I wanted to add my condolences on the loss of your brother. Great article. I live in the Bay Area and I feel like I want to print this out and distribute it. I bet many of those BW who were out 'protesting' aren't even safe within their own homes, and they put out energy on this mess. Thanks for your writing.

Having said that, wow. What an eye-opening, thought-provoking post. Thank you for writing it.

Khadija: I didn't want this to be a relay of horror. I just hear these same tired excuses from blacks who employ a double standard of concern for black male criminals and never their victims. I used to think blacks had pissed God off to be suffering so much but it really does come down to our choices.

You said, "What was even worse was a neighbor who came out to investigate was also murdered when she was hit by a stray bullet the career criminal had unleashed into a crowd of people."

Oh, my God . . . [!!!]

May God rest her soul as well as you're brother's. And may the . . . individual . . . that committed these murders finally be brought to justice. BEFORE he/it burns in Hell in the afterlife. Amen.

I too have lost a brother to a black on black killing. I still feel he hurt our mother with his choices. I want BM to start looking at that too.

The BM problems are HIS problems—he needs to solve them.

Nia: Thank you as well. What was even worse was a neighbor who came out to investigate was also murdered when she was hit by a stray bullet the career criminal had unleashed into a crowd of people.

Zoopath: In the black male as endangered species narrative there's no room for anyone else, no personal responsibility and no scrutiny. It's all due to white racism and poverty.

Chloe: The media narrative was slanted after the first few days I think mostly due to the video evidence from the camera phones of the BART passengers. It did tend to favor the appearance of a subdued detainee being unnecessarily brutalized. This is where a little research has to come into play. Grant's father has a criminal history as well. The police got involved because they had received multiple calls about a rowdy group of males that were growing increasingly violent. So they stopped the trains and investigated. It's my understanding that Grant may have tried to get his "friends" to stop harrassing the other passengers but his initial contact with the police was one where he resisted and argued with them. Not the thing to do as an ex-con at a station plagued with crime.

CW: Thanks and your description of your relatives is too funny because I also have distant male relatives or hangers-on that I saw behave that way growing up. Then I had no choice about their presence since they were invited by the adult women in my family. Now I refuse to have anything to do with the lot of them!

Wizard0fOz321: Hello…and thanks for stopping by.

Halima: Thanks again!

****I wrote a slightly different but still relevant guest post related to Grant & Mehserle at http://allaboutrace.com If the audience can bear with further discussion about this.