Get ready for Ferguson #2 in New York City

[oberliner]

The Eric Garner case, I fear, will yield a similar result.

For those unfamiliar:

Grand Jury Begins Hearing Evidence In Eric Garner Case

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) – A grand jury has begun deciding whether there should be criminal charges in the case of Eric Garner, the Staten Island man who died in police custody.

The proceedings come five weeks after the 43-year-old asthmatic father of six died after being placed in an apparent chokehold by police.

In cellphone video of the incident, an officer is seen placing his arm around Garner’s neck and then taking him to the ground after Garner refuses to be handcuffed. He had been stopped by police for allegedly selling loose, untaxed cigarettes.

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/09/29/grand-jury-to-begin-hearing-evidence-in-eric-garner-case/

[msongs]

1. all they had to do was buckle the guy's legs from behind the knees if the only goal was to

get the guy on the ground. as kids we used to do that to each other often for a laugh (well it seemed funny then)

[justiceischeap]

2. Well, you see, this guy was a thug he was breaking the law by selling loose, untaxed cigarettes

so, you know, he got what he deserved. If he hadn't been selling those cigarettes and gotten a real job, the police wouldn't have had to kill him.

I'm just typing this before someone else who means it does.

[SummerSnow]

4. And don't forget he was a big guy so he was threat

[justiceischeap]

5. Sorry, I can't believe I forgot that very important detail. nt

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

6. But didn't he already pay taxes when he originally bought the cigs?

So if someone says, "I'll give you a buck for a cigarette", you should tell him, "no, give me an extra X amount so I can fill out my tax return at the end of the year, or the cops will kill me" ???

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

3. If former LAPD Chief Darrel Gates were still alive, they might call him as an expert witness

on the choke hold. His wikipedia page recounts his outrageous statement following the deaths of several black individuals through the use of choke holds by the LAPD:

"...In 1982, Gates attributed several deaths of people held in choke holds to the theory that "blacks might be more likely to die from chokeholds because their arteries do not open as fast as they do on 'normal people.'"[20] (In his autobiography, Gates explained that he had been misquoted, saying that black people were more predisposed to vascular conditions and therefore less likely to have normally-functioning arteries.) ..."

[Recursion]

7. Three differences, which I hope will be big enough

1. The DA seems to actually be taking this seriously

2. Deaths in custody don't get quite as big a blank check as deaths during apprehension

3. The civilian review board had recently issued a report criticizing their submission hold techniques as dangerous

[okaawhatever]

9. I read that the big hurdle was that the coroner said the guy's physical health was a "contributing

factor" in his death. Something about his asthma and maybe his obesity were contributing factors. I also read that law enforcement from Staten Island went down to Ferguson to more or less learn from their mistakes.

[oberliner]

10. Sadly they weren't

Very depressing.

[napkinz]

8. kick

nt