BART Commuters Prepare for Disruptions, Protests

As the Bay Area awaits a verdict in the trial of a former BART police officer charged with killing a passenger, Pleasanton Bay Area Rapid Transit commuters say they are preparing for public protests that may disrupt daily travel. 

BART released a statement Wednesday alerting riders of possible service disruptions once jury deliberations in the Los Angeles trial conclude.

The statement says the agency will be letting commuters know if services are impacted due to public demonstrations. 

Closing arguments for the trial of Johannes Mehserle finished today. The jury began deliberations today and will resume after the holiday weekend.

At the Dublin-Pleasanton station, Simon Fung said he's wondering what the workday commute will be like if demonstrators attempt to halt train services. 

"[I would] probably just wait it out," he said. 

Others say colleagues have been talking about the possibility of riots. Scott Bodensteiner works near the 12th Street Oakland City Center station and said co-workers have offered one another a place to stay if the situation gets out of hand.

"I don't know how valid those concerns are though," he said. 

Some say they already have alternate plans if BART trains stop running.

Maryann Barthe, a Pleasanton resident, said she'll drive with co-workers if train services are halted.

"I'm going to stay away from BART," she said.

Lori Santiago said she plans to take a bus from her job in San Francisco to a location in the East Bay, where her husband can pick her up. 

"My husband kept talking about it last night," she said. "It worries me but not too much."

Commuters looking for alternative ways to get around the Bay can contact 511.org, a free public transit planner for the nine-county Bay Area.

BART police and other law enforcement agencies are coordinating in case of any station closures from public demonstrations, according to officials. The agencies held mock riot exercises in anticipation of the verdict. 

On Jan. 1, 2009, 22-year-old Oscar Grant of Hayward, who was unarmed, was fatally shot by Mehserle, 28, on the Fruitvale station platform while Mehserle and other BART officers were trying to arrest Grant after a disturbance on the train.

Mehserle, who has claimed he meant to use his Taser on Grant, is now facing a second-degree murder charge.  In the aftermath of the shooting, which stirred allegations of racism because Grant was black and Mehserle is white, violent protests and riots ripped through Oakland, and numerous businesses were attacked.

For two months, rallies were held at various BART stations, with some calling to shut down train service.

The trial was moved away from Alameda County because of concerns Mehserle would be unable get a fair trial due to the extensive publicity the fatal shooting received and the passions it aroused in the community.