No Indictment in Videotaped NYPD Chokehold Death

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Termite
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No Indictment in Videotaped NYPD Chokehold Death

Post by Termite »

A grand jury on Staten Island has decided to not indict a New York Police Department officer in the death of Eric Garner, who was placed in a chokehold and died of a heart attack.

Garner, who suffered from asthma, was captured on video telling arresting officers that he couldn’t breathe as Officer Daniel Pantaleo’s arm was around his neck, pushing him face-first toward the sidewalk.

The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, saying compression of the neck and chest with asthma, obesity and hypertensive cardiovascular disease as contributing factors killed Garner.

Officers suspected Garner, 43, was selling loose, untaxed cigarettes. A full video of the incident was shot by a bystander, which shows Garner arguing with police but not being physically aggressive before he was taken down. Witnesses said he caught the eye of cops when he helped break up a fight on the sidewalk.
PJ Tattler
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"If you expect a Staten Island grand jury to indict a cop, then you don’t know Staten Island."
My thoughts:
IIRC, Louisiana law also prohibits the sale of single cigarettes. However, nearly every mom-n-pop convience store does, generally for 25 cents each. It's how they get rid of broken/damaged packs. AND NOBODY GIVES A DAMN, ESPECIALLY THE POLICE.

What I saw in the video was an unneeded arrest by police using excessive force, resulting in the accidental death of the arrestee. That's involuntary manslaughter in my judgement.
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PawPaw
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Re: No Indictment in Videotaped NYPD Chokehold Death

Post by PawPaw »

I agree with Termite's take, generally. There is no reason to arrest someone for selling un-taxed cigarettes. Write him a citation, and get to more important tasks.

One caveat, though.
Garner, who suffered from asthma
I've arrested lots of folks with medical conditions, and I may not know about that condition, so the onus is on the person to act in a way that won't aggravate his medical condition. Like, for example, and asthmatic getting into a tussle with police officers. That's on Garner, and it's only included in the news to draw sympathy.

Let's say that you've got some brittle-bone condition (f'rinstance) and you know that if you get into a scuffle, you're liable to have several broken bones. In that case, don't get into scuffles. Likewise, if you know that you have asthma and getting into a scuffle might trigger an attack, don't get into scuffles. That's on you.
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scipioafricanus
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Re: No Indictment in Videotaped NYPD Chokehold Death

Post by scipioafricanus »

The NYPD doesn't have better things to do than kill people over smokes?

SA
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Termite
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Re: No Indictment in Videotaped NYPD Chokehold Death

Post by Termite »

scipioafricanus wrote:The NYPD doesn't have better things to do than kill people over smokes?

SA
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Vonz90
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Re: No Indictment in Videotaped NYPD Chokehold Death

Post by Vonz90 »

scipioafricanus wrote:The NYPD doesn't have better things to do than kill people over smokes?

SA
In defense of those NYC police officers, they were being video taped, so they could not simply ask for a bribe to go away as they most likely would normally do. Everything after that was most likely very unfamiliar territory for them.
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Netpackrat
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Re: No Indictment in Videotaped NYPD Chokehold Death

Post by Netpackrat »

Vonz90 wrote: In defense of those NYC police officers, they were being video taped, so they could not simply ask for a bribe to go away as they most likely would normally do. Everything after that was most likely very unfamiliar territory for them.
Interesting defense. :lol:
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arctictom
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Re: No Indictment in Videotaped NYPD Chokehold Death

Post by arctictom »

Well collecting taxes is a dangerous thing , the morons responsible are the city and state politico's and their tax the shit out of anything policy . Was the cop over zelous, yup was the citizen out of line, yup , still the problem is with the government.
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HTRN
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Re: No Indictment in Videotaped NYPD Chokehold Death

Post by HTRN »

scipioafricanus wrote:The NYPD doesn't have better things to do than kill people over smokes?

SA
On SI, serious crime is almost nonexistent compared to the rest of the city. Selling untaxed loosies may mean an officer can make a felony arrest..

And that quote is true - a grand jury will always side with a cop over a skel, no matter what the circumstances here. Now if this had been an "citizen"....
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Re: No Indictment in Videotaped NYPD Chokehold Death

Post by Greg »

arctictom wrote:Well collecting taxes is a dangerous thing , the morons responsible are the city and state politico's and their tax the shit out of anything policy . Was the cop over zelous, yup was the citizen out of line, yup , still the problem is with the government.
Yes.

I read something the other day to the effect of 'the liberals were perfectly happy with the idea of the use of force, potentially lethal force, when they *passed* these laws'.
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Rod
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Re: No Indictment in Videotaped NYPD Chokehold Death

Post by Rod »

From what I understand, shopowners who sold cigarettes legally in the area called the police on him. In a case like that, police have to do something. The police also told Garner numerous times that they were NOT arresting him (whatever that means in the legal sense); he should have let them cuff him then brought a lawsuit. That way, he'd have money AND his life.
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