The death of Eric Garner at the hands of New York police has sparked growing concern over the use of police chokeholds and a debate about holding officers accountable by videotaping their actions. A New York City medical examiner ruled Garner's death to be a homicide.
The death of Eric Garner at the hands of New York police has sparked growing concern over the use of police chokeholds and a debate about holding officers accountable by videotaping their actions.
According to Democracy Now!:
On July 17, New York City police placed Garner, an African-American father of six, in a chokehold after they confronted him for selling single cigarettes known as "loosies." Graphic video of the incident shows an officer pulling Garner to the ground by the neck and then holding his head against the pavement. He repeatedly says that he cannot breathe.
A New York City medical examiner ruled Garner's death to be a homicide.
Garner’s family and supporters have called for criminal charges against the officer and a federal civil rights investigation. Chokeholds like the one that killed Garner have been banned under NYPD's excessive force guidelines for more than two decades. But today, the city's Civilian Complaint Review Board will meet to address more than 1,000 chokehold complaints against officers in recent years.
In the video clip below, Democracy Now! is joined by two mothers whose sons were killed by New York City police officers: Iris Baez and Kadiatou Diallo. Also featured are civil liberties attorney Norman Siegel and his client, Debra Goodman. Goodman is a retired legal secretary who sued the City of New York after she was arrested for filming police last year.
Click here to watch the full discussion on Democracy Now!
A version of this post appeared at Wonky News Nerd.