Last Thursday was the beginning of the Mehserle Trial, the case against the officer that shot Oscar Grant in the back while he was held face down on the ground of the Fruitvale Bart Station. This is the first time in California that a police officer is being held accountable for murder.

The odds have been stacked against Oscar Grant’s family: Not only has the case been moved to LA on claims that Mehserle could not get a fair trial in the Bay Area, but the jury chosen in Los Angeles does not consist of a single African American. “The jury is made up of eight women and four men. Of the 12, seven are white, four are Latino, and one is of South Asian descent. Among the alternates, there are two Latinas, two Asian American women, one white woman and another white man”.

Racewire reports:

Mehserle’s defense won two other victories when Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Perry allowed John Burris, an attorney who’d represented the Grant family in a successful civil lawsuit, not to testify. However, Perry also banned Burris from speaking to the media during the trial. Burris has been an outspoken critic of the lack of police accountability in Oakland, and became known for his press conference diatribes while representing the Grant family.

The LA Coalition for Justice for Oscar Grant organized a mass protest outside of the courthouse on Temple and Broadway this past Monday. I went to LA to show support for Oscar Grant’s family. Aidge Patterson, who was leading the group, invited many inspiring people to speak to the public. Rodstarz of Rebel Diaz spoke and free-styled. Folks who have been affected by police brutality talked of the importance of being in solidarity with families who must go through this process to find justice. Unfortunately after hearing so many stories, I began to realize how serious this problem is. Oscar Grants murder was not an isolated incident and there are many cases like this. A member of BAMN, who was well informed of the details surrounding the Mehserle case, described many of the injustices that are being made. One example is that the Judge did not allow Mehserle’s record of past aggression to be used in court but did allow Oscar Grant’s criminal record to be open for discussion.

Even with all of these injustices, no one is losing hope. The family believes the jury will make the best decision. Everyone at the protest had great energy and will continue to support the efforts of the concerned citizens of LA, the Bay, and the whole US. I believe that if Mehserle is not found guilty, the struggle to hold police accountable will continue. With cameras, youtube, facebook, email, etc., the public has been able to balance the continual cover up of police brutality. Viral videos make sure that people see what police brutality really looks like. I hope the courts do the right thing, because it has not been that long since the Rodney King riots happened in LA. POWER TO THE PEOPLE.