Reaction to Eric Garner Grand Jury Decision
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
DECEMBER 3, 2014
Mayor Bill de Blasio called for peaceful protest on Wednesday evening after a Staten Island grand jury voted not to indict a police officer in the chokehold death of Eric Garner. See related article.
“Anyone who believes in the values of this country should feel called to action right now,” the mayor said.
Mr. Garner, 43, died in July after officers tried to arrest him for selling untaxed cigarettes. The medical examiner concluded that a chokehold applied by Officer Daniel Pantaleo helped cause Mr. Garner’s death.
The decision was awaited across the country as tension lingers from a Missouri grand jury’s refusal last month to indict an officer who fatally shot an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson.
Mr. Garner was also black and unarmed. His fatal encounter with the police was captured on video, and his dying words, “I can’t breathe,” became a rallying cry for protesters against police brutality in New York.
Shortly before the grand jury’s decision, Mayor Bill de Blasio urged New Yorkers to voice their reactions in peaceful protest, but added that “the city of New York is absolutely prepared for any eventuality.”
We will bring you updates here as this story develops.
6:54 P.M.Mother of Garner's Daughter Offers Bitter Words
Near the site of the fatal encounter, Jewell Miller, 27, who has an infant daughter with Eric Garner, had a message for Officer Pantaleo.
“I hope you really see the lives that you destroyed, he didn’t just destroy a life, he destroyed lives,” she said. “When he looks at his family, his parents, his children, his grandchildren, I hope he can tell them the truth.”
Ms. Miller mingled with protesters at the scene where Mr. Garner died. She pushed in a stroller their daughter, Legacy, several months old. She wept, as she did here in July.
“Again the system has failed us,” she said. “How? How? I don’t know how.”
She again addressed Officer Pantaleo.
“I think he has done the job that he was trained to do, and I think he did a good job — to kill us,” she said. “That’s what he was trained to do.”
— NATE SCHWEBER
6:44 P.M.Graphic: Fatal Police Encounters in New York City
Some of the most notable deaths since 1990 involving New York Police Department officers include a 13-year-old boy, an immigrant from Guinea and an unarmed security guard. Most of these deaths did not lead to criminal charges; even fewer resulted in convictions. View the graphic.
— EBA HAMID
6:48 P.M.Widow: Federal Investigation Offers ‘Some Type of Hope’
Eric Garner’s widow and mother vented their disappointment on Al Sharpton’s show on MSNBC.
His mother, Gwen Carr, said she could not believe the decision.
“Were they looking at the same video that the rest of the world was looking at?” she asked.
Mr. Garner’s widow, Esaw Garner, said she was angry about the decision, but felt that the family might get justice after speaking on Wednesday to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who has said there will be a federal investigation into his death.
“After speaking to Eric Holder, I feel some type of hope,” Ms. Garner said.
— EMMA G. FITZSIMMONS
6:41 P.M.Marchers Try to Push Through Barricades
Shortly after 6 p.m., hundreds of people left Times Square and began marching north along the Seventh Avenue sidewalk.
The group turned east, declaring their intention to go to Rockefeller Center, where the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony was scheduled. But a maze of metal police barricades on Avenue of the Americas kept the marchers away.
At one point, dozens of marchers attempted to push through police barricades. At at least two points, marchers attempted to push through metal police barricades while chanting, “We have a right to public space” and “We have the right to cross the street.”
In both instances police officers pushed back on the barricades and kept the marchers on the sidewalk.
At 53rd Street, however, marchers escaped the barricades and took to the roadways. They then marched down the center of 53rd Street before turning south and marching against traffic on Madison Avenue.
— COLIN MOYNIHAN
6:37 P.M. Protesters Close Broadway to Traffic
6:22 P.M.Protesters Gather Near Rockefeller Tree Lighting
Protesters gathered outside Radio City Music Hall, apparently as close as they could get to the site of tonight’s Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center.
6:17 P.M.Widow: Officer’s Apology ‘Means Absolutely Nothing’
Mr. Garner’s widow, Esaw Garner, appearing on Al Sharpton’s MSNBC program, disdained the words of condolence offered today by the officer who choked Mr. Garner.
“His apology to me now means absolutely nothing,” Ms. Garner said on “Politics Nation.” “Because my son is left without his father, my grandkids are left without their grandfather, and I am left without my husband.”
5:55 P.M.Large Crowd Gathering in Times Square
By 5:30 p.m. hundreds of people had gathered in Times Square. Members of the crowd brandished signs that read “Black Lives Matter” and “We Want Justice.” They chanted “I can’t breathe,” a reference to words that Mr. Garner spoke before he died, and “We want a public trial, no indictment is denial.”
Stan Williams, 32, a union organizer from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, said that he was stunned by the news that the grand jury in Staten Island had not returned an indictment.
“Bratton needs to be fired by de Blasio, but de Blasio has said that he supports broken windows policing,” he said. “This is a clear-cut case of death by broken windows policing.”
— COLIN MOYNIHAN
5:48 P.M.Mayor: Believers in U.S. ‘Should Feel Called to Action’
Mayor de Blasio said that peaceful protest, not violent protest, was the only effective way that people could bring change.
“Anyone who believes in the values of this country should feel called to action right now,” he said
“We are dealing with centuries of racism that has brought us to this day,” the mayor said. “That is how profound the crisis is.”
He added: “Anyone who says this is a problem pertinent only to young people of color misses what’s going on here. This is a problem for all New Yorkers.”
5:41 P.M.Cuomo Says Federal Inquiry May Be Appropriate
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo called the death of Eric Garner a tragedy and suggested that the circumstances should be investigated by the federal government.
Mr. Cuomo’s statement follows:
“Eric Garner was a husband, father and member of the New York family.
“The circumstances surrounding his death were nothing short of tragic. And while there will be people who disagree with today’s grand jury decision, it is important that we respect the legal process and rule of law. At the same time, the justice system also allows for additional investigations and reviews, and it may be appropriate for the federal government to do so in this case. And if there are improvements to be made and lessons to be learned, we at the state level are ready to act to better the system.
“I stand with the Garner family and urge those wishing to voice their opposition to today’s ruling to do so peacefully.
“My thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Garner’s family and friends as they continue to grieve during this difficult time.”
5:31 P.M.‘There’s a Lot of Pain,’ de Blasio Says
Mayor de Blasio spoke about the grand jury’s decision at Mount Sinai United Christian Church on Staten Island, a few blocks from where Mr. Garner died.
“There’s a lot of pain and frustration in the room this evening, and at the same time a lot of purposefulness,” Mr. de Blasio began.
“It’s a very painful day for so many New Yorkers,” he continued. “That is the core reality.
“We’re grieving again for the loss of Eric Garner, who was a father, a husband, a son and a good man who should be with us and isn’t.”
The mayor said that when he had spoken to Mr. Garner’s father he could not help but think how he would feel if he lost his own son, Dante.
— ANDY NEWMAN
 |
| Demonstrations against the failure to indict white cop in the death of African American Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York on July 17. Police had a heavy presence on Wed. |
DECEMBER 3, 2014
Mayor Bill de Blasio called for peaceful protest on Wednesday evening after a Staten Island grand jury voted not to indict a police officer in the chokehold death of Eric Garner. See related article.
“Anyone who believes in the values of this country should feel called to action right now,” the mayor said.
Mr. Garner, 43, died in July after officers tried to arrest him for selling untaxed cigarettes. The medical examiner concluded that a chokehold applied by Officer Daniel Pantaleo helped cause Mr. Garner’s death.
The decision was awaited across the country as tension lingers from a Missouri grand jury’s refusal last month to indict an officer who fatally shot an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson.
Mr. Garner was also black and unarmed. His fatal encounter with the police was captured on video, and his dying words, “I can’t breathe,” became a rallying cry for protesters against police brutality in New York.
Shortly before the grand jury’s decision, Mayor Bill de Blasio urged New Yorkers to voice their reactions in peaceful protest, but added that “the city of New York is absolutely prepared for any eventuality.”
We will bring you updates here as this story develops.
6:54 P.M.Mother of Garner's Daughter Offers Bitter Words
Near the site of the fatal encounter, Jewell Miller, 27, who has an infant daughter with Eric Garner, had a message for Officer Pantaleo.
“I hope you really see the lives that you destroyed, he didn’t just destroy a life, he destroyed lives,” she said. “When he looks at his family, his parents, his children, his grandchildren, I hope he can tell them the truth.”
Ms. Miller mingled with protesters at the scene where Mr. Garner died. She pushed in a stroller their daughter, Legacy, several months old. She wept, as she did here in July.
“Again the system has failed us,” she said. “How? How? I don’t know how.”
She again addressed Officer Pantaleo.
“I think he has done the job that he was trained to do, and I think he did a good job — to kill us,” she said. “That’s what he was trained to do.”
— NATE SCHWEBER
6:44 P.M.Graphic: Fatal Police Encounters in New York City
Some of the most notable deaths since 1990 involving New York Police Department officers include a 13-year-old boy, an immigrant from Guinea and an unarmed security guard. Most of these deaths did not lead to criminal charges; even fewer resulted in convictions. View the graphic.
— EBA HAMID
6:48 P.M.Widow: Federal Investigation Offers ‘Some Type of Hope’
Eric Garner’s widow and mother vented their disappointment on Al Sharpton’s show on MSNBC.
His mother, Gwen Carr, said she could not believe the decision.
“Were they looking at the same video that the rest of the world was looking at?” she asked.
Mr. Garner’s widow, Esaw Garner, said she was angry about the decision, but felt that the family might get justice after speaking on Wednesday to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who has said there will be a federal investigation into his death.
“After speaking to Eric Holder, I feel some type of hope,” Ms. Garner said.
— EMMA G. FITZSIMMONS
6:41 P.M.Marchers Try to Push Through Barricades
Shortly after 6 p.m., hundreds of people left Times Square and began marching north along the Seventh Avenue sidewalk.
The group turned east, declaring their intention to go to Rockefeller Center, where the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony was scheduled. But a maze of metal police barricades on Avenue of the Americas kept the marchers away.
At one point, dozens of marchers attempted to push through police barricades. At at least two points, marchers attempted to push through metal police barricades while chanting, “We have a right to public space” and “We have the right to cross the street.”
In both instances police officers pushed back on the barricades and kept the marchers on the sidewalk.
At 53rd Street, however, marchers escaped the barricades and took to the roadways. They then marched down the center of 53rd Street before turning south and marching against traffic on Madison Avenue.
— COLIN MOYNIHAN
6:37 P.M. Protesters Close Broadway to Traffic
6:22 P.M.Protesters Gather Near Rockefeller Tree Lighting
Protesters gathered outside Radio City Music Hall, apparently as close as they could get to the site of tonight’s Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center.
6:17 P.M.Widow: Officer’s Apology ‘Means Absolutely Nothing’
Mr. Garner’s widow, Esaw Garner, appearing on Al Sharpton’s MSNBC program, disdained the words of condolence offered today by the officer who choked Mr. Garner.
“His apology to me now means absolutely nothing,” Ms. Garner said on “Politics Nation.” “Because my son is left without his father, my grandkids are left without their grandfather, and I am left without my husband.”
5:55 P.M.Large Crowd Gathering in Times Square
By 5:30 p.m. hundreds of people had gathered in Times Square. Members of the crowd brandished signs that read “Black Lives Matter” and “We Want Justice.” They chanted “I can’t breathe,” a reference to words that Mr. Garner spoke before he died, and “We want a public trial, no indictment is denial.”
Stan Williams, 32, a union organizer from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, said that he was stunned by the news that the grand jury in Staten Island had not returned an indictment.
“Bratton needs to be fired by de Blasio, but de Blasio has said that he supports broken windows policing,” he said. “This is a clear-cut case of death by broken windows policing.”
— COLIN MOYNIHAN
5:48 P.M.Mayor: Believers in U.S. ‘Should Feel Called to Action’
Mayor de Blasio said that peaceful protest, not violent protest, was the only effective way that people could bring change.
“Anyone who believes in the values of this country should feel called to action right now,” he said
“We are dealing with centuries of racism that has brought us to this day,” the mayor said. “That is how profound the crisis is.”
He added: “Anyone who says this is a problem pertinent only to young people of color misses what’s going on here. This is a problem for all New Yorkers.”
5:41 P.M.Cuomo Says Federal Inquiry May Be Appropriate
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo called the death of Eric Garner a tragedy and suggested that the circumstances should be investigated by the federal government.
Mr. Cuomo’s statement follows:
“Eric Garner was a husband, father and member of the New York family.
“The circumstances surrounding his death were nothing short of tragic. And while there will be people who disagree with today’s grand jury decision, it is important that we respect the legal process and rule of law. At the same time, the justice system also allows for additional investigations and reviews, and it may be appropriate for the federal government to do so in this case. And if there are improvements to be made and lessons to be learned, we at the state level are ready to act to better the system.
“I stand with the Garner family and urge those wishing to voice their opposition to today’s ruling to do so peacefully.
“My thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Garner’s family and friends as they continue to grieve during this difficult time.”
5:31 P.M.‘There’s a Lot of Pain,’ de Blasio Says
Mayor de Blasio spoke about the grand jury’s decision at Mount Sinai United Christian Church on Staten Island, a few blocks from where Mr. Garner died.
“There’s a lot of pain and frustration in the room this evening, and at the same time a lot of purposefulness,” Mr. de Blasio began.
“It’s a very painful day for so many New Yorkers,” he continued. “That is the core reality.
“We’re grieving again for the loss of Eric Garner, who was a father, a husband, a son and a good man who should be with us and isn’t.”
The mayor said that when he had spoken to Mr. Garner’s father he could not help but think how he would feel if he lost his own son, Dante.
— ANDY NEWMAN
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