Black Voices is reporting that ex-BART cop Johannes Meherle will be released today. Meherle was sentenced to two years in prison for shooting and killing Oscar Grant, an unarmed man lying facedown on a BART-train platform at the time of the shooting. The shooting and light sentence drew major protests throughout the country.
Mehserle, who has been in custody at Los Angeles County Jail since being convicted July 8, is eligible for release with credit for "good time," which is time served before his trial. Prisoners are awarded one day for every day spent behind bars.
According to Henry K. Lee of the San Francisco Chronicle, Grant's uncle Cephus Johnson, 53, who lives in San Jose, said of the release, "Of course it's painful. We knew it was coming one day. But as it approached, there were more sleepless nights."
He called Mehserle's release a reflection of "the total injustice that we received." Johnson also said that he and other family members plan to be in Los Angeles over the weekend and on Monday to protest.
No words.
Read more at Black Voices.
In other news: Candorville: The Ghost of Richard Pryor.