In related news...
Grand Jury Declines To Indict NYPD Officer In Chokehold Death Of Eric GarnerA grand jury voted Wednesday not to indict New York City police officer Daniel Pantaleo in the death of Eric Garner, multiple sources confirm.
Pantaleo put 47-year-old Garner into a chokehold during an arrest for selling untaxed cigarettes on July 17. In a viral video of the arrest, Garner can be seen screaming “I can’t breathe!” multiple times until his body goes limp. A medical examiner later ruled his death a homicide.
Chokeholds are banned by NYPD guidelines, and Garner’s death prompted large protests across the city.
The grand jury’s decision Wednedsay comes just over a week after a grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri declined to indict officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown.
The grand jury obviously felt otherwise, but I think a lesser charge of manslaughter or excessive force would have been appropriate.
In the case of Michael Brown, Brown was attacking officer Wilson, who had to defend himself.
In the case of these officers choking Garner, they were not in the same kind of danger from their suspect. They were just arresting a guy for selling cigarettes illegally. Plus the entire incident is on video, and therefore there's no debate about what actually happened in the minutes leading up to Garner's death.
