Pictures and News from Oscar Grant vigil

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.

###