Bad Like Jesse James - 4 Oakland Cops Killed and Others Wounded - 3/21/09

On Shabbos Afternoon (Parshas HaChodesh) in East Oakland, a "routine" traffic stop ended with two Oakland cops shot - one dead, the other wounded - and the fleeing shooter taking up a position in a nearby apartment. The SWAT team gained control of the area and went in. The ensuing gun battle left two more cops dead and others wounded, and the shooter was also killed. See here for news coverage.

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Several issues are raised by these event. Apparently the shooter (26-year-old Lovelle Mixon of Oakland) was on parole for assault with a deadly weapon and there was a warrant out for his arrest. John Lee Hooker (1917-2001) once wrote a song about this guy, even though he wasn't born yet. But don't think I'm honoring this wicked man (the late Mr. Mixon), because if it was up to me he might have gotten misa for stealing a prutah. (See the Rambam, Hilchos Melachim). Dig that.

The Cop was Arrested and it was for Murder!

I'm still a little stunned. I just didn't expect this to happen. I figured that he'd (Johannes Mehserle) be charged and then immediately let out on bail (if the authorities ever got around to dealing with the issue). No handcuffs, no prison clothes, etc. But alas, our thoughts are not His thoughts, and our ways are not His ways.

Here is the media side.

BART Cop Kills Oscar Grant 1/1/09

Well, the name of the BART cop is Johannes Mehserle. Here is the News side of the matter. Watch the video, hold the authorities accountable, but increase the peace. All must ask with complete seriousness where is the outrage when other citizens like Mr. Grant are savagely murdered by other citizens in the streets of Oakland, which happens with much greater frequency and much less scandal.

Dr. Dan Kliman (1970-2008)

Dan was an interesting person. He was a militant bicyclist, vegetarian, and Israel advocate. He was also a (medical) doctor down with the herb. I used to mess with him about his left-wing politics, back when I was more open to what could be termed right-wing influences. He had a good sense of humor, but took what he believed very seriously, so I never went too far. The two of us were regular makers of Havdalah for the community at Beth Jacob in Oakland, California. Later we were part of a holy Motzoei Shabbos collective that chilled on Park Blvd. His death is the first among my friends on facebook, and his page is still there, now filled with comments from his friends. His death is mysterious. I do not have a generous amount of confidence in the San Francisco authorities, but they're all we've got right now. The media coverage of his death has been a trip unto itself. It started with a very brief and distorted article. Then Dr. Dan emerged as a local celebrity with a front page article in the San Francisco Chronicle. The mystery of his death was noted by many. He apparently had enemies among the Islamic expansionists and the fools who think they're cool and/or just. He was known to them and had been researched.

Too Short - The Ghetto (1990)

This is also from my youth, 5-6 grade, and it has a respectable sample from the great Donny Hathaway. And he's from Oakland.