Seeking Empathy at Johannes Mehserle - Oscar Grant Demonstrations in Walnut Creek, CA

[Edwin Rutsch]

On July 19, 2010 a rally was held in Walnut Creek, California to
support the BART Police Officer, Johannes Mehserle who was convicted
of shooting Oscar Grant. A counter rally was also held and a heated
confrontation between the two sides ensued. I went to talk with
participants on all sides about their views and experience of the
value of empathy. (first step in compassion) The following 10 minute
video gives an overview of the event and below are the full
interviews.

http://cultureofempathy.com/Projects/Interviews/2010-07-19-Walnut-Creek/Index.htm
http://vimeo.com/13594997

my report right after the event.
"I just came back from the Walnut Creek pro Mehserle rally. There was
actually a larger counter rally there as well and a heated shouting
match between the two sides which were actually standing toe to toe in
some cases. I and Sherry went to all sides, and directly between the
sides, asking about empathy, as well as, listened to what people had
to say. A lot of people actually started in heated dialog between
each other. An anarchist and a Richmond City off duty woman police
officer for example. It was good and amazing to see people getting
into dialog. I could see a natural innate tendency of many people to
want dialog. When I asked people how we can build a culture of
empathy they often said 'get all sides together to talk in a less
charged environment'. Unfortunately, here's just not a lot of forums
where that can happen. Several black protesters talked about the lack
of trust in the police, but they wanted the police to come to their
churches to engage in dialogue and get to know each other. The
Richmond Police Officer said she was willing to talk with anyone
anytime." Edwin