No Indictment for Officer in NYC Chokehold Death

[G_j]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/lawyer-indictment-officer-nyc-chokehold-death-27341649

A grand jury cleared a white New York City police officer Wednesday in the videotaped chokehold death of an unarmed black man who had been stopped on suspicion of selling loose, untaxed cigarettes, a lawyer for the victim's family said.

The decision in Staten Island not to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo threatened to add to the tensions that have simmered in the city since the July 17 death of Eric Garner ? a case that sparked outrage and drew comparisons to the fatal police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

Jonathan Moore, an attorney for Garner's family, said he was told of the grand jury's decision.

"I am actually astonished based on the evidence of the video tape, and the medical examiner, that this grand jury at this time wouldn't indict for anything, is really just astonishing," Moore said.

The Staten Island District Attorney's office didn't immediately respond to a call. There was no immediate comment from Pantaleo's attorney nor the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, a union that has strongly backed the officer.

The grand jury could have considered a range of charges, from murder to a lesser offense such as reckless endangerment.

..more..

[SummerSnow]

1. 14 white jurors 5 non white jurors.

So illegal chokehold is legal. Couldn't give the man a summons. he didn't resist arrest. He wasn't attacking or threatening anyone. he was begging to breathe.

[Dont call me Shirley]

3. You will never be able to live this life in peace, Daniel Pantaleo. BAD KARMA is vicious.

[yeoman6987]

4. Well they announced in daylight.

Ferguson? Perhaps you should of too. Yes I know Rodney King verdict was at night too.

[Skeowes28]

5. I'm not surprised

They were never going to be charged but I think 30 to 40 million wil be awarded in civil court

[City Lights]

6. Fuck me.

I am sick to death of this shit.

[Brickbat]

7. So much for cameras!

[Orrex]

8. Well, that's a relief.

I thought that they were going to totally fuck it up again, but...


Wait. What?

[Warren Stupidity]

9. well of course not, he merely murdered a human being using an illegal procedure.

Why would he be indicted for that?

[G_j]

20. the NYC Medical Examiner's office ruled Garner's death a homicide

the decision is, once again, beyond all logic..

[Vox Moi]

10. How is this possible?

A guy on the ground, pleading that he can't breathe?
I am sitting here totally at sea and wanting desperately to believe that I should not tear my hair out.
What the fuck?
Talk me down or I'm gonna be bald when I go out and scream at the sky.

[99th_Monkey]

15. Cold Blooded Murder in Broad Daylight

Oh, it's just a another cop murdering another black male citizen, for "selling single cigarette"

Un-fucking-believabe.. I totally am speechless ...

A few days ago I was excited and relieved to hear that Obama was forming his Commission on Police Brutality (or whatever he's calling it), but THEN I find out the cop he's appointing to head it up has a horrible record of brutality towards citizens.

How much more of a police state can we be, to let this shit slide over and over, sealing our fate to live under murderous fascist rule.

[joeybee12]

11. Effing amazing...

Cops have a license to kill, no oversight necessary

[nc4bo]

12. Damn it.

[mvd]

13. Here we go again with cops getting away with anything

It scares me what they can get away with. And I am white.

[HereSince1628]

14. The epitaph will read: It WAS a Republic, but we couldn't keep it.

The privilege given to uniformed persons is way beyond rational. You cannot expect a uniformed service to perform fairly if they are given the privilege to arbitrarily discriminate among us.

[99th_Monkey]

16. It's almost as if our domestic police have MORE latitude to murder civilians

than our military does over-seas, in say Afghanistan.

Un-fucking-believable.

[HereSince1628]

18. It's is unfortunately, and to the harm of us all, that it is too believeable.

As argued by the retired police captain Ray Lewis, we recruit and train brutes, because compassionate persons are deemed unsuited for the proper tasks of policing.

WTF does that say about our definition of 'proper tasks of policing'?????????????

[dumbcat]

17. I'm normally one of your hated cop supporters

but this just ain't right.

[99th_Monkey]

19. In the 60s, we didn't call cops "pigs" for nothing

They murdered the Black Panther leadership in their beds at 3 a.m.

It's almost like things haven't changed a bit in 50 years, there was only
a thin veneer of restraint and quasi-"progress" in our race relations. that's
now getting ripped off, exposing our racism and fascism for all to see.

This is a scary sad day for America.