Decision in New York City exacerbates mistrust in justice system
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.
The decision by the Staten Island grand jury not to indict the police officer who choked Eric Garner to death in July cries out for an explanation. Without it, the anger being expressed across the country will only intensify.
Some have suggested that Garner was to blame because he supposedly resisted arrest. But that鈥檚 beside the point.
When the New York City Police Department , then-Chief John F. Timoney said that difficult suspects should be detained in the 鈥渟afest possible way.鈥� Too many people were dying.
The fact is, Garner 鈥� who was merely suspected of selling loose cigarettes 鈥� posed no threat to the many officers who surrounded him. And, it鈥檚 clear from that officers certainly heard him say, repeatedly, that he could not breathe.
Eric Garner did not have to die.聽
Coming on the heels of the St. Louis grand jury鈥檚 decision not to indict the white officer who killed Michael Brown, the decision in the Garner case has exacerbated the growing mistrust between the police and communities of color throughout the nation.
Our nation must search for answers. Our communities are not war zones, and we cannot accept a mentality that leads some officers to see them that way.
Law enforcement officials at every level must examine their procedures, their culture, their training, and the way suspects are treated. And we must all insist on a high standard of conduct and accountability for those in positions of power over their fellow citizens.聽
