A little over a week after Darren Wilson, Ferguson Police Officer who shot and killed unarmed teen Michael Brown, was not indicted by the St. Louis County Grand Jury, another police officer will also not be indicted for the killing of unarmed Black male, Eric Garner. The grand jury found there was no “reasonable cause” to indict.
On Dec. 3 a grand jury in New York decided not to indict white police officer Daniel Pantaleo,29, after Garner, 43, was choked to death back in July during a fatal altercation. A civil rights investigation will take place as stated by Attorney General Eric Holder.
Holder stated the department will conduct an “independent, thorough, fair and expeditious investigation.”
On July 17 on Staten Island, Garner was stopped by multiple police officers in the suspicion of selling untaxed cigarettes. Garner immediately raised both hands in the air but was then choked from behind by an officer in attempt to pull him down onto the sidewalk.
Garner shouted “I can’t breathe!” as he was brought to the ground. He was pronounced dead later that day. The entire incident was recorded and released to the public.
While Garner’s death was later ruled as a homicide, the cause of his death was “compression of neck (chokehold), compression of chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police” as stated by the medical examiner’s office.
In a statement released shortly after the grand jury announcement, Pantaleo stated “It is never my intention to harm anyone and I feel very bad about the death of Mr. Garner. My family and I including him and his family in our prayers and I hope that they will accept my personal condolences for their loss.”
The ruling caused hundreds of protestors in New York to fill the streets and even “unofficially” shutdown and block major highways.
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The crowd of New York protestors was diverse noted film maker Spike Lee as he traveled the streets with his son.
“This has nothing to do with Black and white. This is New Yorkers together,” he said.
While no buildings were burned, no businesses looted or bottles were thrown, protesters filled the location of times square in a cry for peace and justice chanting in unison “I can’t breathe!”
