I am numb with grief yet filled with painful anxiety. The grand jury in New York heard all of the testimony, examined all of the evidence and decided not to bring an indictment in the Eric Garner case.
Eric Garner was 43 years old and was arrested for selling cigarettes illegally. He was placed in a chokehold by New York Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo and never recovered. He died literally on the streets of New York despite saying several times, “I can’t breathe.”
He was a Black man and a father of six children. The Police Officer is White. A similar racial refrain was played out in Ferguson, Missouri, most recently.
Garner did not have a gun but was known to police in New York because of criminal mischief. Yes, a criminal past but did he deserve to die because he was selling contraband cigarettes? The answer to that question is a resounding, “No!”
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that there would be a federal investigation. Benjamin Crump, a Civil Rights attorney, says grand jury rules and regulations should be reviewed and possibly changed. The African American community is protesting across the country with the mantra, “Black Lives Matter.”
What is disheartening and extremely aggravating about these latest killings is the mistrust of the police by African Americans. This mistrust did not start in Ferguson nor will it end in New York.
In recent memory, we simply have to recall Rodney King being beaten unmercifully by the officers of the Los Angeles Police Department.
