The Ferguson movement was dealt yet another blow yesterday afternoon. Days after a St. Louis grand jury decided not to charge Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson was cleared in the slaying of teenager Mike Brown, a New York City grand jury decided not to indict any police officers for the death of Eric Garner who was choked to death by an NYPD officer. The decision prompted demonstrations of protest around the nation.
On July 17th, Garner was stopped by NYPD officers for supposedly selling loose cigarettes on the street. Before you know what was happening a gang of NYPD cops pounce on Eric Garner, one placing him in an illegal choke hold. The asthmatic Garner pleaded with police to stop because he couldn’t breathe. Moments later, Garner lay dead on a Staten Island sidewalk. The entire incident was caught on film.
Regardless of the choke hold being illegal, the whole thing being caught on tape and the death being ruled a homicide later on, a grand jury found no grounds to indict any of the officers involved (though the man who filmed the ordeal was arrested and charged). Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the US Department of Justice will investigate the matter to see if Eric Garner‘s civil rights were, indeed, violated. President Obama said that the situation “speaks to larger issues.”
Moments after the ruling, protesters staged “die-ins” in cities around the country where they laid down and played dead in public areas, disrupting the normal goings-on. More protests are expected in the coming days. There is even talk of a march next week in Washington, DC.
[BBC]
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