Posted on 12/04/2014 3:37:33 PM PST by robowombat
Eric Garner Would Be Alive If He Was Not Obese, Says Rep. Peter King, Thanks Grand Jury For Decision By Suman Varandani@suman09s.varandani@ibtimes.com on December 04 2014 12:44 AM Dec. 3, 2014. Reuters/Stephen Lam Peter King
Rep. Peter King (R-NY) said Wednesday that Eric Garner would not have died from the chokehold if he was not obese. Facebook/Peter King NY protests
Rep. Peter King said Wednesday that Eric Garner would not have died from a police chokehold if he had not been obese. (He was 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 340 pounds.) King’s comments come after a Staten Island grand jury decided not to indict NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo for the chokehold death of Garner, a move that has triggered protests across New York City.
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The U.S. representative for New York's second congressional district reportedly said during an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that Garner’s health was to be blamed for his death. King also dismissed video evidence that showed Garner repeatedly saying he could not breathe as officers tackled him to the ground and choked him, stating that "police had no reason to know that he was in serious condition." The chokehold has been blamed for suffocating Garner, causing his death.
"If he had not had asthma, and a heart condition and was so obese, almost definitely he would not have died from this," King reportedly said.
"The fact is if you can't breathe, you can't talk," King reportedly added. "If you've ever seen anyone resisting arrest, I've seen it, and it's been white guys, and they're always saying, 'You're breaking my arm, you're choking me, you're doing this,' police hear this all the time."
In August, the city’s medical examiner ruled Garner’s death a homicide and one that was caused by pressure to his neck and chest. Garner’s acute and chronic bronchial asthma, obesity and hypertensive cardiovascular disease were contributing factors in his death, the medical examiner ruled.
Garner was allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes on Staten Island in July when NYPD officer Pantaleo put him in a chokehold.
King also took to Twitter on Wednesday thanking the grand jury for its decision.
Wednesday’s decision sparked unrest in New York City and has drawn comparisons with last month’s grand jury decision not to indict white Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of unarmed black teen Michael Brown on Aug. 9 in Ferguson, Missouri.
Protests continued Wednesday night as several demonstrators marched the streets of New York, while some blocked roadways and torched several vehicles, including a police cruiser. Police reportedly said early Thursday that a suspect had been taken into custody for setting fire to vehicles.
Police reportedly closed New York’s Triborough Bridge, officially known as the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, in an attempt to block protesters. Late Wednesday night, reports also emerged of police arresting protesters who were staging a sit-in on the Brooklyn Bridge, blocking traffic in both directions.
“There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.” -Ayn Rand
Truth: It's the new hate speech.
Not in any sense that you probably mean.
“How would cops know this man hadn’t just committed a murder down the street?”
Seriously? Everyone is a suspect then and can be treated in this manner. Ridiculous reasoning.
46% of our population doesn’t pay taxes. Chances are you don’t pay as much tax as you consume. Most of the population doesnt.
Racism is a sin. Jesus died for ALL of us.
Shame on you.
Sure I do. I know you are a racist scumbag who shouldn’t be posting.
It's true. The wording could have been better, but the poster is right. I grew up in the central city, and saw blacks who do nothing but drink 40s, smoke, and eat a high-fat and cholesterol diet, in addition to living a sedentary lifestyle. Blacks are at very high risk for diabetes, or "the sugar" as they call it.
Stupid and racist is no way to go through life chump.
Since when is it ok for someone to be called obese? What world do you live in?
Why couldn’t Obamacare save him!!!
“How would cops know this man hadn’t just committed a murder down the street?”
Shoot ‘em all; Let bo sort ‘em out.
“police had no reason to know that he was in serious condition.”
I hope the public will eventually get to see the evidence that the jurors saw. The police didn’t know that he had health conditions, okay, I ccould see that. Hope the prosecutor can convince the judge to allow the evidence to be shared.
well I guess I’d better start paying more attention to my doctor’s DIET AND LOSE WEIGHT directives, then...
This guy was selling cigarettes. He was attempting to make money, to work.
The root cause of this issue was an oppressive government.
yet all of these “freedom lovers” are blaming the victim.
Here is a link to one of many articles:
http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2014/11/nopd_will_investigate_orleans.html
The deceased was named Willie Lee and this article has a large picture of this upstanding citizen.
How do they know you haven’t? Should they put everyone in a choke hold until it is determined that they are innocent of all crimes?
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