A third of its kind pro-Johannes Mehserle rally was held Sunday in the East Bay city of Dublin. It was a peaceful event despite a small number of counter-protestors, a police spokesman said.
A Los Angeles jury convicted Mehserle of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of Oscar Grant who died January 1, 2009. Mehserle is scheduled to be sentenced in November.
About 20 Mehserle supporters gathered between about noon and 4 p.m. in front of Dublin City Hall. Six Dublin police officers were stationed at the scene for the event, Lt Steve Brown said.
Four counter-protestors briefly attended and took photos of Mehserle supporters. They told the rally participants they intended to post the images online.
"The Mehserle supporters were very cooperative and did exactly what they said they were going to do," he said.
The first rally was held in Walnut Creek. The second was in San Jose. All have remained peaceful although at times noisy. Mehserle's father attended the South Bay rally and talked about his love for his son and his pain for the loss of Grant.
Here's how justice4johannes.com set the stage for the Dublin event:.
We are here to show unity and take a stand for justice for Johannes Mehserle. We know this was a tragic accident and we want him set free! We also want to give thanks and show our support to all Law Enforcement Officers who serve and protect our communities everyday, even at the risk of their own lives. Please bring your own signs that show support for Johannes Mehserle and/or Law Enforcement Officers. Feel free to wear t-shirts and hats as well, which can be made fairly inexpensively buy buying paint/iron-on letters available at all fabric or craft stores. We will be grouping together and you are welcome to be vocal and we encourage you to do so. If you are the first to arrive on location please hold your signs up to identify to others where our group is. We ask that everyone be respectful to Law Enforcement, public property, and each other. No violence or racism will be tolerated.
