This Generation
This Generation: High Tension in Oakland a Familiar Scene
As the city of Oakland mourns the loss of four officers in the line of duty, below the surface of the mainstream news coverage is a strong presence of racial tension and frustration with Oakland Law enforcement agencies. The current atmosphere in Oakland feels dangerously familiar to Los Angeles prior to the riots in 1992.
The first quarter of 2009 has been far from a love fest between the Oakland police department and the public. At the time of the New Year’s morning shooting death of unarmed Bart passenger Oscar Grant by a Bart Police officer at the Fruitvale Station, OPD was being scrutinized by the handling of the murder investigation of Oakland Post editor Chauncey Bailey. The public frustration deepened with the news of the officer who allegedly shot Oscar Grant was released on bail and is currently free despite public outcry.
After the dreadful tragic shooting spree in west Oakland that left five people dead including four police officers and the suspect, there was a spirited and relatively large group that led a march honoring the suspect Lavelle Mixon. Many are appalled at such a public gesture of support for a person responsible for the death of four police officers.
UC Berkeley Sociologist Dr. Harry Edwards describes this as not honoring the actions of Mixon but as an effort to express concerns for the overall loss of life. It also sheds light on the unhealthy relationship between the public and the Oakland Law enforcement agencies. The shooting also threatened to add another uncomfortable chapter to the already strained relationship between Oakland’s African American community and law enforcement, which has escalated recently by the shooting of Mr. Grant, an African American man by a white transit officer. In this latest incident Mr. Mixon was African American, while three of the four police officers were white.
Each of the deadliest civil unrest in California was also sparked by controversial acts of police brutality. The 1965 riots in Los Angeles were ignited by the arrest of a 21 year old African American motorist, Marquette Frye who was suspected of being intoxicated. A crowd of witnesses accused the officers of using unnecessary force and violence erupted throughout the Watts section of Los Angeles. The incident, combined with escalating racial tensions, overcrowding in the neighborhood, and a summer heat wave, sparked violence on a massive scale. Many believe the incident alone may not have caused such a massive public reaction without a series of perceived injustices against African Americans.
The Los Angeles Riots of 1992 were sparked when a jury acquitted four police officers accused in the videotaped beating of African American motorist Rodney King following a high-speed chase. Thousands of people in the Los Angeles area rioted over a period of six days following the verdict. Widespread looting, assault, arson and murder occurred while property damages totaled over a billion dollars. In all, 53 people were killed during the riots. Many other factors were cited as reasons for the unrest, including extremely high unemployment among African Americans due to a nation-wide recession; a long-standing perception that the Los Angeles Police Department engaged in racial profiling and use of excessive force. There was also a particular anger over the appalling sentence of community service which was given to a Korean American shop-owner for the killing of 13 year old African American girl, Latasha Harlins.
With the strong presence of tension in our current environment, we may be just one incident away from a racially charged uprising. It is absolutely critical that these incidents are handled diligently and with caution to prevent a repeat of racial violence in California.
Deon Price is a freelance writer and youth advocate who lives in Suisun City, Ca. He can be reached at Deon.Price@comcast.net
As the city of Oakland mourns the loss of four officers in the line of duty, below the surface of the mainstream news coverage is a strong presence of racial tension and frustration with Oakland Law enforcement agencies. The current atmosphere in Oakland feels dangerously familiar to Los Angeles prior to the riots in 1992.
The first quarter of 2009 has been far from a love fest between the Oakland police department and the public. At the time of the New Year’s morning shooting death of unarmed Bart passenger Oscar Grant by a Bart Police officer at the Fruitvale Station, OPD was being scrutinized by the handling of the murder investigation of Oakland Post editor Chauncey Bailey. The public frustration deepened with the news of the officer who allegedly shot Oscar Grant was released on bail and is currently free despite public outcry.
After the dreadful tragic shooting spree in west Oakland that left five people dead including four police officers and the suspect, there was a spirited and relatively large group that led a march honoring the suspect Lavelle Mixon. Many are appalled at such a public gesture of support for a person responsible for the death of four police officers.
UC Berkeley Sociologist Dr. Harry Edwards describes this as not honoring the actions of Mixon but as an effort to express concerns for the overall loss of life. It also sheds light on the unhealthy relationship between the public and the Oakland Law enforcement agencies. The shooting also threatened to add another uncomfortable chapter to the already strained relationship between Oakland’s African American community and law enforcement, which has escalated recently by the shooting of Mr. Grant, an African American man by a white transit officer. In this latest incident Mr. Mixon was African American, while three of the four police officers were white.
Each of the deadliest civil unrest in California was also sparked by controversial acts of police brutality. The 1965 riots in Los Angeles were ignited by the arrest of a 21 year old African American motorist, Marquette Frye who was suspected of being intoxicated. A crowd of witnesses accused the officers of using unnecessary force and violence erupted throughout the Watts section of Los Angeles. The incident, combined with escalating racial tensions, overcrowding in the neighborhood, and a summer heat wave, sparked violence on a massive scale. Many believe the incident alone may not have caused such a massive public reaction without a series of perceived injustices against African Americans.
The Los Angeles Riots of 1992 were sparked when a jury acquitted four police officers accused in the videotaped beating of African American motorist Rodney King following a high-speed chase. Thousands of people in the Los Angeles area rioted over a period of six days following the verdict. Widespread looting, assault, arson and murder occurred while property damages totaled over a billion dollars. In all, 53 people were killed during the riots. Many other factors were cited as reasons for the unrest, including extremely high unemployment among African Americans due to a nation-wide recession; a long-standing perception that the Los Angeles Police Department engaged in racial profiling and use of excessive force. There was also a particular anger over the appalling sentence of community service which was given to a Korean American shop-owner for the killing of 13 year old African American girl, Latasha Harlins.
With the strong presence of tension in our current environment, we may be just one incident away from a racially charged uprising. It is absolutely critical that these incidents are handled diligently and with caution to prevent a repeat of racial violence in California.
Deon Price is a freelance writer and youth advocate who lives in Suisun City, Ca. He can be reached at Deon.Price@comcast.net
Hi and thank you for this post Deon as it gives me a chance to ask you to continue with this information.for example, I live about 4 hours drive north of Oakland.There are so few Blacks here we could not even have a Black neighborhood, rich or poor...We get killed here also but it is hard to get the word abuse must less Killed as a charge.Any, wayI would like you to if at all possiable let me know about the police officer who was kill being accused of having killed 4 Black people in the last few years!
I heard this from one of the protest leaders being interviewed on Bill O'Reilly along with Willy Brown(who I could never stand any way)but as usual he was cut off before he could talk about this in full.I did not even catch this dead officer' s name who was killed by Mixon.