> The police are not at fault in this situation. <
The New York City Medical Examiner’s Office report stated “Cause of Death: Compression of neck, compression of chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police” and “Contributing Conditions: “Acute and chronic bronchial asthma; Obesity; Hypertensive cardiovascular disease”.
Garner’s poor physical condition contributed to his death. But the NYPD prohibits the use of chokeholds. And that’s exactly what a “compression of neck” is.
So at a minimum, the cops involved violated policy. They should be fired for that alone.
Should they also be subject to criminal prosecution? I’m unsure about that. But one thing’s for certain. No man, even a resisting obese man, should die for selling illegal cigarettes.
Every law on the books can result in the death of somebody determined to resist the police. It is how the law is enforced. If you think that is unreasonable, then you have to talk to the politicians that pass nuisance laws because they can’t handle the heat on raising taxes.
The police have no choice in the matter but to enforce the law. Anything less, and you get Baltimore every time.
Eric Holder’s medical condition was such that his death was inevitable, even if they didn’t use a choke hold to bring him down.
Garner’s poor physical condition contributed to his death. But the NYPD prohibits the use of chokeholds.
...
It wasn’t a chokehold.