“arrest for peddling loose cigarettes” There is a law against That ?
Yes, you need a license and have to pay taxes on cigarette sales. It’s to protect minors and make sure the government is getting its cut.
In NYC there is a law against everything. This is a killing that did not have to happen. The victim could have been subdued by a net so that no one would have had to make physical contact.
My son and his team took down two knife-wielding mental cases without hurting them. They had absolute authority to shoot to kill because of their national security job roles, but chose to do it the least harmful way.
This was bad and despite claims that the officer didn’t use a choke-hold, it sure looked like a hold that cut off the man’s air which led to his death.
PS: I know something about dying from a lack of oxygen as I suffered a clinically fatal cardiac arrest in 2009. Fortunately my son had gotten me to the hospital where I died at the feet of the awaiting doctor, who had a crash cart. I was lucky. The man in NYC was not. I pray for his family.
That’s the real crime. That selling cigarettes is a crime. When I was a kid we used to say that it’s a free country. Not any longer. By the way, when I was a kid my aunt sent me to the store to buy her cigarettes. Perfectly legal. My grandfather sent me to buy chewing tobacco. I never, ever have used either.