Killer of Eric Garner not prosecuted in New York

This video from New York City in the USA is called Eric Garner Dies After Police Put Him In Choke Hold.

By Christopher Mathias in the USA today:

Grand Jury Declines To Indict NYPD Officer In Chokehold Death Of Eric Garner

12/03/2014 2:30 pm EST Updated: 9 minutes ago

A 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.

This is a developing story…

Killer Of Tamir Rice Had History Of Instability (H/T Richard Lyon): here.

From the Southern Poverty Law Center in the USA:

12/03/2014

Decision in New York City exacerbates mistrust in justice system

By Richard Cohen, President

The decision by the Staten Island grand jury not to indict any of the police officers involved in choking Eric Garner to death in August cries out for an explanation.

Chokeholds have long been banned by the New York City Police Department. What’s more, Garner – who was merely suspected of selling bootleg cigarettes – posed no threat to the officers. They certainly heard him say, repeatedly, that he could not breathe. He did not have to die.

Coming on the heels of the Saint Louis grand jury’s decision not to indict the white officer who killed Michael Brown, the decision in the Garner case, if not promptly and adequately explained, will surely exacerbate the growing mistrust between the police and communities of color throughout the nation.