LOS ANGELES — Although bracing for the possibility of the worst, the aftermath of the Johannes Mehserle verdict at a downtown Los Angeles courthouse produced many more tears than fireworks.
Just moments after the verdict was read, court officials and Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies cleared the ninth floor of the criminal courthouse where Mehserle, who was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, had been on trial for killing Oscar Grant III.
Once outside, dozens of deputies lined the courthouse walls. The show of force turned out to be unnecessary. Throngs of media vastly outnumbered the few protesters, and few people who were directly related to the case decided to speak.
Grant’s family attorney, Oakland’s John Burris, spoke with Grant’s family members outside the courthouse, expressing their disappointment at the verdict.
“We are extremely disappointed with this verdict,” Burris said. “The verdict is not a true representation of what happened to Oscar Grant or what the officer’s actions were that night.”
Burris said there was a small victory to be seen. In his years of practicing law, he could not remember a white police officer being found guilty of manslaughter for killing a black man; nevertheless, the family wanted more.
“The family is extraordinarily unhappy,” Burris said. “This is not a reflection of how the American justice system is supposed to work.”
Burris did implore those in Oakland to be peaceful in any demonstrations, saying, “One death is enough.”
Burris added that the verdict looked like a “compromise verdict,” meaning the jury came to some middle ground in search of a verdict, but not necessarily justice.
Cephus Johnson, Grant’s uncle who has been the family’s spokesman since the shooting, said that from the beginning, the family knew they were “at war with the system” but hoped that in the end the legal system would work.
“We, as a family, have been slapped in the face,” Johnson said.
He said it was “not understandable” how the jury came to the verdict of involuntary manslaughter after deliberating only about seven hours.
Johnson said he hoped to address Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Robert Perry during Mehserle’s Aug. 6 sentencing to relate to Perry how painful the event had been.
Although few protested outside the courthouse, a rally was scheduled to be held in the late afternoon in Leimert Park in Central Los Angeles.
The Grant family’s news conference was the culmination of a surreal afternoon at the downtown Los Angeles criminal courthouse. About 2:40 p.m., several members of the media started to receive word a verdict may be coming, creating a buzz around the ninth floor.
Shortly afterward, another court official confirmed a verdict had been reached and would be read at 4 p.m. About 3 p.m., a long line of Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies entered Perry’s courtroom, making preparations for the reading.
Oscar Grant’s friends and family started trickling in, many crying and hugging, seemingly nervous about what the next hour would hold. A court official soon confirmed a verdict had been reached at 2:10 p.m. and would be read at 4 p.m.
Grant’s family members were the only ones who chose to speak after the verdict. The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office already had said it would not hold a news conference in Los Angeles after a verdict was announced. Instead, District Attorney Nancy O’Malley spoke in Oakland.
Michael Rains, Mehserle’s defense attorney, also declined to speak after the verdict.
Court officials had announced they would not make jurors available to the media because of safety concerns.