Posted on 12/03/2014 7:28:43 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
(VIDEO-AT-LINK)
Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele on Wednesday criticized grand jury decisions to not indict white police officers in the deaths of black men in New York and Ferguson, Mo.
"They tell us, at least, a prosecutor can indict a ham sandwich. Well clearly a black man's life is not worth a ham sandwich when you put these stories together. And that is the frustration," Steele said on MSNBC.
Earlier in the day, a Staten Island grand jury declined to indict a New York police officer in the choking death of Eric Garner over the summer. Video captured by a bystander showed police holding down Garner, with one officer putting his arm around the asthmatic man's neck. "While the death of Eric Garner was tragic, all New Yorkers should respect the decision of the Staten Island grand jury not to indict NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo," Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) said.
"During this tense time in New York, it must be noted and remembered that no organization has done more to safeguard the lives of young African Americans in New York City than the NYPD," he added.
Steele agreed with King's remarks but said the newest case continued a narrative from another grand jury's decision last week not to indict a white police officer in the August shooting death of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old black man, a decision that sparked protests across the country.
"I think this is part of the same narrative, it's the same linear story as far as I'm concerned," Steele said.
"We very much appreciate the protections and the role police play in our communities," Steele continued, but said clear boundaries have emerged over the past couple of years.
"The facts and the evidence all put into the proper context begs that this at least gets to a jury of the individual's peers so that we as a community can go through this process, begin the healing and begin to take, I guess, a more open look at our criminal justice system."
Daryl Parks, an attorney for Brown's family, said on MSNBC he was "dumbfounded" by the New York case, and suggested that the officer relying on "outdated protocol" indicated some level of "criminal activity."
"There's a violation of police policy," Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), a former prosecutor, said later on MSNBC in reference to the choke hold seen in the video.
Meeks pointed to a medical examiner's ruling that Garner's death was a homicide along with the choke hold tactic by police as reason to establish probable cause in the case.
"Hands up is symbolic for this all over America," Meeks said. "The choke hold — that killed him."
Meeks also suggest that evidence before the grand jury "should be opened up and not be secret."
Killing crackers was just a JUSTIFIED ‘game’ to them. Nothing was done. About any of them.
Yeah, being able to indict a ham sandwich is not a good thing. All those cases you cited were more persecution than prosecution.
There is a reason a prosecutor can usually get a true bill out of a grand jury, its because he believes he has a winnable case going in. Prosecutors do not try to indict when they think they have a loser case.
The Ferguson and NY cases went to a grand jury to appease the lynch mob and to give the prosecutors cover. If they had not been race bait cases, they would not have gone to the grand jury.
Have they released the Eric Garner autopsy? Was the cause of death asphyxiation(?).
BILL WHITTLE: FERGUSON AND THE REAL RACE WAR (Blacks are killing whites....)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGTUcS-yQtQ
Have people been pelting him with Oreo cookies again?
I think a woman in her 70s also in St. Louis was gunned down by black thugs, also no media attention..and ZERO media attention about this Bosnian man beaten to death by hammers by black thugs..and that goes for ALL media, including Fox News, I think Greta devoted 5 minutes to it, no one else even mentioned it, not a peep
Bump for later.
Don’t act like a thug and the police won’t shot you/restrain you.
Black activists ignoring thuggish behavior by blacks are enablers.
Yes he was. And he wasn’t the brightest bulb.
When you act like animals... You get treated like animals..
Total disaster for the GOP.......which seems to be the way they are going.
Crickets.
Exactly! Well said!
you just had to break out the Southpark, didn’t you?
{face palm}. . loud whining noise. LOL
I can’t honestly remember being more disappointed in a Black public official.
Obama, sure, but I expected it.
Steele had been on FoxNews, and I liked every statement I ever heard him make. And then...
This guy is one dim bulb.
I can’t believe Steele was the head of the RNC for a while.
Idiot.
STFU Mike.
Well, Mr. Steele....the one present at Mama Cass' death was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Is Rience any better?
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