Really? I am more concerned by the fact that the police have nothing better to do than harass someone over something as inconsequential as a cigarette tax.
Then putting their hands around his neck for daring to not obey the king’s men.
Actually it seems to me this should have been an arrest by ATF...Alcohol, TOBACCO, and Firearms. Although in the city of NY, I guess the calls from local stores that he was an issue may have taken it back to their jurisdiction.
The police are told what laws to stringently enforce and which ones they are to cite and which ones they are to ignore.
If your beef is with this police action, then you are barking up the WRONG tree!
If you paid your water bill, but the company sends someone out to shutdown your water, do you resist the water-meter man, or do you call the water company?
The problem is the MANAGEMENT of the Police Department, the MANAGEMENT of the City, and the MANAGEMENT of the entire liberal state of New York!
The police were doing their jobs! They did NOT do a choke-hold (which contrary to what people have been spewing, is NOT illegal for the NYPD to use, but it is “discouraged.”)! The person DID resist arrest! And he was out of shape, which I will bet caused more of his death than the neck/head grab in which the police engaged Mr. Garner.
I am sad that Mr. Garner died, but not because the police did anything, but because the MANAGEMENT of the system told them to do something! These laws which they were enforcing are simply a waste of time and resources, but the individual police officers do not always get to decide which laws will be ignored - they aren’t King Obama, you know!!
Really? He has a lengthy criminal record, and the businesses on the block supposedly called the cops on him.
Let me tell you a little story to show you how it goes.
As a younger man I was driving home in my old VW van when about 6 cop cars with 10 officers pulled ME over.
Being I don't possess a large stupid gene and my parents always said to cooperate with the police I did so.
I knew they were going to approach the car, I as I slowed rolled down my window so we could talk and I placed both hands on top of the steering wheel fingers spread apart.
The police approached (many) with GUNS DRAWN all pointed at me.
I froze hands in place, made no moves and answered the questions they had. There was a robbery in the area with a similar car to mine.
Had I had attitude, felt entitled to take offense with the officers and acted out the fool or lipped off I would at a minimum have been arrested and possibly dead even though I had originally done NOTHING wrong.
So, this fellow who had been arrested some ten times before knew that what he was doing required the police to arrest him and he needed and should have known to cooperate.
The Mayor had also told police to crack down on these cigarette sales because it evaded their tax revenue, so the same mayor that has the police in his site is responsible for the cause police focusing on illegal tobacco sales.
The whole fault of death though belongs to anyone who resists arrest and in most all these cases the problem starts with resisting arrest.
What all kids should be taught that isn't taught by children with stupid, racist or low information parents is that you always cooperate with police.
The bottom line that has been shown to be true is not cooperating with police can end in your own downfall and death; so what is the payoff in acting like a fool with the police?