Mistah F.A.B., Oscar Grant, Police Brutality

Mistah FAB: “Oakland Police Are Hired Assassins”
January 10th, 2009 by Julia Beverly
No, it’s not 1991, but police brutality in California is still prevalent. After an Oakland police officer shot and killed an unarmed 22-year-old black man in the back on New Years Day, protestors have taken to the streets and organized rallies to demand justice. Here, Bay Area rapper and “voice of the community” Mistah FAB gives OZONE an eyewitness account of the widely-reported “riots.” FAB, however, isn’t asking, “Can’t we all just get along?” He is enraged by the blatant police brutality of the Oakland Police Department, who he describes as “malicious, hired assassins” and vows not to let Oscar Grant’s murder be forgotten or “swept under the rug” by the ignorant behavior of some protestors. Most of all, he reminds us that there is an Oscar Grant in every city.


Photo: Vibe.com

A lot of news outlets have referred to this situation as the “Oakland riots.” We get the impression that there’s a lot of violence going on. Is that an accurate description? What are you seeing?
[The media] is trying to make it seem as if it’s anarchy and the people are trying to overthrow the judicial system, and it’s not like that. Unfortunately there were some demonstrators who allowed their frustration to overcome them and caused them to destruct some things and demolish a few things but it was nothing to the extent of what we would consider a riot. When people hear about “riots” they think of things like the L.A. [Rodney King] riots and the Watts riots and things of that nature, but it’s nothing comparable to that.



Do you think it’s going to get to that level or are things calming down at this point?
If there aren’t any answers and a confirmed decision as far as what’s going to be done and what justice will be brought, I think it can definitely get worse. You have a group of young kids who have unchanneled energy. It’s built-up frustration mixed with adrenaline, and that combination is a deadly concoction. A lot of those individual kids with nothing to lose will react as their emotions are telling them to react, and it will definitely get worse. It can get dangerous. Some of those guys are homicidal and suicidal. They’re willing to kill and they’re willing to die. They don’t care. They’ll go kill a cop and put it on film. If they feel like no justice will be served by the judicial system, they’re gonna govern themselves. That’s how they feel and they’re wild enough to do it.

Since you have a voice in your community, what are you advising your peers to do? What’s a productive way to move forward and what direction are you pointing people in?
I’ve been asked to speak at a few rallies, which I attended. The message I delivered was: “I know you’re frustrated.” The people in our community are flustered. They feel that there’s always an Oscar Grant going on and no one gets recognition. A lot of people feel like their family members have been victims of similar situations. They feel like it’s the right time to react. If y’all don’t give a fuck, we don’t give a fuck. I’m trying to convey the message to them that I understand their pain, but we have to first demand that justice be brought. The only way to do that is to keep it in terms [the government] understands. If they wanna play games, we’ll demonstrate and show why this [officer] should be tried as a murderer and convicted as an assassin. We’ll prove that. We’ll handle it in a way that [the police] understand. They can’t just sweep it under the rug because we’re “rioting” and acting primitive. The “rioting” is taking away from the fact that this guy isn’t in jail.

In your mind, what needs to be done for justice to prevail?
When I say “I,” I’m speaking for various members of the community. We in the community feel as if this man should be captured and arrested. We feel that he should get treated the same way a normal man would get treated if he shot somebody. Or even more, because these are paid officials. They’re paid to govern us. We’re paying you, and you kill us? This is the respect that you serve the public with? We think there should be an Oscar Grant Law. I just put out a [tribute] song with Jennifer Johns, and she has an idea to present the Oscar Grant Law: if there’s any police officer convicted of police brutality he has to be sentenced to a minimum of five years. If there are any police officers convicted of murder, they should get the maximum penalty for murder plus an additional ten years.

Do you think there’s any validity to the argument that this was an unfortunate accident?
Definitely not. No form, no fashion, no way, no how. A man pulled out a gun and shot a man in his back while he was handcuffed face down. They gave an excuse saying that he thought it was a taser [gun]. Anyone who is a professional at what they do – if you’re a police officer, you should be a professional at handling situations like that. You should know what a taser is and you should know what a gun is. I bet if it was your life on the line, you would know where your gun was. You wouldn’t accidentally reach for that taser. So there’s no justifiable excuse. By saying that, they’re only adding insult to injury. That’s like slapping his mama in the face.

For those that aren’t familiar with the crime rate and murder rate in Oakland, can you describe the atmosphere over the past few years? Do you feel like this is the last straw in long-standing tensions between the community and the police?
This is what broke the camel’s back. In 2008, the Oakland police themselves had over 18 murders. Oscar Grant happened approximately 18 times in 2008, and those were just the names that were released to the public.

Do you think most of those situations were due to racial profiling, or what is the underlying cause of those high numbers?
It has nothing to do with racial profiling to a certain extent. It’s the fact that these cops are a gang. Their rival gang is inner-city youth, whether they’re Mexican or even white in the hood and you’re [gang]-bangin’. If you’re part of a rival gang, they will shoot you. These police officers are malicious. They are hired assassins, and they’re a gang. They act accordingly to how gangs act.

With that said, how can the situation ever get better? How can there be justice?
If killers govern killers, it’s gonna be a cutthroat world. Either you’re gonna kill me or I’m gonna kill you. That’s war. There’s a war here. These trigger happy police officers are actually afraid. That’s why they react the way they react. They’re cowards. We need someone to govern them. Who’s governing them? Nobody. That’s why we hope and we wish that our mayor would stand firm and take the power to have this officer [who shot Oscar Grant] arrested.

The mayor actually came out to the protest and talked to concerned citizens, right? Do you think he’s handling this situation well?
I think he is concerned. I voted for the mayor. He’s a good guy, a great guy, and I felt that if he had been at the first initial rally there would’ve been a lot less problems; less bullshit. By the time he got there, people were already on some “fuck it” shit. But the mayor is trying his hardest.

Here, Hip Hop journalist and Bay Area representative Davey D blasts Mayor Ron Dellums


How can people outside the Bay Area help support the cause?
We want people to know that there’s an Oscar Grant that happens in every city, on a weekly and a daily basis. This isn’t just a case pertaining to our city. This happens everywhere. Don’t allow these injustices among your community to continue to occur without you guys voicing your opinion. We must voice our opinion but we must be artful and intelligent in the way we conduct ourselves while coming up with a solution. We’re in the process of making the “Don’t Shoot” shirts. The proceeds are going towards [Oscar Grant’s] daughter’s college fund. Everything is relatively new, so none of the websites are set up yet, but these are all things we’re going to be involved with to raise awareness. “Don’t Shoot.” That’s our new thing, man.

Do you think that having a black president will bring any changes in the future when it comes to racial tensions in these type of situations?
This man has a trillion dollar debt he has to worry about. This man has churches and schools getting blown up around the world. His problems are so big, police brutality is not an issue he’s going to attack. That’s going to be handled by the states and the cities before it ever comes across his desk. He’s got his own issues. We’ve gotta govern this ourselves. We’ve gotta let people know that shit like this happens in every city. Miami, Atlanta, New York, Philly, Baltimore, this happens everywhere. As the voices of the community, the modern day Hueys and Malcolms, we artists have to speak up. Some of us feel like we’ve got a lot to lose, but so what? You’ve gotta sacrifice for a cause. The same day Oscar Grant got killed, a 22-year-old in New Orleans got killed by a cop. It’s happening everywhere, man. There’s an Oscar grant in every city.

How can people holla at you?
Myspace.com/mistahfab or twitter.com/mistahfab but it’s not about me, you know? Look up Oscar Grant. It’s bigger than me, man. I’m just one on the front lines, out of all these artists. Nobody came out [to protest], and I’m not throwin’ jabs at no artists, but none of these other rappers came out. Groups like Zion I and the Heiroglyphics and some of the underground brothers that support all the time came out, but none of the big names. I’m just a voice in the community. I’m out here.

Tags: Mistah F.A.B., Oscar Grant, Police Brutality

Video of subway police shooting spurs inquiry

Video of subway police shooting spurs inquiry
Posted by Brittanii on January 6, 2009 at 7:59pm in News
Add as Friend View Discussions
I know some all ya'll arent to worried about this because 50's new single came out...

Or ya'll to busy making dumb ass discussion board topics about niggas being gay and lame...

But on some real shit....

This story is on the front page of CNN.com: the story is below for those who dont want to go over there and read it!

New Year's Day shooting in which a subway police officer fired a deadly shot into the back of an unarmed man has the San Francisco Bay Area demanding answers as authorities appeal for patience.


Oscar Grant, 22, was killed January 1 in a shooting at a subway station in California's Bay Area.

Bay Area Rapid Transit spokesman Linton Johnson told CNN affiliate KTVU-TV in Oakland, California, that the officer is presumed innocent and described him as devastated.

Attorney John Burris called the shooting "unconscionable" and said he filed a $25 million claim with BART on Tuesday, alleging wrongful death and violation of civil rights by use of excessive force. BART has 45 days to respond, Burris said.

"It's a clear shooting in the back that should not have taken place," Burris said, characterizing the incident as a case of "overagressiveness by police."

KTVU obtained at least two videos of the incident and its prelude. One video, which KTVU reported came from a train passenger who wished not to be identified, shows three young men against a wall in the crowded Fruitvale station.

Karina Vargas, who also provided a video to KTVU, said the men had been pulled from the train car in front of hers. Watch the events preceding the shooting »

Burris said Tuesday that the young men had been celebrating the new year at a popular waterfront tourist spot, The Embarcadero. They were heading home when police pulled them from the train car.

Some of the young men were handcuffed, but not 22-year-old Oscar Grant. The video from the anonymous passenger shows Grant seated on the floor with his back against the wall.

Grant holds up his hands, appearing to plead with police. Burris said Tuesday that Grant was asking police not to use a Taser.

"He said to them, 'Don't Tase me; I have a 4-year-old daughter,' " Burris said.

The interaction on the video is not audible.

Seconds later, police put Grant face-down on the ground. Grant appears to struggle.

One of the officers kneels on Grant as another officer stands up, tugs at his gun, unholsters it and fires a shot into Grant's back.

Burris said the bullet went through Grant's back and then ricocheted off the floor and through his lungs.

Grant, who has a 4-year-old daughter, died seven hours later, KTVU reported.

"I couldn't believe it. We was already following directions and everything, and they shot him," Fernando Anicete, one of the young men with Grant, told KTVU.

Burris has spoken to witnesses who claim that Grant was trying to resolve the situation.

"He had been telling people to calm down. 'Be cool. Just do what they tell you to do,' " the attorney said.

Johnson said the video provided to KTVU is inconclusive.

There are two surveillance cameras at the Fruitvale station, but a BART official told CNN that no video is being released at this time.

The community is outraged, according to local media. CNN affiliate KRON-TV in San Francisco reported that about 20 people rallied Monday outside BART's district headquarters in Oakland.

"A 22-year-old unarmed father was executed and assassinated, and BART expects us to swallow that the shooting may have been an accident," protest organizer Evan Shamar of Oakland shouted through a bullhorn, according to KRON.

BART says an investigation is ongoing and hasn't reached any conclusions.

The San Francisco Chronicle published an editorial Tuesday demanding answers as well.

"The BART police say that they are taking the investigation very seriously, but they had better find a way to reach out to the public effectively about what is going on and why. Otherwise, public outrage over this case is going to grow exponentially with every passing day," the newspaper said.

BART Police Chief Gary Gee released a statement this week expressing condolences for Grant's family and saying the authority is cooperating with the Alameda County district attorney's office, which is also investigating.

Gee added that BART will complete an "unbiased and thorough investigation" and asked the public to be patient.

"As frustrating as it is, I want to stress that we cannot and will not jeopardize this case by discussing details before the investigation is complete," Gee said.

Gee provided minor details of what preceded the shooting: BART police received a report that two groups of passengers were involved in an altercation as their train left the West Oakland Station about 2 a.m.

"BART police officers responded to the platform at Fruitvale and detained several persons," Gee said in his statement.

BART has not identified the officer, saying only that he has been on the force two years. He has undergone drug and alcohol testing and is on administrative leave, both of which are standard procedure, according to BART.

The officer has yet to make a public statement.

Johnson and Gee say they are refraining from releasing further details to avoid compromising the investigation. Johnson further told KTVU that BART wanted to avoid "polluting the potential pool of witnesses."

Burris, however, said there is no excuse for the use of force on a man being restrained by police. If BART does not grant his $25 million claim or if the authority fails to respond in 45 days, Burris intends to file a lawsuit, he said.

Burris, who served as Rodney King's co-counsel in King's civil case against the Los Angeles Police Department, said he also wants criminal charges filed against the officer.

He is pushing the Alameda County District Attorney Tom Orloff to press second-degree murder or involuntary manslaughter charges, he said.

Second-degree murder charges would be warranted if the officer shot Grant in the back when Grant posed no danger, Burris said. However, there are reports speculating that the officer accidentally shot Grant, in which case involuntary manslaughter charges would be appropriate, Burris said.

"No one wants to believe a cop would just kill somebody like that," he said. "My view is, this is criminal conduct, period."

Johnson told KTVU that authorities are trying to determine whether the officer who shot Grant accidentally drew his gun instead of his Taser.

He also said authorities still need to speak to all the officers but that the BART officers involved in the incident felt outnumbered and called the Oakland Police Department for backup. iReport.com: 'I'm not happy with the state of the police'

"We need to take our time and go through this thoroughly and try to figure everything out. There's more to this story than this one angle," Johnson told the station.

Asked whether there were developments Tuesday, Johnson said he had none.



Thomas Blalock, president of BART's board of directors, has urged the public not to jump to conclusions.

"Let's get the puzzle put together, and then we'll come to a conclusion," Blalock told KTVU
Share
▼ Reply to This


Replies to This Discussion
Permalink Reply by Bella Bonita 3 hours ago
thats the thing about police they never think they just act, I do hope that justice is served in this matter...But hey I don't think justice is really ever served look at NY former Governor Spitzer that man can use tax payers money to buy an expensive hoe (which is a federal crime to pay for prostitution), then pay to have a NYS Sheriff guard his room, and in addition pay for the hotel room all with tax payer money...You know what he got???? Nothing just the embarassment and the fact he is no longer governor, do you know what we got???? A governor that has no clue wtf he is talking about and tries to feed off the lower to middle class people by taxing the hell out of us and furthermore increasing taxes like trying to charge additional taxes on soda and gas and stopping our housing programs...The meaning to all of this is the fact that our justice system is so corrupt yet it gives a free pass to those that are of some "stature"...Let it be anyone of us regular people and Sionara we guilty until we can fork out $35,000 for a attorney to say we are innocent...
▶ Reply to This
Permalink Reply by Brittanii 13 minutes ago
yes girl yes!!!!....

Gov Spitzer is wack anyways...that why is bum ass got caught..

And its said he didnt get charge but thats how they do...
▶ Reply to This
Permalink Reply by Al-Taliban 1 hour ago
I hate the punk police!!!!
▶ Reply to This
Permalink Reply by Dr. KB(Still Paying For School,But Already Bought Class, S Class That Is) 53 minutes ago
I live near where this happened and saw the video and it was the most pointless,senseless shooting caught on tape that I have ever seen.
▶ Reply to This
Permalink Reply by Brittanii 12 minutes ago
Tru...

They have like to videos of it...

On on video you actual see homie get shot....

This is ridiculous and I dont understand why more people dont know about it...

Like I said beforehad it been a black cop shooting a white kid it would be all over the news

THIS POST FOR ALL MY CRIP$ WORLD WYDE KEEP BANGN F.T.P

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

!!!!!!!!!!!!!WELCOME TO THE NEW WORLD ORDER!!!!!!!!!!!!
APPEARS TO BE A VIOLATION OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH??
BOTTOM OF PAGE 12 SAYS 40 GLOCC CANT SAY WHERE HE GREW UP ,HIS ARTIST ,HIS HOOD,GANG,GANG SIGNS,THE WORD CRIP,HIS ARTIST THE ZOO BABIEZ,LABLE IN HIS VIDEOS ON INTERNET,T.V,OR AUDIO RECORDINS VIOLATIONS WILL RESULT TO JAIL TIME!!! READ BOTTOM OF FIRST PAGE AND 2ND PAGE THIS IS A VIOLATION OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH!!!..40 GLOCC HAS NOT BEEN CHARGED WITH ANY CRIME NOR CONVICTED OF ANY..
...DONT LET THE GANG BANGING SIDE TRACK YOU!!..THIS IS A STEP THEN COMES MORE STEPS DONT BE FOOLED!!! THEY WILL DO THIS TO ALL MINORITY NEIGHBORHOODS WORLD WIDE (CRIPS,BLOODS,MEXICANS,SPANISH,WHITES,BLACKS,CLICKS,PROTEST GROUPS,ETC.)...
THEY WILL USE MEDIA OUTLETS SUCHA AS (THE NEWS CHANNELS AS BELOW,AND NEWS PAPERS) TO MAKE IT LOOK TO THE PEOPLE AS HARSH AND CRUEL AND SCARY LIKE TERRORIST TO CREATE FEAR...AND BEHIND CLOSED DOORS IN COURT GIVE U PAPER WORK LIKE THIS..VIOLATING YOUR RIGHTS..
BUT IF CRIMES WERE COMMITTED WHY WOULD YOU TAKE MEASURES TO LOCK SOMEONE UP FOR FREEDOM OF SPEECH INSTEAD OF A ACTUAL CRIME..THINK ABOUT IT..."BECAUSE THERE IS NO LAW BEING BROKEN!!"
YOU CANT TELL SOMEONE WHAT TO SAY OR HOW TO DRESS..AND ARREST THEM IF THEY DISOBEY. IF YU DONT CARE..KOOL..BUT BE AWARE...!!!WELCOME TO THE NEW WORLD!!!

"IF THESE RIGHTS CAN BE VIOLATED SO CAN YOURS"

ITS ABOUT THE VIOLATION OF CONSTITUTION "1ST AMENDMENT " FREEDOM OF SPEECH!!!...
1st AMENDMENT=Freedom of religion, of speech, of the press, to petition, and to assemble

READ BOTTOM OF FIRST PAGE #29

!!!! LEAVE YOUR COMMENT WHAT U THINK!!!!!

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Tags: 40, 50, cent, curtis, deep, glocc, gunit, havoc, infamous, loc

Share
133 Comments

Suave_Capone Comment by Suave_Capone 48 minutes ago
Well there isn't anything to say except it's our fault.


All Americans do is blog about shit they dont like and petition (like that shit works 100%).

This is not the only right that has been taking away from us, look at the patriot act or when Bush suspended Habeas Corpus.....some niggas on this site wont know wtf im talking bout cuz they think they are too street for that shit or something, all i can say to you is that you fucking stupid. keep banging on your corner and doing stupid shit, like shot each other because your parents decided to move to different neighborhoods when you where younger so now you are enemies because your address is not the same..lol i laugh at the stupidity of niggas sometime, almost ashamed because its the majority that rules and the majority of us are caught up in stupid shit and dont realize anything that is happening around us. we just make excuses and say we gotta do this shit, yeah some of us are fucked because we have records and felony charges that prevent us from getting jobs but nodoy said you couldnt hire yourself, be an entrepreneur, instead of making it rain on some gonorrhea infested bitch at a club, invest in your future dumb ass niggas, hell i made it out fresh from the jail house, to college and i still go back to the hood and get love, niggas congratulate me, do something with ya life niggas or this shit will continue to happen to your uninformed asses......fuck complaining, just stfu or do something about it.

justin Comment by justin 35 minutes ago
OHHH SHIT, Looks Like Guilty By Affiliation, This Is Bullshit, Free P!!!

P Trilla Comment by P Trilla 1 second ago
Delete Comment MAN THIS IS SOME FOUL SHIT MAN NO NEED TO COMMENT THOSE WHO KNOW KNOW WHEN WE ALL OUT OF JOBS AINT GOT NOTHING THEN THEY GONE REALIZE THEY AINT GONE HAVE NOBODY TO BUST OR ARREST IF WE RIOT IN THE STREETS AND PRISONS AND OVER TURN THE SYSTEM. FUCK SNICTHES AND THE PO PO THEY DIRTY CANT TRUST EM FUCK EM IF YOU GOT HOT ONESS BUCK EM. ANYBODY GOT GUNS FOR SALE THIS SHIT IS REAL AND I NEED EM IMA SAY AND DO WHAT I WANT

http://poetrysesszenz.blogspot.com/