ILWU Local 10 rallied behind took a stand against calling for justice in the police killing of Oscar Grant.
Hundreds of union and community supporters rallied in Oakland on Saturday afternoon, October 23rd at an event attended by ILWU members from Locals 6, 10 and 34 to seek justice for Oscar Grant, an unarmed African-American man killed by a BART transit police officer in 2009.
New Year’s Day Killing
Grant was killed while he and several friends were detained by transit police at 2 a.m. on New Year’s Day, after BART staff reported that the young men were intoxicated and fighting on a train. Dramatic camera phone videos taken of the incident that followed show Oscar Grant being held on the ground by two BART police when one of the officers, Johannes Mehserle, suddenly pulled out his semiautomatic pistol and fatally shot Grant in the back.
Cop convicted in shooting
Mehserle was charged with second degree murder by the Alameda County District Attorney’s office, but the jury decided to convict Mehserle of involuntary manslaughter involving a firearm, which carries a maximum possible sentence of 14 years in prison. Mehserle’s attorney argued that his client mistakenly used the gun instead of a Taser, and deserved no more than probation.
The October 23rd rally attracted a diverse group of union members, community activists and students. Dozens of speakers addressed the crowd for almost four hours, although the group thinned considerably after several hours.
ILWU involvement wins positive media coverage
The event garnered positive media coverage, including two favorable articles in the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper, and television news reports including Channel 7 Eyewitness News. At one point in the live TV coverage, ABC TV news anchor Alan Wang asked field reporter Lisa Gulezian: “What’s the connection between the union and Oscar Grant?”
The reporter on the scene responded: “The union says that what’s important to the community is what’s important to the union….the bottom line is that they don’t like to see injustice.”
Connection to Mayor’s campaign
Several speakers, including Local 10 President Richard Mead, invoked the ILWU slogan, “An injury to one is an injury to all,” which was cited by several reporters to explain why local union members would care about getting involved in this struggle for justice. Mead noted that candidates running for the Oakland Mayor’s race need to ensure that police are better trained and held more accountable. He urged everyone to vote in the November 2nd election, and said Local 10 members are actively volunteering to help candidate for Mayor Jean Quan because she supports working families, unions, and the need to hold police accountable.
Changing “stop work meeting” date
In addition to covering the rally, reporters were curious about claims that longshore workers were “shutting down all Bay Area ports” on Saturday as a sign of solidarity toward Oscar Grant. Local
10 officials asked and received approval from the PMA to change the local’s regular monthly “stop work meeting” from Thursday to Saturday. While Port officials said only one ship was tied up on Saturday, changing the “stop work meeting” to Saturday made it easier for members to attend the weekend rally. Local 10 officials also encouraged member participation by issuing special credit stamps to “B
members” who attended the rally.
Judge sentences shooter
On November 5th, Judge Robert Perry sentenced Mehserle to 2 years in state prison and was credited with nearly one year of time served. The sentence was less than many in the community had expected. Farless Dailey, Local 10 Secretary Treasurer, helped organize ILWU participation at the rally and felt it was a success.
“What happened to Oscar Grant was a terrible injustice that never should have happened. Our ILWU tradition calls on us to stand with the community whenever an injustice occurs. Taking action and speaking out is what we mean by ‘an injury to one is an injury to all.’”