Today was the day awaited by many: sentencing day for Johannes Mehserle, an ex transit police officer. Mehserle shot and killed unarmed patron Oscar Grant, on New Years Day 2009. The case against defendant Johannes Mehserle has provoked racial unrest at every turn, and police in Oakland were on alert for more problems following a sentence that many thought was too light. After being sentenced back in July, possible sentences could have been much heavier and longer. Several police officers in LA and Oakland would on hand and ready to control the crowd in case riots erupted. However, small crowds in both locations reacted calmly to the decision. Of course Grant's family though the outcome was too light and believed Mehserle should have received a much harsher sentence. According to NBC news, Grant's uncle, Bobby Cephus Johnson, said "I have no power over what people feel their matter of expression should be" Mehserle had faced a possible 14-year maximum term after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
Since the two men involved were of two different races, many believe Mehserle's actions were racially charged. Personally, I think the sentence is way too light. Furthermore, I am not buying any of Mehserle's arguments, that he "pulled out his gun instead of his taser." Meshserle is calling his action "accidental and unintentional. I can't believe he claims he did not know any better. But then again I must not get too carried away with my opinion, as everyone sees things differently.
What are your opinions on the sentence? Is it too little Is it too much, or just right? Let's hear it.
3 comments:
This incident reminds me of the whole "Don't tase me bro" fiasco. You have an unexperienced officer who resorts to force immediately. I spoke with a now retired police officer who explained to me that the longer you work as a cop, the more you'll understand that the badge is much more powerful than the weapon.
What's funny is that Mehserle doesn't need to serve 2 yrs. Since already serving time he just needs to serve 7 more months. I can't believe the people that say that this court case was fair because it obviously wasn't. From my view, I believe that the guy accidentally pulled his gun, but the thing I don't believe is that a human life is worth 2yrs, or 7 months. I'm not advocating that he should have had the maximum sentence of 14 years, but I definitely disagree that 2 years is justified. Accident or no accident the man is still a killer, and should get at least 5-6 years. I think the light sentence can tell us that there was definitely a bias on the judges side.
Wow I remember watching on the news about the riots over this "incident." I remember seeing the damage on all the innocent stores and and all the mess of the rioters. It looked all bad, I have a very bad feeling that many people who participated in this riot will use the light sentence as an excuse to start an even worse riot. Our state already has a lot of budget problems and we can't risk making a bigger hole in it by having to deal with all these riots. If it were up to me, I believe that we should have given Mehserle a harder sentence to be safe that no more riots would erupt.
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