Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Failure to Indict NYPD Officer Who Killed an Unarmed Suspect
This articles discusses the decision by a New York City grand jury to not indict an officer with the NYPD after killing a man suspected of illegally selling cigarettes. The decision was made despite blatant video evidence in which the officer clearly puts the suspect in a chokehold (a technique forbidden by the police department) until the man is no longer able to breathe. This all comes within weeks of the extraordinarily controversial decision to not indict a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri for killing another unarmed African American man, which led to a global outcry where some even claimed it was proof that racial discrimination still does exist in the United States. Does some sort of new, modernized racial reform need to be introduced or maybe some sort of reform to the legal system that seems to be habitually letting police officers get away with murder of unarmed subjects?
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In my opinion, I do not believe that this situation is comparable to the situation in Ferguson. I think that in this case, the officer clearly overstepped the boundaries of the law, but in the case of Ferguson, I do not think there is enough evidence to say that Officer Wilson's actions were illegal and unwarranted. Despite this, I still believe that something must be done about police brutality, and I think that the police cameras are a good idea.
ReplyDeleteThis case is not at all comparable to Ferguson. In Ferguson, Wilson acted in necessary self-defense because Brown was a violent criminal who posed a fatal threat to him. In this case, the officer was not justified in using excessive force, especially since Garner did not pose a physical threat, according to the video. Since the grand jury has not yet released its reasoning in coming to this conclusion, I will not comment on whether or not an indictment should have occurred. Although, it's tragic that Garner lost his life over such a trivial crime. The situation never would have happened had former Mayor Bloomberg not imposed a $6 tax on cigarettes in order to generate exorbitant revenue to pay the contracts of public employees, making cigarettes $15 a pack in NYC, then deploying the NYPD to crack down on violators. A ridiculous law like that basically asks people to form a black market for the product. The outcry surrounding this case should be over the frivolous regulations placed on residents of NYC by an overbearing government, rather than a racial component that does not exist in this case. Unfortunately, like in Ferguson, the (sadly) influential race-baiters are trying to gin up animosity between minorities and law enforcement, when none is justified.
ReplyDeleteI think people fail to realize that police brutality is not the only issue this country faces in the way of racism. The courts that let police officers get away with such heinous crimes are also corrupt. There is no doubt that the death of Eric Garner was a homicide. While the case with Wilson has many gray areas, this case does not. Pantaleo and his fellow officers murdered Eric Garner and should be put in jail. There is no way a jury could consider this death justified. As for the video cameras, I think they are an invasion of privacy for the police officers, but if it's what is necessary to prevent these types of crimes from happening then they must be implemented. I believe that in general police in this country are way too powerfu
ReplyDeleteIt's so ironic that people thought that police officers being connected to cameras would solve these problems of excessive forced being used by officers. The murder of Eric Gardner was on camera, but the officers was still not indicted. Protests and calls for action are necessary. I appreciated that after many violent protests around the U.S. due to the Michael Brown case that the parents of Gardner called for peaceful demonstrations. Hopefully this move for decreased police brutality is not just a fad, but a real push for change.
ReplyDeleteThis issue shouldn't be compared to the issue in Ferguson. I think the jury's decision is just stupid. The fact that the jury saw the video and still didn't give the officer punishment is ridiculous. I hope that the issue of police burtality is not just a phase and that action is taken.
ReplyDeletePolice officers actions are basically protected by state law. Officers can always claim "self-defense". There are just too many grey areas, and I don't see the courts ruling against officers. If the courts rule against police officers every time they claim they killed a person in self defense then there would be an unwanted precedent set. This case cannot compare to Ferguson. In this case there is blatant video evidence of excessive force on an unarmed suspect who did not even punch or threaten the officer. Clearly this NYPD officer should have been indicted. Lastly, I agree with Becky that the video cameras are just another invasion of privacy. They would also be a waste of the taxpayers money.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of police brutality is depressing to see know, considering that the issues that support it such as racism have existed since the formation of the country and we still have nothing to do with it. The United States almost acts as though these issues are a trend, and when they appear they hop on the bandwagon, if truly the body of citizens and lawmakers was invested in resolving the issues rather than talking about them we would have seen the LA riots issue bring about change 23 years ago. That was 23 years ago and now we have nothing to say about it. In the case of Eric Garner it is quite evident that he posed no threat to the police officers and that excessive force was used. What is even more concerning is the lack of response to his pleas by both the police officers but as well as the paramedics that attend to him. They assume that his life is not important and their treatment for him is minimal. It is thoroughly concerning to see the police militarism on the rise as well.
ReplyDeleteI think that this case in New York is completely different from the case in Ferguson. First of all, the officer used an illegal method to restrain Garner, that alone should have earned the officers some sort of punishment since chokeholds are ILLEGAL. Another key difference in this case was the video. Clearly in the video, Garner was struggling for breath. If he was unable to breathe, I'm not sure how he would be able to resist arrest if he couldn't even breathe. I think the ruling on this case just shows how cops are offered a sort of "free pass" in the justice system. Police brutality is apparent in this issue, and I think it is something that needs to be changed.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dan. I don't think that his case is anything like the case in Ferguson. I also believe that there are huge grey areas. When a police office is claiming self defense chances are even if they did wrong, they will not be punished. In this case, there is video evidence that this cop is choking the man. It makes me want to trust the police less. I think that sometimes, they truly take advantage of their title.
ReplyDeleteSo sad to see another man killed for no reason and the police responsible to get no indictment. I think a lot of police officers misuse their power; the militarization of the police, American pride, and a history of police violence has led to many unnecessary deaths of civilians on the basis of police officers defending themselves. It's interesting to see the US numbers of citizens killed by police when compared to other countries. I also agree that it cannot be just an issue with a few overzealous officers in America; there must be something wrong with the judicial system. After hearing about Ferguson I fully supported getting body cameras for officers, but even with video in this case justice was not served.
ReplyDeleteIt absolutely blows my mind that the men who killed Eric Garner are not being indicted, nor tried for murder. Whether you consider this a race issue or not, the fact is that a man has been murdered by the police, who are meant to protect us from violence and harm. If I've been understanding our the intended purposes of the American court system correctly, killing someone before they can make it to a trial is against our ideals. People are tried and put to death for committing murders or mass-murders, and people are generally fined illegally selling cigarettes on the street. In this case, the police decided that Garner was guilty and put him to death. Whether or not that was their intention, that's what happened. The police are not the judges, nor the jury. They do not have the right to decide that a man should die unless it is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. Whether it's with Michael Brown or Eric Garner or anyone else, lethal force should be a last resort, not the first choice when deciding a solution.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Nia. Even if you ignore the racial problems that have arisen as of late, there's still a definite problem in regards to the brutal treatment that police have been enacting. Eric Garner's case was unlike Michael Brown's in that there should be absolutely no question as to whether or not the killing was for self defense or not. Unlike Matt, I don't think this problem with police brutality lies in unfair cigarette taxes, but with how little monitoring police get with their treatment of criminals. Reform needs to come so that no one, regardless of their race, has to die at the hands of over aggressive policemen.
ReplyDeletePolice brutality is a problem, yes. Eric Garner should not have been killed, it was wrong. The officer probably should have been indicted. However, I believe people are missing something important: many more black people die at the hands of other black people on the streets than die from police brutality. Although police brutality is tangible and should be addressed, people also should be looking at how to stop violence in places like Chester or Camden. If lives are what people want to save, I think that makes sense.
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