When Will "With Liberty and Justice for All" Actually Mean Something In This Country?

I couldn't only blog about LeBron on what will hopefully one day be an important day in American history. So, if y'all been under a rock lately, been too caught up in the LeBron hooplah, or somehow didn't notice my header on my last post (if all three of those things happened to you, God help you), allow me to restate. Oscar Grant was an innocent, unarmed, and prostrate (not prostate, prostrate, young'ns. It means submissively prone. Grant, specifically, was face down and handcuffed) man, killed on New Year's day 2009 following an incident on a packed train coming from San Francisco to Oakland. He was apparently "resisting arrest, and was subsequently shot in the back and killed.

Keep in mind, the shit was caught on tape via cell phone by a passenger on the train who chose to not be identified. Now, one would assume that with such outstanding evidence, the officer, Johannes Mehserle would be immediately charged with murder, right? Only in a perfect world, my fellow trufe seekers. Not only did the trail and sentencing take over a year to complete, but the killer was found guilty for involuntary manslaughter. It may be just me, but I fail to see the involuntary-ness in this situation. Grant was unarmed, face down and handcuffed. Officer Mehserle had a gun in his hand, and voluntarily pulled the trigger. Grant was MURDERED. INTENTIONALLY. ON CAMERA.

Remember how the sentencing for the beating of Rodney King sparked riots in Watts back in 1992? Anybody else feel history getting ready to repeat himself sometime soon? And as long as justice continues to be absent from this country, shit like this will continue to happen. Sad day to be an American. Sad, sad day.

~Trufe