Pro-Mehserle Rally Organizers Issue Statement: They Want Peaceful Rally to Open Doors of Communication, Not Divide People

Besieged by requests for interviews and weary of reports that "misconstrue" their intent, organizers of a Monday rally in Walnut Creek to support Johannes Mehserle have issued a statement saying they don't want to incite violence, destruction, intolerance, hatred, racism riots or to upset the family and supporters of Oscar Grant.

Instead, they want to create an opportunity for people in the community "to come together in peace" to grieve and show support for Mehserle, the former BART police officer who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the January 1, 2009 shooting death of BART passenger Oscar Grant.

Moreover, organizers, who decline to identify themselves and say they won't grant requests for interviews, explain that they want to show support for the "stressful and difficult" job that all law enforcement officers perform, show respect for Grant and his family and open the "doors of communication" and set aside "our differences to promote tolerance and peace within our communities."

The announced rally has prompted angry debates on blogs and websites and also prompted Walnut Creek police to prepare for any conflicts that could arise from the rally, scheduled to take place 2 to 5 p.m. Monday at the Walnut Creek courthouse on Ygnacio Valley Road. Late Friday, Walnut Creek Police Chief Joel Bryden said his department doesn't "anticipate" problems, but is preparing for the "worst" while expecting the best.  

The police department will close the parking lot at the Superior Court all day Monday, and Bryden said the courthouse canceled its Monday afternoon calendar. Bryden said the department also sent out a notice to the Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce and the Walnut Creek Downtown Business Association saying it doesn't anticipate any major problems other than possibly some traffic congestion around Ygnacio Valley Road between Civic Drive and North Broadway. 

At the same time, Bryden said the department is monitoring the situation and, like the media, has heard that supporters of Oscar Grant and his family could attend. 

Whoever comes, the rally organizers insist that they want respect shown for "both sides" and that they want participants to resist name calling and intimidation. They say they would like to hear from Grant supporters to "let us know who Oscar Grant was."

The purpose of this rally, despite what has been said by "hundreds" of hateful comments on blogs, is to show "respect for both sides" and for the City of Walnut Creek and the officers on duty, the release said. They want to "know who Oscar Grant" was, but to also let it be expressed that Mehserle is not a "cruel, racist person."