SFist: BART Officer Arrested for Shooting, Killing Oscar Grant

withak

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 15:09:05 -0800

One time I clicked here without adblock and thought I was on the wrong site.

withak

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 15:08:01 -0800

I'm all for protesting too, but can live without the post-protest rioting and destruction and stuff.

icbalaam

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:41:31 -0800

There is advertising on this site? I third adblock plus.

travin

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:41:02 -0800

...and will render the cost of capture negligible. Yes, I'm sure it will be dwarfed, that's for sure. But in the scheme of managing costs, for which we're paying and we know to be extraordinarily mismanaged, there needs to be some accountability and things like this are a fine place to start because they're obvious. Just imagine the waste that we *don't* see.

periqueblend

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:07:41 -0800

I doubt it. People really like to protest.

Ciaran

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 09:55:10 -0800

adblock plus is your friend

aj

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 09:54:51 -0800

you can always use adblock with firefox.

manys

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 09:47:31 -0800

Yes, if you want Brock to call you an impetulant grandpappy.

manys

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 09:38:15 -0800

I suppose that depends on what we hear at the press conference today. I'm not really sure what "this" you're referring to, though. It's not that an arrest hadn't been made--though that was certainly part of it--it's that the wheels of justice did (and possibly still do) appear to be spinning differently with a law enforcement officer tied to the tracks. I know this might sound a little like those "what Obama really means" tropes we heard during the election (possible obscure reference), but you have to take a step back from Pale-Mumia-Gay noise in the protests to see that there was true frustration about the apparent disparity of treatment. Note that in contrast, the APB for OJ Simpson was issued only five days after those murders, which also seemed generous.

grumblor

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 09:32:32 -0800

Is this where I can complain about all of the fucking united states of TARA ads all over my fucking screen? I have now seen so much of it on sfist, that I will never ever watch the show.

manys

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 09:24:53 -0800

Of course, if the trial becomes one of those "eyes of the nation" type things, some of that will be offset by the press invasion, but that's speculation. I can't wait for Mayor Quimb...er, Dellums to impose that thousand-dollar leaving town tax.

aj

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 08:45:08 -0800

Doubt it, since the trashers don't really care about justice being done. But this arrest does seem appropriate.

withak

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 06:56:18 -0800

I don't suppose this will stop anyone from trashing Oakland again tonight?

kainoa

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:05:17 -0800

I think the surface makes plenty sense. I don't believe it is "technically" a flight from prosecution as he wasn't yet... well... under prosecution. Investigation certainly, but legally, that's a big leap. And yes, it probably would have been wise (and cheaper) to tell him to not leave town while under investigation, but it's a difficult and delicate process to make it illegal for someone to leave the area without establishing them as a flight-risk before they are formally charged. Also, if he was indeed receiving death threats as I would bet he was, leaving the area may have saved the DA the trouble of another murder case. Additionally, it doesn't appear that there was any difficulty in finding him, or that he resisted arrest. I'm going to assume that the police/DA knew where he was headed when he left, and where he was going to be when they met him in Nevada. A hassle for sure, but a relatively small one. As far as the cost of relocation and jurisdictional resource expenses... Just wait. This case is going to end up costing the police, the DA, and the state (not to mention BART) much, much more, and will render the cost of capture negligible. Of course, if the trial becomes one of those "eyes of the nation" type things, some of that will be offset by the press invasion, but that's speculation.

manys

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 01:45:12 -0800

Rumor has it that he informed the DA of his whereabouts; they knew where to find him. Sure it may have required a couple officers to escort him back, but i'll bet they were cheaper than the offdutys paid to watch the line on a Friday night at Ruby Skye.

plumpy

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:56:50 -0800

Wow. I spent most of my life in Portland, so I don't know if it's different here, but I never, ever, ever remember a cop getting arrested for shooting an unarmed person before. I really wasn't expecting this at all.

Wagnerian

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:30:07 -0800

Well that's a freak'n relief. Tomorrow's protest in my neighborhood is less likely to be over-run by the radical goon squads, hopefully.

travin

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:21:46 -0800

On the surface that makes sense, but when there's an ongoing investigation into a death, moving across state lines is not only unnecessary, it's technically flight from prosecution. Remember, he's no longer a cop. He's a civilian. And whatever joker authorized him to go out of state ought to be reprimanded, and both parties should be held accountable for related expenses. Not only is it some serious overtime to go get him and physically escort him back (2-3 official persons), but there's also transportation and other related expenses in addition to local court expenses and court and jurisdictional resource espenses in Nevada to make this happen. What the hell is wrong with these people?

MalcoveMagnesia

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:07:12 -0800

According to SFGate, he was there because he's gotten death threats here.

barfooz

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:53:04 -0800

What was he doing in Nevada?