Prof. Rodriguez interviewed about the BART police killing of Oscar Grant, and the social justice movement that followed

Associate professor César “che” Rodríguez was recently interviewed by Millennials are Killing Capitalism, a long-form interview podcast series that features critical scholarship produced by organizers and intellectuals. 

This interview revolves around Rodriguez’ article, titled "Oscar Did Not Die in Vain": Revelous Citizen Journalism, Righteous/Riotous Work, and the Gains of the Oscar Grant Moment in Oakland, California”, which was published in Social Justice.

In this text, Rodriguez demonstrates how popular mobilizations in Oakland, CA during the “Oscar Grant moment” (circa January 2009) disrupted the cultural strategies and legal protections that create impunity for law enforcement officers and agencies responsible for extrajudicial police killings. This resulted in the historic incarceration of a law enforcement officer (ex BART police officer Johannes Mehserle) for the on-duty killing of Oscar Grant, a young Black father from Hayward, CA. Furthermore, this article illustrates how these popular mobilizations forced brief public transparency and reforms of a local law enforcement agency (BART PD). 

This is a two (2) part interview, and the links are included below.

Part 1 | “Record the Noise” - César “che” Rodríguez on Racial Regimes and Blues Epistemology in the Lead-up to the Oscar Grant Moment

https://millennialsarekillingcapitalism.libsyn.com/record-the-noise-csar-che-rodrguez-on-racial-regimes-and-blues-epistemology-in-the-lead-up-to-the-oscar-grant-moment

Part 2 | "Popular Coercion From Below" - César "che" Rodríguez on Why Oscar Grant Did Not Die in Vain

https://millennialsarekillingcapitalism.libsyn.com/popular-coercion-from-below-csar-che-rodrguez-on-why-oscar-grant-did-not-die-in-vain