The grand jury's ruling that there was no crime committed last July in the choking death of Eric Garner on Staten Island, NY by police unleashed a wave of disbelief, anger and protests in New York and across the nation. Unlike the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, the forceful chokehold (which was against police department policy) placed on Garner that resulted in his death was seen by millions on video, as Garner is heard to plead "I can't breath" as many as 11 times. The coroner ruled the death a homicide, and it was anticipated that the police officer that applied the fatal chokehold would face some charge in Garner's death. But then, we overestimated Staten Island's ability to convene an impartial jury, even with the knowledge that it's by far the most conservative and least diverse borough of New York City. It begs the question of what good will police body cameras be if the most egregious acts by police will go unpunished.
Interestingly, unlike the Ferguson case, a number of people on the right are also condemning the grand jury's ruling (naturally some wingers are thinking that this can be an anti-tax issue). Of course, with the video evidence, it's hard to deny that you're witnessing a homicide by police. So who are you going to believe, the grand jury or your lying eyes?
