Oakland crowd upset with involuntary manslaughter verdict in transit shooting case

Oakland crowd upset with transit shooting verdict

OAKLAND, Calif. — About 400 people are marching through the streets of Oakland to protest an involuntary manslaughter verdict in the shooting death of an unarmed black man.

The growing crowd marched Thursday near City Hall after the verdict was read in Los Angeles in the case of former Bay Area Rapid Transit officer Johannes Mehserle in the death of 22-year-old Oscar Grant.

Protesters moved through downtown and past businesses that boarded up windows as a precaution against possible riots.

People are standing face-to-face with police officers in riot gear, who are trying to keep them off the roadway.

Mayor Ron Dellums has pleaded for people to protest peacefully.