When his 22-year-old nephew, Oscar Grant, was shot and killed by BART police in 2009, Cephus Johnson fought to create a Police Civilian Review Board. On Monday, Johnson took the oath of office to officially become a member of that board.
As the de facto spokesperson for the Grant family, Johnson joined nationwide calls to create a civilian group capable of reviewing police misconduct complaints and recommending disciplinary actions. Johnson now has unrestricted access to police reports and personnel records.
While the board’s creation in 2011 was part of a police reform effort to reduce massive racial disparities in BART’s policing, violence remains.
One recent report showed African American riders were subjected to over half of all use-of-force incidents in 2023.
After taking his oath, Johnson said he will use his position to “enhance transparency and accountability.”
