At 9 a.m. today, the preliminary hearing for BART officer Johannes Mehserle began. Mehserle is charged with the murder of Oscar Grant. The former officer's defense, most likely, will center around the idea that he meant to fire his Taser, not his pistol, that fateful morning. If you recall, Grant was shot on New Year's Day at the Fruitvale station after Grant and some pals were detained by BART officers.

Today's preliminary hearing was delayed last month due to the Oakland police officers who were shot and killed in the line of duty.

Unpublicized footage of the killing, according to the Chron, will be reviewed. Protesters and loads of news types have already gathered outside the Alameda County courthouse. This promises to be a media circus.

Grant's shooting led to demonstrations, international outrage, and outcries for BART reform. Also, Green Day's latest effort, 21st Century Breakdown, features a song, "Murder City," which is "a direct reference to the shooting of Oscar Grant." Check out Green Day's ode to Oakland violence after the jump.