10 years later, Oscar Grant's loved ones say justice not yet served

OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) - Tens of thousands of BART riders pass through Oakland's Fruitvale station each week.  Many of them may not remember or even know about the tragic shooting death of Oscar Grant.

"It's hard. It doesn't seem like it's been 10 years. I mean time is just flying by," says Oscar Grant's mother Wanda Johnson.

It was in the early morning hours of January 1, 2009. Grant and several of his friends were riding BART and returning home from a New Year's Eve celebration in San Francisco. When they arrived at Fruitvale Station, BART police were there responding to a fight. Officers pulled Grant and his friends from the train. Grant was on his stomach on the platform when officer Johannes Mehserle pulled his service weapon and shot and killed Grant, saying he had mistaken his gun for a Taser. 

Ten years later Grant's mother Wanda Johnson still has a painting of her son on the wall, saying justice for Oscar Grant. When asked if justice has been served, she said no. 

"Until our societal system changes where those who do wrong are held accountable. Where officers are held accountable for their actions," says Johnson.  

Mehserle left the BART police department and was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter.  He was released after serving about half of his two-year sentence.  Given credit for good conduct in jail.

"I actually pray for him and his family. Because he has to sleep every night and I know that God is the final judge of all things," says Johnson. 

Since Grant’s shooting death others on the platform with that night him have lost their lives. Not at the hands of police, but to gun violence.

"After Oscar was murdered there were two other young men, Johntue Caldwell and Kris Raffety, that were murdered. So that's three young men who were on that platform 10 years ago. So it never goes away," says Community Organizer Jack Bryson.  

It was after Grant's death that Bryson began to speak out. His two sons were also on the platform that fatal night. "Jackie, he was right next to Oscar when Oscar was murdered and Nigel was on the other side of Oscar. They were right there," says Bryson.  

"They ended up watching him be killed unnecessarily. It changed their perspective, their view in life," says Johnson.  

After the shooting, hundreds took to the streets of Oakland. Outraged that yet another unarmed black man was killed at the hands of police. Bryson led many of those protests.  At the time he thought he was doing the right thing. But now looking back he has some regrets.

"I was giving more of my time to the community and to their issues then realizing, man I'm not even taking care of my own sons," says Bryson

"The anger the bouts of crying, the bouts of just unbalance. I watched that and some of them didn't get help," says Johnson.  

She created the Oscar Grant foundation and is focusing on post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. Something she believes all those who were on the platform that night and their families are still dealing with to this day.  

As for Bryson, he co-founded the barbershop forum. Which is designed to build better relations between law enforcement and the communities they serve.  Both nonprofits were created out of the tragic death of Oscar Grant 10 years ago.

"Even though Oscar is not here, we are still in ministry together. Because all of the people that I am really meeting is because of what happened with him," says Johnson.  Since the shooting Bart created an independent police oversight of the police force. 

The transit agency is also working with the family to memorialize Grant with a mural to be painted on this wall.