About the Foundation

The Oscar Grant Foundation is committed to standing up against all forms of police brutality, especially when it involves people of color, and to changing the negative stereotypes that strip our young Black men of the humanity they deserve.

Our History

The foundation was established in 2010 after a jury found former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle guilty for the shooting of Oscar Grant. While Wanda Johnson, Oscar’s mother, and her family continue to fight for justice for Oscar, the foundation exists to help mend the distrust between residents in predominantly Black, high-crime communities and law enforcement.

Oscar Grant Foundation - Our History
Oscar Grant Foundation - Our History

Our History

The foundation was established in 2010 after a jury found former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle guilty for the shooting of Oscar Grant. While Wanda Johnson, Oscar’s mother, and her family continue to fight for justice for Oscar, the foundation exists to help mend the distrust between residents in predominantly Black, high-crime communities and law enforcement.

Our programs are designed to build self-esteem in “at-promise” youth from the East Bay, and we encourage our young people and the police to find creative ways to see themselves and others as full of potential instead of a threat.

We offer community support through grief sessions as well as youth services and activities such as scholarships, school supplies giveaways, tutoring and athletic programs, including three basketball teams named after Oscar.

Oscar Grant Foundation - Meet Wanda

Meet Wanda

Since losing her only son to police violence, Wanda has become an amplified voice for mothers and organizers who are seeking to put an end to systemic racism in America. When Oscar was murdered in 2009, Wanda embarked on a journey to turn that pain into purpose. Since then, she has used this tragedy to travel around the world and share her story with thousands of people.

Meet the People Who make our work possible

The Oscar Grant Foundation is powered by passionate people committed to creating real, meaningful change in our community so that all people of color in America are treated like human beings.

The Shooting of Oscar Grant

In the early morning hours of New Year’s Day 2009, Oscar Juliuss Grant III was fatally shot by former BART Police Officer Johannes Mehserle. BART officers had responded to a call about a fight on the Fruitvale station platform in Oakland around 2am. Oscar, who according to reports was not among those fighting, was detained with several others. Bystanders captured videos of the incident. Already restrained and unarmed, Oscar was fatally shot in the back by Officer Johannes Mehserle.

Oscar Grant Shooting
Oscar Grant Shooting

The Shooting of Oscar Grant

In the early morning hours of New Year’s Day 2009, Oscar Juliuss Grant III was fatally shot by former BART Police Officer Johannes Mehserle. BART officers had responded to a call about a fight on the Fruitvale station platform in Oakland around 2am. Oscar, who according to reports was not among those fighting, was detained with several others. Bystanders captured videos of the incident. Already restrained and unarmed, Oscar was fatally shot in the back by Officer Johannes Mehserle.

Mehserle claims he intended to draw his Taser, but he instead drew his 9mm pistol when he shot Oscar in the back. Oscar was pronounced dead the next morning at Highland Hospital in Oakland.

The footage of the shooting was quickly disseminated to media outlets and circulated throughout the web, where millions of people viewed it. The impact of Oscar’s death ripped through the country, and it inspired both peaceful and violent protests.

Fruitvale Station - Movie

Fruitvale Station

Winner of both the Grand Jury Prize for dramatic feature and the Audience Award for U.S. dramatic film at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, director Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station follows the true story of Oscar Grant (played by Michael B. Jordan), a 22-year-old Bay Area resident who wakes up on the morning of December 31, 2008, and feels something in the air.

Not sure what it is, he takes it as a sign to get a head start on his resolutions: being a better son to his mother (played by Octavia Spencer), whose birthday falls on New Year’s Eve, being a better partner to his girlfriend, who he hasn’t been completely honest with as of late, and being a better father to their beautiful four year-old daughter.

Crossing paths with friends, family and strangers, Oscar starts out well, but as the day goes on, he realizes that change is not going to come easily.

His resolve takes a tragic turn, however, when a BART police officer shoots him in cold blood at the Fruitvale BART station on New Year’s Day. Oscar’s life and tragic death would shake the Bay Area—and the entire nation—to its very core.