The Bay Area has suffered from the loss of yet another youth. 18 year old Alan Blueford was shot and killed by an Oakland police officer on May 6, 2012. The Skyline High senior, who was supposed to graduate this June, was known as a good student and a beloved friend and family member. Sadly, his life was ended by those hired to protect the people of the community.

Alan Blueford and two friends were approached by a police car while they stood outside during the early morning hours of May 6; they were suspected of being in possesion of a gun. Fearing confrontation, Blueford ran two blocks, stopping under a lamppost where he was gunned down. Instead of being rushed to the hospital, his lifeless body was left in the street for four hours. After being released from detainment, one of the two young men with Blueford was given the painful duty of calling his family to deliver the news of the murder.

The shooting of Alan Blueford was Oakland’s third officer-involved shooting this year; however, it’s the first officer-involved fatality. The people of Oakland are not unfamiliar with this type of incident; on New Year’s Day of 2009, 22-year-old Oscar Grant was shot and killed by Oakland BART Police Officer Johannes Mehserle.

It’s scary when you can’t even trust those whose job it is to make sure you’re safe. Every police officer takes an oath before they can fully serve, and this oath states that an officer must “act with honesty,” and “courtesy…” It is in no way courteous to gun down a child just because you think he has a gun. There’s no courtesy in leaving a child in the street for four hours while his family is kept clueless as to where their child is. And it’s not honest to shoot yourself in the foot and say an innocent victim is to blame. Maybe before being given a badge and a gun, new officers need to sit down with the oath until they understand what it truly means.

Since the murder of Alan Blueford, citizens of Oakland have protested and marched, looking for justice and answers. Oakland native MC Hammer, who’s a friend of the Blueford family, had some powerful words to share with the family and supporters of the cause. The video can be seen below.

Related posts: