Roman -- I cant breathe. Those were Eric Garners final words as he pleaded with NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo to release him from a chokehold. Even after Garner repeated that plea for help eleven times, Officer Pantaleo didnt loosen his grip -- and as a result, Eric Garner died. Although the coroner ruled Garners death a homicide, a Staten Island grand jury announced yesterday that it would not indict Officer Pantaleo for killing Eric Garner. Once again, just one week after a grand jury in Ferguson chose not to indict Officer Darren Wilson, we are seeing the justice system turn a blind eye to an unjustified killing of a black man by a police officer. Its time we showed New York residents that black lives matter -- and that we wont let Officer Pantaleo get away with it. The NYPD banned chokeholds in 1993. Yet Officer Pantaleo still used one against Eric Garner, whose only crime was selling cigarettes on the street. Combined with the fact that the coroner ruled this a homicide, thats enough to conclude that Officer Pantaleo should be fired from the NYPD. Democracy for New York City is launching a petition on YouPower to call on Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD Commissioner William Bratton to fire Officer Pantaleo. Add your name now! This isnt the first time Officer Pantaleo has been in trouble. New York magazine reported that he has been sued twice by members of the public for violating their civil rights. But his use of an illegal chokehold to subdue and ultimately kill Eric Garner should be the last straw. Firing Officer Pantaleo wont be the end of the story. We support the federal governments investigation into this unjustified killing. And we support lasting reforms to fix the NYPD so that nobody else loses a child, a spouse, or a parent to police brutality. We must also show that officers cannot kill people with impunity. We must show that officers will be held accountable for their actions. The NYPD needs to uphold the highest standards and rebuild trust with the community. The place to start is by firing Officer Pantaleo. Will you stand with us? Sign DFNYCs petition to Mayor de Blasio and Commissioner Bratton: Fire Officer Pantaleo! Thank you for taking a stand. - Democracy for New York City
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 12:27:02 +0000
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