New Charges in Chauncey Bailey Case

It looks like the family of Chauncey Bailey may get Justice after all. Well... as much Justice as they could be expected to get in our system of Justice anyway. I had pretty much given up hope on this two year old case. I followed the case from the beginning. Some may remember this post from last year showing urban Terrorists gloating and giggling about the murder. Only one suspect had been charged at that time...but it appeared that he wasn't providing information about the plot.

Now a Grand Jury has indicted 2 more of Oakland's Black Terrorists for their involvement in the murder. Antoine Mackey, and Yusuf Bey IV, the leader of the Muslim Bakery that caught Bailey's attention, were both charged last month. Bey apparently ordered Bailey's execution and was allegedly behind the killings of two other men.

Former BART Officer Arrested In Nevada

It looks like former BART officer, Johannes Mehserle, was arrested Tuesday night in Nevada on a fugitive warrant from California. Alameda County District Attorney Tom Orloff will be announcing charges sometime today (Wednesday) against Mehserle, for the death of 22 year old Oscar Grant. Mehserle is likely to face 2nd Degree Murder charges/Negligent Homicide, and/or Manslaughter. I am pretty sure that the prosecutor will want the jury to have the option to go with Manslaughter, even if he pushes for 2nd Degree Murder. Mehserle could face felony assault charges as well. I am not sure what transpired Tuesday... but it seems to me that something must have prompted Alameda County to issue a fugitive warrant. So depending on what happened in the last few days... Mehserle could face even more charges.

I am still annoyed by the convenient & selective "outrage" expressed by some in Oakland and in the so-called "Black Community" as a whole.

The Killing of Oscar Grant - Death By Taser?

The killing of Oscar Grant at the hands of a BART Transit Police Officer last week is consuming the Country. Grant appeared to be subdued when he was shot to death by BART Transit officer Johannes Mehserle. Mehserle has now resigned, but anger continues to build around the Country (and in some cases...around the World).

I looked at video of the incident for several minutes, and I believe I understand what happened. Definitely a tragic situation all the way around. Of course the rioters, and the anti-police folks will milk this as long as they can... as they probably should. But I never see any outrage about all the Black on Black killings. And where was the outrage when Chauncey Bailey was brutally murdered by Urban terrorists in Oakland? I know... i'm going off the rails a little... I want to stay on track, because I need to be brief. But somehow it's o.k. if young Black males die at the hands of other Black males on the street.

"But Angry Independent, he was killed with a gun, not a taser". Yes, i'm fully aware....

I will have to come back for a Part II to explain my thinking on that front... I just don't have the time at the moment. But this case has the potential to be one of those defining moments for the Law Enforcement community. Sir Robert Peel, The Introduction of the Police Car, Miranda v. Arizona, AFIS, The 1986 FBI Shootout in Miami, DNA Testing, The Philadelphia vs. MOVE disaster, Rodney King, Waco, Ruby Ridge, The North Hollywood Shootout, Columbine, etc... all Watershed moments in Law Enforcement. And Oscar Grant could be added to that list. It has the potential to change the way police officers are trained, and could change Use-of-Force procedures.

Did Tasers kill Grant? Indirectly... there is a good case for that argument. As I had mentioned in a posting about tasers last year.... the training for these weapons should be increased (if the devices are even safe...that's still debatable). Also, these weapons should probably be issued to only a select few officers. And for all those who are against tasers.... you should probably pay close attention to this case. The problem (and the investigation will probably lean this way) has to do with the stupid design of tasers. Cases like Grants are disasters waiting to happen.

But there is no excuse for the officer involved. The officer should be criminally charged and taken into custody. A Negligent Homicide case... or, at the least, a charge of Manslaughter, is in order. My post title isn't in any way intended to make excuses for the actions of the officer involved. From what I saw... he is a bonehead. And it appears that the Use-of-Force Continuum was not being followed at the time of the incident. For that... they should pay a serious legal and financial price.

I will try to come back to this topic later in the week... to explain my perspective on this in a little clearer detail. Right now, I have to get to bed. The rest of the week is going to be hectic for me... especially tomorrow.

Secret Video Shows Chauncey Bailey Conspirators Discussing Details of Killing

A Newly emerged video shows conspirators in the Chauncey Bailey Murder discussing details about the killing (and laughing). But none of these suspects have been charged in the case, nor are they under investigation or receiving any new scrutiny. Another suspect (not on the tape) claimed responsibility, saying that he acted alone. But the video clearly indicates a larger conspiracy. An Oakland Police Detective may have also been implicated in the video.

Why are these urban terrorists still walking the streets of Oakland?

(Video will occasionally fail to load from Youtube. If you get a "Video no longer available" message, reload page & try again, or watch video from the Center For Investigative Reporting. Link is below).


On August 2, 2007, journalist Chauncey Bailey was gunned down in Oakland, California. Bailey was investigating Your Black Muslim Bakery, a once prominent Oakland African-American organization. The next day, Bakery leader Yusuf Bey IV was arrested during a raid for a separate kidnapping case. Police placed Bey and two associates involved in the case, his brother Joshua Bey and Tamon Halfin, in a San Leandro police department room, where they were secretly videotaped.

Bey IV has repeatedly told police he knew nothing about Bailey's death. But, on the tape, Bey IV says he hid the gun used in the attack, and brags of playing “hella dumb” when investigators asked him about the killing.

(originally reported by The Center For Investigative Reporting).... Continue Reading Here. Be sure to listen to the audio from the Chauncey Bailey Project.

Also posted at Truthdig