I first read about the New Year's shooting of Oscar Grant on the Bay Area Rapid Transit last night. Today, protesters met with the Alameda District Attorney to demand answers. I reluctantly watched a video of the shooting, knowing that the images would be very difficult to bear. The video immediately sent me back to the Rodney King beating from 1992, the first time, in my memory, police brutality was recorded on video. The incident changed the face of video surveillance forever. Back then not many people had video cameras. Now, practically everyone has a cell phone with video capabilities. This shooting was recorded from various angles and the footage will be used as evidence.
The video also reminded me of a conversation I had with a Brit while I was in London about the right to bear arms. He asked me why Americans were so gun crazy. I could not give him a reasonable answer and I think the shooting of Oscar Grant is a perfect example of why the American attitude towards fire arms needs a complete overhaul.
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