From everything I have seen on the surface the shooting of the man at the Oakland B.A.R.T. station was not legally justifiable. I will wait for the investigations to be completed to learn the how and why of the case. There are those who are protesting in a constructive manner and those who are out to destroy. Currently Oakland P.D., B.A.R.T, the district attorney are conducting investigations into the shooting. The California State Attorney General has assigned a monitor to the case.
Most likely, but not publicly the United States Attorney in San Francisco, for the Northern District of California and the F.B.I. are keeping up to date incase there are allegations of civil rights violations.
The City of Oakland has been struggling with the highest or nearly the highest crime rate in the State of California. The City has made some progress and it is unfortunate that the hard working people in the City have to pay for the damage caused by bottom feeders.
Back in my school days I had a friend who lived the good life in the country, and all he wanted was to become a cop. His training started early and he developed skills with a handgun, and rifle. He went to a four-year college and obtained a degree in criminal justice. I was shocked to learn that he applied and got a job with Oakland P.D. For a man who likes action it was ideal job.
During my L.E. career I got to visit Oakland a couple of times, once for weeks, and for a few hours on another case. Like many big cities there is rank poverty, and there are some very high price homes. Oakland has been suffering white flight for many years. I went to the net to find crime comparisons for the City of Oakland. When it is compared to most California cities Oakland has the highest crime rate. I was surprised when I compared it with Birmingham, Alabama. Birmingham, the city of my mother’s birth, must be one tough city. Birmingham exceeds Oakland and the National Crime average numbers. While Oakland has fewer murders, it has more aggravated assaults. Oakland also exceeds in car theft.
http://oaklandca.areaconnect.com/crime/compare.htm?c1=Oakland&s1=CA&c2=Birmingham&s2=ALOakland is a tough city to be a cop in, to run a business, and raise a family in. This does not excuse the shooting. But there is no excuse for rioting in the streets. Many citizens have gone to local, State, and County government and have voiced their concerns. Government is listening to those concerns and taking action. In many cases it is the same people who complain about lynch mob mentality when a black man is accused of a crime. I do not know the ethnic background of the shooter in this case, but it is clear that many in the community that decries the lynch mop are now leading the mob.
Does the mob actions make sense, the other night I watched a black businesswoman cry when she viewed the damage the mob caused to her business.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_11405848?source=most_emailedAt times crime spills out of Oakland into other areas. During the past year four black suspects enter the nearby University of California Berkley campus during daylight hours. They robbed students who were working outside in common areas of their computers, and money.
http://www.calstate.edu/pa/clips2007/september/14sept/crime.shtmlA few earthquakes have impacted Oakland,
For those that are interested in California’s suffering we have our own earthquake map and monitoring system.
http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/recenteqs/latest.htmSome of the black helicopter people feel that California earthquakes are actually Nevada folks trying to level the Sierra-Nevada Mountains to allow winter storms to drop more moisture on Nevada. Wink!
Unfortunately California Government is a dismal mess and folks in the rural counties have little sway in the role of government.
