Hundreds Rally In Oakland To Support Oscar Grant
OAKLAND (KCBS) -- Hundreds rallied in Oakland on Saturday to support the family of the man shot to death by a BART police officer almost two years ago.
It was part of a Bay Area-wide Port of Oakland shutdown organized by the Bay Area Labor Movement.
Fiery speeches were made on the steps of Oakland City Hall in honor of Oscar Grant, the Hayward man shot dead by former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle.
"It's very powerful because we have international eyes on us. And we believe there's an opportunity to see the system work," said Grant's uncle Cephus Johnson.
Mehserle, who shot and killed Grant, is scheduled to be sentenced on November 5.
Ed Henderson, a business agent for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Local 10 said the union has a longstanding policy of solidarity with those who suffer police brutality.
"We're not personally attacking our taxpayers or any merchants out there with any shipping," Henderson said. "We have a meeting once a month and we normally shutdown on Thursday nights once a month."
Two union members were shot in the back by police in 1934.
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