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SAFETY ALERT
Monday, January 12th
Attention BART riders,
in light of the events that occurred on January 1st, we feel that it is our duty to inform the public that we can no longer guarantee your safety while riding the BART. At any given time, there may be up to 206 members of a violent gang at large within the BART system. All members of this gang, which refers to itself as the "BART police" are known to carry firearms, as well as batons and pepper spray, and should be considered extremely dangerous. They typically wear dark blue clothing, with their gang insignia displayed on the chest and bicep areas, but sometimes attempt to blend in with BART passengers by wearing plain clothes.
If you are approached by a member of this gang, refrain from making loud noises or sudden movements, as this tends to trigger aggressive behavior. Some people have attempted to survive a BART police attack by laying face down, so as to appear harmless and not provoke further violence. However, after the shooting of BART passenger Oscar Grant on January 1st of this year, we cannot recommend this as a safe or effective strategy.
This vigilante group considers itself "above the law", and is known to have connections within the Oakland judicial system which allow them exemption from prosecution:
- In 1992, a 19 year-old Black man named Jerrold Hall was approached by a member of the BART police gang, Fred Crabtree, who was white. Crabtree saw Hall leaving the station and confronted him, accusing him of having stolen the radio of another BART passenger. BART police gang members will often use this tactic to detain their victims prior to using lethal force. Hall, who was unarmed, turned and started to walk away. Crabtree racked his shotgun, fired a warning shot over Hall's head, then fired again, killing him with a shot to the back of the head.
Crabtree was cleared of all wrongdoing. He hung himself in 1996.
-In 2001, another BART police gang member, David Betancourt shot and killed a naked, mentally ill Black man, Bruce Seward, outside the Hayward BART station before dawn on Memorial Day. Seward, 42, was asleep on a bench and appeared unconscious. Gang member Betancourt had been engaged in what is known in gang lingo as "patrolling," which refers to riding around in a highly customized, black-and-white painted car, and shining bright lights to intimidate pedestrians.
When approached by Betancourt, Seward awoke in a delerious state, and was able to grab the gang member's baton, using it to smack Betancourt's car with it. Police gang members are known to exhibit a great deal of pride over their custom vehicles, which they consider to be an extension of their hypermasculine identity. Enraged, Betancourt used pepper spray on Seward, and then shot him in the chest.
Betancourt was cleared of all wrongdoing. He is still at large.
Eleven days ago, the BART police removed a man from a train. They forced him to lie down on the station floor. They fired a bullet into his back. The bullet went through his body, bounced off the concrete below him, and reentered his chest, piercing his lung, killing him. If this was your brother, your father, your friend, you would demand swift justice. Though you probably don't know this person, you probably feel enraged that an unarmed man was executed in front of a train full of people who were yelling for mercy. But if history is any indicator, the murderer of Oscar Grant will be cleared of all wrongdoing.
Despite the fact that the murder was witnessed by dozens and videotaped from several angles, the murderer, Johannes Mehserle is still at large.
You are not safe on this train.
Demonstration Against Police Murder of Oscar Grant
5PM TODAY Monday January 12
Civic Center BART Station
Downtown San Francisco
Monday, January 12th
Attention BART riders,
in light of the events that occurred on January 1st, we feel that it is our duty to inform the public that we can no longer guarantee your safety while riding the BART. At any given time, there may be up to 206 members of a violent gang at large within the BART system. All members of this gang, which refers to itself as the "BART police" are known to carry firearms, as well as batons and pepper spray, and should be considered extremely dangerous. They typically wear dark blue clothing, with their gang insignia displayed on the chest and bicep areas, but sometimes attempt to blend in with BART passengers by wearing plain clothes.
If you are approached by a member of this gang, refrain from making loud noises or sudden movements, as this tends to trigger aggressive behavior. Some people have attempted to survive a BART police attack by laying face down, so as to appear harmless and not provoke further violence. However, after the shooting of BART passenger Oscar Grant on January 1st of this year, we cannot recommend this as a safe or effective strategy.
This vigilante group considers itself "above the law", and is known to have connections within the Oakland judicial system which allow them exemption from prosecution:
- In 1992, a 19 year-old Black man named Jerrold Hall was approached by a member of the BART police gang, Fred Crabtree, who was white. Crabtree saw Hall leaving the station and confronted him, accusing him of having stolen the radio of another BART passenger. BART police gang members will often use this tactic to detain their victims prior to using lethal force. Hall, who was unarmed, turned and started to walk away. Crabtree racked his shotgun, fired a warning shot over Hall's head, then fired again, killing him with a shot to the back of the head.
Crabtree was cleared of all wrongdoing. He hung himself in 1996.
-In 2001, another BART police gang member, David Betancourt shot and killed a naked, mentally ill Black man, Bruce Seward, outside the Hayward BART station before dawn on Memorial Day. Seward, 42, was asleep on a bench and appeared unconscious. Gang member Betancourt had been engaged in what is known in gang lingo as "patrolling," which refers to riding around in a highly customized, black-and-white painted car, and shining bright lights to intimidate pedestrians.
When approached by Betancourt, Seward awoke in a delerious state, and was able to grab the gang member's baton, using it to smack Betancourt's car with it. Police gang members are known to exhibit a great deal of pride over their custom vehicles, which they consider to be an extension of their hypermasculine identity. Enraged, Betancourt used pepper spray on Seward, and then shot him in the chest.
Betancourt was cleared of all wrongdoing. He is still at large.
Eleven days ago, the BART police removed a man from a train. They forced him to lie down on the station floor. They fired a bullet into his back. The bullet went through his body, bounced off the concrete below him, and reentered his chest, piercing his lung, killing him. If this was your brother, your father, your friend, you would demand swift justice. Though you probably don't know this person, you probably feel enraged that an unarmed man was executed in front of a train full of people who were yelling for mercy. But if history is any indicator, the murderer of Oscar Grant will be cleared of all wrongdoing.
Despite the fact that the murder was witnessed by dozens and videotaped from several angles, the murderer, Johannes Mehserle is still at large.
You are not safe on this train.
Demonstration Against Police Murder of Oscar Grant
5PM TODAY Monday January 12
Civic Center BART Station
Downtown San Francisco
i watch too much CSI
the opposite of accounting
being at home is weird
reassured.
awesome.
exhausted
enthralled