BART to consider naming street at Fruitvale station to honor Oscar Grant

OAKLAND >> An unnamed street adjacent to the Fruitvale BART station may soon bear the name of Oscar Grant III, a Hayward resident shot and killed by a transit police officer a decade ago.

The shooting, one of the first to be caught on cell phone cameras, sparked international attention and became a rallying cry for police accountability. Grant was celebrating the New Year in 2009 with friends when officers detained him and several others at the station. Officer Johannes Mehserle shot Grant in the back while he was lying on his stomach, killing the 22-year-old father, and ushering in a new era of anger over police shootings. Mehserle said he meant to shoot Grant with his taser.

BART’s governing board will decide Thursday whether to name a street adjacent to the station between 33rd and 35th avenues “Oscar Grant Way.” The agency is also planning in late March or early April to unveil a mural at the station to honor Grant.

Board president Director Bevan Dufty said he hoped to unveil both the new street sign and the mural at the same time. Together, the two efforts will cost the agency around $31,000. The Oakland City Council voted unanimously last month to urge the transit agency to memorialize Grant with the street sign. And, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors was expected to consider a similar resolution supporting the street naming on Tuesday.

“There is broad recognition that naming a street that has not been previously named is both an appropriate and meaningful acknowledgement of Oscar’s legacy,” Dufty said. “I’m hopeful seeing BART directors affirmatively standing in support of recognizing Oscar’s legacy and the need to memorialize his life has some healing around it for the family.”

Grant’s mother, Wanda Johnson, lauded the street naming. She’s hopeful it will get approved and that the board will continue to support her efforts to have a plaque installed near the spot on the train platform where her son was shot and see the station’s name changed to “Fruitvale/Grant Station” as a way to honor him, as well.

“It really does help with the healing process,” she said. “Just them understanding and knowing he lost his life unjustly and really atoning for that, I’m grateful.”