The accusation is "loose and untaxed cigarettes"
Lets put this into perspective. Eric Garner was basically an innocent street hustler selling individual cigarettes to the "street people" who can't afford individual packs, let alone cartons.
While the powers that be claim they were "untaxed", the reality is that Garner likely purchased (there is no evidence to dispute that fact) the already taxed cigarettes locally and was selling them individually on the street.......At a cost of what, maybe $.25, $.35, $.50 more than they would in a full pack?
If Garner were indeed a tax evading felon worthy of being taken down by the NYPD, he'd be selling cartons of cigarettes worth thousands of dollars illegally imported from other states out of a van in some back alley........
This lesson here is if being arrested or detailed don’t resist.