Bay Area Women Against Rape looks for ways to raise money as cuts loom - Inside Bay Area

More at Inside Bay Area: “OAKLAND — Bay Area Women Against Rape, the nation's first rape crisis center, held a house party recently to raise money for programs and services that could lose out on thousands of dollars in state and federal funding in the coming year.
About 50 turned out at the home of State Treasurer Bill Lockyer and Nadia Davis-Lockyer, executive director of the Alameda County Family Justice Center and a supporter of Bay Area Women Against Rape, the Oakland-based crisis and prevention organization that was founded 38 years ago.
The group raised $2,050 for direct client services, which includes about 4,000 calls for rape crisis services annually and the education of another 11,000 people annually through its programs.
But BAWAR officials said they also raised awareness about restorative justice programs conducted inside state prisons — some of the "most compelling rape prevention work that the agency has done since its inception in 1971," said Marcia Blackstock, BAWAR executive director.”

Al Davis blasts ESPN report that he's selling part of Raiders - Inside Bay Area

More at Inside Bay Area: “The Raiders dismissed an ESPN report Sunday that said managing general partner Al Davis is negotiating to sell part of the team to a group with designs on moving it to Los Angeles.
The report was written by ESPN's Chris Mortensen, who Davis called "a professional liar" on Sept. 30 for his penchant for writing stories about the Raiders without attributing them to named persons employed by the Raiders.
On Sunday, Mortensen wrote that Davis and chief executive Amy Trask are negotiating a transaction with a group led by C. Dean Metropoulos a transaction that would turn over at least 10 percent of the Raiders. Mortensen attributed the story to unnamed "league sources."
Raiders senior executive John Herrera spoke with Davis on Sunday morning and characterized Davis' reaction to the report as "incredulous." He also vehemently denied the report.”

2008 a year of chaos for the Oakland Raiders

To say that the year of 2008 was tumultuous for the Oakland Raiders would be in the running for the understatement of the decade. The year started and ended with questions about the head coaching situation, and saw a wide receiver beat up along the way. In fact, for much of the year the actual team on the field was more of an afterthought.

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VIDEO: Transit cop caught on tape shooting, killing rider

Disturbing home video obtained and broadcast by Bay Area television stations Saturday evening shows the killing of an unarmed 22 year-old Hayward man by a San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit Police officer at the Fruitvale Station in Oakland, Calif. during the early morning hours of New Year’s Day.

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Oakland, Ca Fruitvale Bart Station Shooting. Full Video and interview with Karina Vargas

This is the first of several videos that are literally flying around the Internet. This one shows the actual clip that has an unarmed BART rider, 22 year old Oscar Grant, shot apparently by accident by a BART police officer.

It's followed by the explaination of Karen Vargas who made the video.

On Saturday, January 3rd, this newspaper account in the San Jose Mercury News has BART police claiming that Mr. Grant had scuffled with them. But the video does not show this.

Here's the newspaper:

Oscar Grant was unarmed when he was shot by a BART police officer who was standing over him at the Fruitvale station early on New Year's Day, said Oakland civil rights attorney John Burris, who has been hired by the victim's family to investigate the death.
Grant, 22, of San Leandro, was fatally shot on the BART platform shortly before 2 a.m. Thursday, police said. BART officers were called to the station in response to reports of fighting between two groups of men on board a train bound for the Dublin-Pleasanton station. BART officials will only say the officer's gun "discharged." BART officials have said Grant was unarmed and no weapons were recovered.
It remained unclear Saturday whether Grant was involved in the fight and whether he was one of the men put in plastic "flexi-cuffs," which police often use as handcuffs when dealing with a large number of people. BART officials say he was not restrained. Witnesses dispute that claim.
Burris said Saturday that Grant did not move and was not trying to overpower the officer.
"It's an outrageous set of facts," he said.
BART officials have not released the name of the officer who shot Grant. The officer has worked for the rapid transit agency for about two years, a BART spokesman said.

-- This is a sad state of affairs and should, given the other recent examples of police brutality, cause the formation of an investigation to eliminate these occurences in the future.

Oakland Raiders Considering a Color Change

"Brighter colors, brighter future," were the words Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis used to preface his call with reporters early Sunday morning...

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Oakland Apartments For Rent - You can Find Oakland Rentals

Yes, there are Oakland Apartments in safe places! You can indeed find them, especially if you use our Oakland Apartments Blog. You can give us tips on the best landlords too!

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Oscar Grant Fatally Shot at Fruitvale Bart New Years Day

According to the family's lawyer, it sounds like there is a lot of gaps and holes in this story. This is a very sad story, and I can't imagine the frustration and agony that this family is going through trying to piece together exactly how their loved one died in such a public place on one of the busiest nights of the year.

VIDEO COMMENTARY:



full story on the Oakland Tribune.....