The police department and the people of New York already have a strained relationship. It even got more strained though when the city medical examiner ruled that a police chokehold was the cause of death for Eric Garner.
Last July 17, Eric Garner was approached by police officers for questioning for selling untaxed cigarettes. Garner had already been arrested several times for the charge but this time he said he had done nothing wrong, asking the police officers to let him be. The police tried to arrest him, with one officer placed Garner in a chokehold and wrestling the man to the ground. Another officer on the scene pressed his head on the sidewalk. He pleaded he couldn't breathe but the police officers didn't let up. Garner lost consciousness afterwards.
The 43-year-old father of six sustained chest and neck compressions from the chokehold, killing him. Garner weighed 350 pounds, which the city medical examiner said contributed to his death, alongside other factors like cardiovascular disease and chronic asthma. Chokeholds, however, are prohibited by the NYPD.
Prosecutors are still investigating Garner's death and are waiting for a full report on the autopsy as well as a death certificate from the city medical examiner. The incident happened in Staten Island so it is up to District Attorney Daniel Donovan to decide whether or not a grand jury will be convened and the officers involved charged.
The Department of Justice is also interested in the case but has not started its own investigation. Bill Bratton, New York Police Commissioner, has said his department is working with prosecutors and that officials already know about the findings of the city medical examiner. He also said that he intends to have all 35,000 NYPD officers retrained, citing the police department's lacking use-of-force training.
The two police officers involved, Justin D'Amico and Daniel Pantaleo, are both facing internal investigations because of the incident. In the meantime, D'Amico is relegated to desk duty while Pantaleo is stuck on modified duty, stripping him of his badge and gun.
This latest issue between the NYPD and the people of New York puts city mayor Bill de Blasio in a bind. He remains, however, serious about reforms, saying that he and the police commissioner are aware of the responsibility that entails.
Since Pantaleo, the police officer who did the chokehold, is white and Garner is black, the incident also prompted calls for a federal civil rights investigation.
