Racist Talk Withheld to Protect Slain BART Rider

The Oakland Fire Department is refusing to release copies of taped conversations it originally said didn't happen, in which its personnel at staff meetings allegedly used racial slurs to refer to the man shot and killed as he lay prone and unarmed in an Oakland Bay Area Rapid Transit stationi platform in 2009.  The department says the tape is being withheld to protect the man's privacy, according to a report posted by IndyBay Media.  The tapes are being sought by fire department paramedic who blew the whistle on the allegedly racist discussions and says he's been subjected to retailiatory discipline.