6:18 PM: More than 100 protesters gathered today on multiple platforms in San Francisco BART stations to put the spotlight back on the killing of Oscar Grant III on New Year’s Day 2009.
Protesters started around 3:30 p.m. at the Embarcadero station platform where BART police lined the edge of the tracks while protesters gathered on a section of the platform chanted, “No more silence, stop police violence!” A few of the protesters attempted to verbally confront police, but the officers did not respond.
Protesters then jumped on a train, followed closely by police, where they continued to chant and pound on the train walls. The group, which filled four or five cars, then exited at the Montgomery station where some protesters hopped up on the benches and a brass band played to accompany their chanting.
Most of the protesters then hopped on another train and exited at the Civic Center station, where they continued chanting on the platform, “How can they protect and serve us? BART police just make me nervous!”
The majority of BART passengers looked surprised to see the protesters, some whipping out phone cameras to snap pictures. Some chose to ignore them, and others chanted along.
BART passenger Sissy Silva, a San Francisco resident, said she’s unfamiliar with the incident involving Oscar Grant, but said she was glad to see protesters out. “I see the police acting extremely above the law, more often than not,” Silva said.
Protesters were careful to allow passengers on and off the trains when they were in transit.
Hannibal Shakur of the group Oakland for Justice said earlier that the group’s demands include that BART fire one of its police officers, Tony Pirone, who was involved in the incident that led to the death of 22-year-old Grant at the Fruitvale BART station.
Former BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle, 28, has been charged with murder for Grant’s death. His attorney has said that Mehserle believed he was firing his Taser gun when he shot and killed the unarmed Hayward resident. Mehserle resigned a week after the shooting.
The case has been moved to Los Angeles County and Mehserle’s trial is scheduled to begin June 1. Shakur said today’s protest is meant to inform the public about what he said is BART’s continued mismanagement of the incident.
There were still protesters on the Montgomery station platform at around 5:40 p.m. A BART dispatcher said that passengers traveling through San Francisco should expect 10-minute delays.
5:32 PM: More than 100 protesters converged at BART’S Embarcadero station this afternoon in an effort to put the spotlight back on the killing of Oscar Grant III on New Year’s Day 2009.
The protesters were gathered at the station’s platform, where they chanted, “Disarm BART police, no justice, no peace.”
A BART dispatcher said at about 4:40 p.m., the protest was not delaying service.
At about that time, the bulk of the protesters boarded a train and moved the demonstration to the Powell Montgomery Street station. They were accompanied by many of the BART police officers monitoring the protest.
Hannibal Shakur of the group Oakland for Justice said earlier participants were going to stage a non-violent civil disobedience, starting at 3:30 p.m.
The group’s demands include that BART fire one of its police officers, Tony Pirone, who was involved in the incident that led to the death of 22-year-old Grant at the Fruitvale BART station early the morning of Jan. 1, 2009.
Former BART officer Johannes Mehserle, 28, has been charged with murder for Grant’s death. His attorney has said that Mehserle believed he was firing his Taser gun when he shot and killed the unarmed Hayward resident. Mehserle resigned a week after the shooting.
The case has been moved to Los Angeles County and Mehserle’s trial is scheduled to begin June 1.
Shakur said today’s protest is meant to inform the public about what he said is BART’s continued mismanagement of the incident.
BART spokesman Linton Johnson said the agency is prepared for today’s protest.
“We have plans in place to prepare for virtually any scenario the protesters throw at us,” Johnson wrote in an e-mail. “Our focus will first be to ensure our customers’ safety and secondly, to keep the trains moving on time. That said, passengers may wish to use an alternative station like Montgomery St. to avoid running into protesters.”
