Jury grapples to decide fate in second Riders trial

As the jury in the "Riders" police misconduct case begins deciding the fate of three former city police officers this week, they will wrestle with two distinct stories, each with its share of holes. Defense attorneys in closing arguments last week maintained the three, who are accused of beating residents and falsifying reports, are victims of a political witch hunt. But prosecutors claim the trio were rogue cops running wild through the streets of West Oakland undetected because they knew how to lie well. Like the first trial, which ended with the officers being acquitted of some charges and the jury deadlocked on others, the second act in the Riders case has followed predictable patterns. Since the retrial began in October, Deputy district attorneys Terry Wiley and Ben Beltramo focused on the West Oakland residents who said they were beaten and the incidents in which those beatings allegedly occurred. They showed the bloodied and swollen faces of eight residents who crossed the path of the accused officers in the summer of 2002. They showed police reports the officers allegedly doctored. [more]

• Pictured above: The corner 14th and Peralta is considered the center of West Oakland and ground zero for the four Oakland police officers known as "The Riders," who are under investigation for misconduct. [more]