Oscar Grant Foundation

Oscar Grant Foundation Officer Johannes Mehserle and another officer were restraining Grant, who was lying face down. The following days saw both peaceful and violent protests.

History:

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The video showing the murder of Oscar Grant Jan 1,2009
Oscar Grant III was fatally shot by BART Police officer Johannes Mehserle in Oakland, California, United States, in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day 2009.Responding to reports of a fight on a crowded Bay Area Rapid Transit train returning from San Francisco,[3] BART Police officers detained G

rant and several other passengers on the platform at the Fruitvale BART Station. Officer Mehserle stood and, according to his testimony, Mehserle said that Grant then exclaimed, “You shot me! Grant was unarmed; he was pronounced dead the next morning at Highland Hospital in Oakland. The events were captured on multiple digital video and cell phone cameras. The footage was disseminated to media outlets and to various websites, where it was watched millions of times. The shooting has been variously labeled an involuntary manslaughter and a summary ex*****on. On January 30, 2010, Alameda County prosecutors charged Mehserle with murder for the shooting. He resigned his position and pleaded not guilty. The trial began on June 10, 2010. Michael Rains, Mehserle’s criminal defense attorney, argued that Mehserle mistakenly shot Grant with his pistol, intending to use his Taser when he saw Grant reaching for his waistband.Pretrial filings argue that his client did not commit first-degree murder and asked a Los Angeles judge to instruct the jury to limit its deliberations to either second-degree murder or acquittal. On July 8, 2010, the jury returned its verdict: Mehserle was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and not guilty of second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter. Initial protests against the ruling were peacefully organized; looting, arson, destruction of property, and small riots broke out after dark. Nearly 80 people were eventually arrested. On July 9, the U.S. Justice Department opened a civil rights investigation against Mehserle as the federal government can prosecute independently for the same act under the separate sovereigns exception to double jeopardy, though no charges have been filed to date

On November 5, 2010, Mehserle was sentenced to two years, minus time served. He served his time in the Los Angeles County Jail, occupying a private cell away from other prisoners. He was released on May 3, 2011. He only served 9 months in county jail. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2LDw5l_yMI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7Z_BnkdSW4

Some of Oscar Grant Foundation team members 2026
08/01/2026

Some of Oscar Grant Foundation team members 2026

Oscar Grant Foundation Scholarship Award Ceremony 2026
08/01/2026

Oscar Grant Foundation Scholarship Award Ceremony 2026

Oscar Grant Foundation Scholarship Award Recipients 2026
08/01/2026

Oscar Grant Foundation Scholarship Award Recipients 2026

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08/01/2026

Join us today

06/30/2026
Oscar Grant Scholars : Dr. Jafar Khalfani-Bey, lawyer from Columbia University, Siena Villegas, graduate UCLA Bachelors ...
06/21/2026

Oscar Grant Scholars : Dr. Jafar Khalfani-Bey, lawyer from Columbia University, Siena Villegas, graduate UCLA Bachelors in Accounting, and Muhammad Khalfani Bey, Bachelors Linguistics and Computer Science, graduate Bachelors from UCLA !!! Thanks to the Oscar Grant Foundation - OGF "We Are All Oscar Grant" for all three scholarships

Facebook help us make it happen. We are supporting our students as they go back to school this year as we need your help...
06/19/2026

Facebook help us make it happen. We are supporting our students as they go back to school this year as we need your help. Donate a pencik, donate some paper. Your donation can help us reach our goal.

06/05/2026

When Wanda Johnson’s son Oscar was shot and killed by a BART police officer on New Year’s Day in 2009, the whole world watched. “The events were captured on camera and mobile phones by bystanders. Owners disseminated their footage to media outlets and various websites, where it went viral,” said Wanda.

Out of unimaginable pain came a purpose — to turn grief into growth by fostering healing and hope, while building stronger and more compassionate communities.

“My journey has taken me from classrooms to courtrooms, from community vigils to national stages — but wherever I go, my message remains the same: Love is stronger than hate, and change begins with us.”

Wanda is also an Everytown Survivor Network fellow and grantee. Wanda started the Oscar Grant Foundation not only in memory of her son, but in honor of every life touched by injustice and every family determined to heal and rebuild.

Join Wanda and for Oscar, and all those who should still be with us today, on National Gun Violence Awareness Day, June 5.

Wanda Johnson
05/07/2026

Wanda Johnson

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Castro Valley, CA
94546

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