I’ve said it before - and as the Community Editor I should be forgiven for saying it again and again - the power of Citizen Journalism is that the best stories can take us to worlds that we don’t always have access to.

That’s what I thought after seeing this video that citizen journalist Mike Melero shot for Oakland Local.

Like dozens of other reporters, Mike headed over to the Youth UpRising offices on the night of the verdict. The youth organization was hosting one of the five “healing centers” in Oakland. The idea behind the centers was to keep the youths off the street and have them talk about their feelings and positive next steps.

But Mike walked away from the action and approached Brandon Robins, Martana Hardaway and Darnell "Bizzy" Smith, who were eating and talking on some bleachers outside.

“I went up to them because I wanted to know how they felt about the verdict,” Mike said. But they didn’t want to answer. So Mike just sat, listened and gabbed. And after a while, he asked if he could videotape them and they agreed.

The star of the video is Brandon Robins, the first person to speak.

It’s not that I haven’t heard Brandon’s argument before, I have. And it’s not that I agree with his assessment of police because I think the situation is much more complex.

But despite our difference, Melero's video captures a moment so unfiltered and emotionally raw that when I watch it, I feel what Brandon feels and I see what Brandon sees. For a minute, Melero's video connects us -- it's a first small step towards us all getting along.

To watch the director's cut go to Oakland Local's Blip channel.