant officer who accidently killed a man...he thought he had his taser...Oscar did not deserve to die..he didnt even need to be tasered...this is a tragic event...Do you honestly think Meserle is such a racist that he thought to himself "Im gonna shoot this guy in the back even though I am in the public and there are a ton of witnesses with cameras?" Of course not...he messed up..he is not qualified to be in charge of deadly weapons. thats it...it ends there..manslaughter..done..next..stop looking for reasons to get mad...looting stores just shows you are retarded and uneducated...trying to latch onto anything that happens so you can play victim is sad and silly...the man this..the man that...its all bs...go GET A JOB...DO SOMETHING POSITIVE...STOP LOOKING FOR EXCUSES...How come asian and mexicans dont behave this way? How come asians and mexican can move to a city and not know how to even speak the language here but after hard work they start to prosper? enough is enough with this blind BS..Meserle deserves manslaughter..he is and was incompetant...there are tons of bigger injustices in Oakland that no one cares about ( Like the girl who was accidently shot while sleeping) where is the outrage over this? No I guess the public just needs to deal with the accidental killing here and there by gangster thug retards..People should care about EVERY SINGLE injustice..but then again people are pretty &*@^*&^* stupid

• Elizabeth, thanks for that informative spiel. I may not have any police training but even I can tell the difference between a taser and a glock. Not only do they look completely different but the size and weight differences are dramatic between the two. Someone who is supposedly trained to handle a glock would not mistake it for a taser. Bart got off with a slap on the wrist. The fact that the police tried to seize video evidence from witnesses says, to me, that they are aware they did something wrong.

• I'm so saddened by some of the commentary here, and by this atrocity of a sentence. Mesherl killed an unarmed man who was lying facedown on the ground. Yes it is an issue of race, as this sentence makes clear: A black man's life if cheap in this racist country. IF for one minute any of us believed the absurd defense that M intended to fire his taser at an unarmed, subdued, facedown suspect; then we would be forced to ask why it took him so very long to make this public. So to those of you who want to talk about how innocent this officer is, despite the fact that he took a man's life for no reason and on camera and without provocation...let me ask you this: If you killed someone accidentally, how long would you keep that fact to yourself? would you not issue some kind of apology? some kind of statement? It is absolutely absurd for anyone to assert that this man is innocent. He killed a man who had a family and now he serves less than two years? really? That's what this case shows us, how cheap a black man's life is held in these United States. I'm appalled but unsurprised. I know you've all heard this chanted aloud, yet it bears repeating: No Justice, No Peace.

• I'm so saddened by some of the commentary here, and by this atrocity of a sentence. Mesherl killed an unarmed man who was lying facedown on the ground. Yes it is an issue of race, as this sentence makes clear: A black man's life if cheap in this racist country. IF for one minute any of us believed the absurd defense that M intended to fire his taser at an unarmed, subdued, facedown suspect; then we would be forced to ask why it took him so very long to make this public. So to those of you who want to talk about how innocent this officer is, despite the fact that he took a man's life for no reason and on camera and without provocation...let me ask you this: If you killed someone accidentally, how long would you keep that fact to yourself? would you not issue some kind of apology? some kind of statement? It is absolutely absurd for anyone to assert that this man is innocent. He killed a man who had a family and now he serves less than two years? really? That's what this case shows us, how cheap a black man's life is held in these United States. I'm appalled but unsurprised. I know you've all heard this chanted aloud, yet it bears repeating: No Justice, No Peace.

• I'm glad he got the minimum sentence. This is STRICTLY a black and white issue. Grant was a felon and a thug. If he was Asian or white or any other race this would not been gotten as much attention as it has. His family is going to sue for millions...and probably win. This loser wouldn't have earned millions in 10 of his lifetimes if he'd lived. Our system is broken and people like Grant and his family will take advantage of it.

• The sentence handed down in my view is absolutely disgusting..how dare that judge hand that very light and laughable sentence to a murderer..what was the judge thinking? I hope that someone tells the lawyer they need to demand a retrial..Oscar will never rest until the jerk who kills him pays for what he did.

• Mehserle did not diserved one day in jail. He will get out of there and he will do a lot of his life... no matter what. I hope those losers out there, think twice to go out and get in trouble. Grant and his lose actions, cost two lifes (his and mehserle).

• I wonder if the family had the option of 14 years or the million dollars which one they would of taken? He has suffered enough. Now all the thugs and losers have a reason to go and break things. They need tougher laws when it comes to people who riot.

• daniel, I take it you have no law enforcement training, nor any training in how to handle guns? Yes, indeed, the tazer has a grip just like the semi automatics cops carry. BTW the enhancement law was never intended to be used on those who have a legal right to carry a gun. If you are in a job that requires a gun, if you have a concealed carry permit, the law is not supposed to apply, it's for those felons who already are in violation of the law. The reason they keep making up more laws is to have more "bargaining chips" in plea deals. And since most felons who use guns are already committing many felonies when they carry and use a weapon, the law doesn't actually have much impact. This was a complete waste of taxpayer money, he never should have been charged. Contrast and compare to the plea bargained "get out of jail free" cards handed out like campaign flyers by Harris to career criminals. But I suppose then that the mothers of young men killed by other young men of the same color and with criminal records don't matter. I'm sure those mothers aren't as "devastated" as Grant's mother. They also don't end up with millions in settlement.

• Johny you're an idiot. A taser and a gun look nothing a like. Had it been someone else who shot that guy and supposedly mistook it for a taser he or she would have been sent away for a very long time. It is not excusable to shoot someone dead because you can't restrain them.

• This sentence is despicable!!!

• OMG! Mehserle DIDN'T get life in prison or a death sentence? You mean nobody considered the enormity of this crime, that it's basically TREASON to afflict any citizen of the USA to death "under color of law" from behind a badge? oh .. my .. gosh.... They've gone stupid... OK... It's a movie, right? I noticed that possibility when I saw this newly-arrived officer Mehserle directed to do the take-down, and there are maybe 5 other cops there already.. IT STINKS! IT'S A DRILL! QWIT IT!

• What a crock. He should have not done one day in jail. Oscar Grant may not have deserved todie but his own actions heavily contributed to the outcome. How come no one is talking about that?

• Looks like he'll be packing his bags in late winter - could get by the end of Feb. 2011 Doubt his gun enhancement retrial will be over by then...

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