i've always likened BART cops to parking enforcement cops, who just drive around booting cars and giving tickets and such.

but everyone is being very quiet. usually they're quick to put out the fire if a cop does something terrible, but with good reason (like shooting a guy who's raping a woman). but they haven't said anything about the cop, and apparently he's only communicating through lawyers.

it leads me to believe that this bart cop was bad news... like emotionally unstable or racist or too violent to begin with? and they're trying to cover their *** in what will eventually unfold as a bad cop who should have been fired a long time ago, but was left on, until he finally murdered someone.
OR
the kid who got shot is bad news, but has already become a hero/martyr in an already charged community, and the police are hesitating/making damn sure anything he did to prompt or force the police to shoot him can be very easily proved to the community and courts, to prevent a backlash or more accusations of corruption/racism in the system.

these were our theories at my house as we watched it on the news tonight. but we were also high so...

mostly, i'm just shocked those crappy BART cops even did anything. all the ones i've ever seen were fat and bored looking or scrawny and cranky looking.. and neither kind ever motivated to do anything beyond their most bare bones job duties.

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i am so vain. and yet, so masochistic. how can the two coexist?
-francesca woodman

no you're right, not all of oakland is bad. i grew up in the east bay so i know which areas of oakland are actually pretty awesome (including that city center area off the 12th street station). but still, riding alone at midnight on an eastbay-bound train and having it sit for what felt like a long time always felt sketchy to me even if there were maybe 2 other people in my car, if that.

and in case anyone's interested, here's an article from today's sfgate.com. it's pretty ridiculous. especially some ***** saying she has no sympathy for a woman whose local business was targeted by protestors. the woman's business had nothing to do with anything.

Protests over BART shooting turn violent

i love bart. except for this. this saddens me.

i also love oakland and if it wasn't for my ex living in the nice part of awesometown, i'd move.

reminds me of one time i was there & there was a march for something or other in the mission and these wanky black bloc-ers decided to smash up a bunch of shops. now, while i understand their roundabout capitalist critique, i dont think detroying someone's livlihood in their own area is the best way to show solidarity. and as for the girl in that article, i want to go wash my eyes, her student liberalism is burning them.

they arrested 105 people last night. i like that i was talking about how safe it is downtown where they rioted. people are so ****ing stupid. i hope they didn't do any damages to my favorite kosher deli.

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