Murder of Eric Garner 7-22-2019

22, July 2019                      Murder of Eric Garner

The failure of the Justice Department to charge the arresting officer with aggravated assault, or possibly murder by strangulation, and the female NYPD sergeant, Kizzy Adonim, for not interceding, is profoundly disturbing. There appears to be two sets of police guidelines, one for non-whites and a much milder version for whites. It’s hard to believe a white man would have suffered the same horrible fate as Eric Garner lying face on the pavement.

Garner’s offence, - selling cigarettes to earn money for himself and his family. A quiet conversation to deescalate the situation would have resulted in a very different outcome. Garner gasping for breath, cried out “I can’t breathe 11 times” before he fell unconscious. “I can’t breathe” become a rallying cry for activists demanding justice. Garner was not armed and imposed no threat.

Police guidelines need to be changed. How can the same set of rules be used for subduing an unnamed man selling cigarettes and a dangerous criminal toting a gun threatening to harm the public? Garner was guilty of a very minor offence. The police could have imposed a small fine much like handing a traffic ticket. If a social worker were present there is little doubt the “public nuisance crime” could easily have been averted and Garner would be alive today. African-Americans are severely handicapped by lack of access to education and job training. This travesty demands immediate action.