Fourth Oakland Officer Brain Dead

Marchers say transit cop got off too easy

(NEWSER) - Oakland police racked up 152 arrests last night of demonstrators angry that a transit cop got a 2-year-sentence for shooting an unarmed black man to death. Protesters took to the streets after a judge gave Johannes Mehserle the minimum prison sentence for killing Oscar Grant last year, reports the LA Times . Mehserle maintains that he mistook his gun for a Taser. More»

Oakland cops were responding to false burglary alarm

(USER SUBMITTED) - An Oakland preschool teacher arrived home Tuesday to find a note on her door from the police, explaining that they had shot and killed her dog while responding to a false burglary alarm. The note stated that Mary Kate Hallock's 11-year-old arthritic yellow lab had "advanced on officers in a threatening manner" by growling and barking when they entered the property, reports the San Francisco Chronicle . More»

(NEWSER) - More than 1,000 protesters took to the streets of downtown Oakland this evening to protest the New Year's Day shooting of an unarmed black man by a transit officer, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The protest comes hours after the officer, who has since resigned, was arrested and charged with murder. More»

Rioters trash streets in Oakland after officer shoots unarmed man in BART station

(NEWSER) - The family of a 22-year-old man shot dead by police at an Oakland BART station have appealed for calm following violent protests, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. Hundreds of businesses and cars have been trashed and 105 people arrested in disturbances. Prosecutors are considering filing criminal charges against the police officer involved in the shooting. More»

'Occupy' marches in Oakland, Seattle elsewhere get physical

(AP) - Activists across the US joined the worldwide May Day protests today, with Occupy Wall Street members in several cities leading demonstrations and in some cases clashing with police. Some examples:

• In Oakland, police fired tear gas and "flash-bang" grenades to disperse the crowds, sending protesters fleeing a downtown intersection where they were demonstrating. Officers took four people into custody.