I have no idea what constitutes a lawful or an unlawful one in the state of NY.
Posted on 12/03/2014 8:58:20 PM PST by TigerClaws
Charles Krauthammer said Wednesday on "Special Report with Bret Baier" that a grand jury's decision not to indict a New York City police officer in the death of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man who died in July after the officer placed him in a chokehold, is "totally incomprehensible."
"It looks like they at least might have indicted him on something like involuntary manslaughter at the very least," Krauthammer, a syndicated columnist and Fox News contributor, said. "The guy was unarmed, and the crime was petty as they come. He was selling loose cigarettes, which in and of itself is almost absurd that somebody has to die over that."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
However, the video here shows actions out of line with the NYPD's own rules and went overboard.
I'm also puzzled why FR members who constantly worry about the police state, militarization of cops, etc etc go out of their way to defend EVERY ACTION by any police officer.
Unfortunately race has become the central issue here. This was excessive force and should be criminally prosecuted regardless of whether the victim was black, white, brown or purple.
I agree with Krauthammer. Incomprehensible.
The actions did not go against NYPD policy.
The specific choke hold banned included the use of a hard wooden baton. There was no wooden baton here.
I myself stated that this choke hold was used here against NYPD policy. I was wrong.
Well, agree only to the extent that arresting him for selling cigs without paying the taxes was so enforceable that they had to take him down (stupid laws here). He was a huge fellow and resisted arrest so there was little they could do. This was an accident waiting to happen but I blame NY taxes for this silly arrest anyway. Nothing intentional happened but these things will continue to happen especially if the fellow is rather large and resisting arrest.
I can understand why some would side with Krauthammer but count me out on this one. He is wrong here...
1. The cop was not using lethal force. Who knew trying to apprehend a fatso would result in his death?
2. The perp was resisting arrest. Even the edited video showed him not obeying the office. What was the officer to do? Give the perp his business card and ask the perp to self-report back at the station at his own convenience?
3. The Jacksons and the Sharptons have now allies in the Krauthammers and the Savages.
Personally, I am only defending the actions, or lack thereof, of the grand jury.
23 people looked at the evidence.
12 are need to indict.
8 were black.
Lesser charges were apparently available.
No true bill.
Another tobacco related death!
The police didn’t tackle him in response to his selling cigarettes. They tackled him in response to his resisting arrest. That’s two very different things.
It is such a shame people are jumping to conclusions, (judging) like Krauthammer and many others in the media; in not knowing what the evidence was that the jurors heard. The officer didn’t do this out of rage nor intent to take the man’s life; it was surely an accident, not a racial motive. I don’t need an uppity media, like Charles or some angry person to tell me what to think when I have not even read the facts to this case. Yes, it was a terrible tragedy but they were trying to get him to the ground for an arrest / not intending to cause his death, big difference. They did not pick the guy from random. Calls came in with complaints that the store owners wanted him away from their buildings. Yes, I think the law in NYC about selling illegals cigarettes is insane.
The cop didn’t “go overboard.” This was a huge guy who freaked out at getting a citation (I thought it was his second, but it was his eighth) because the (black) neighbors had complained about all the illegal activity at that particular location and the police were doing a sweep.
You can’t do a medical eval on somebody before you arrest him, and a person without his health problems (heart problems, asthma) would have been with us now, for better or for worse. All they did was restrain him and then as soon as someone realized there was a problem, the ambulance was there in 4 minutes.
If a dozen cops can’t handle a simple daytime arrest of an obese person without doing something wrong and killing him, then something is wrong.
There seems to have been a policeman there that contributed to this death during a petty arrest.
My niece got a ticket in Gainesville for getting on her bike while the light was changing from red to green. The ticket cost here $125 and she had to go to traffic school since it was deemed a traffic violation. She did not talk back, throw a hissy fit, etc. She is alive today to complain about the Gainesville police.
The Jacksons and the Sharptons have now allies in the Krauthammers and the Savages.
Bull crap.
Yep, this looks like the result of bad law mixing with thug behavior, both products of liberalism. The police are sort of caught in the middle.
It's a little strange to hear petty demagoguery like that from Krauthammer. Not unprecedented but strange. One could also say "He was selling loose cigarettes, which in and of itself is almost absurd to resist arrest over."
Even if they did everything legally, it was still poorly done.
The police knew they were going to pick up this guy. They should have anticipated what was going to happen.
Smaller Leos have to be more forceful in getting large people to comply. If they had sent three hulking cops to arrest this 350 pound man I believe he would not have resisted. The guys, say 6'8", about 300 pounds each, and in very good condition would not have had to choke him, wrestle him to the ground and climb on top of him. IMHO
Sadly..., it isn’t.
I didn’t like the look of that arrest at all. It sort of reminded me of the Lilliputians, ganging up and strapping down Gulliver on that imaginary island. There was something cruel about the approach they took, and over such small stakes. I agree with C.K.
Actually, for the crime of "selling cigarettes" that is exactly what I would do, "Sir, please sign this citation. If you decide to plead guilty, you can just send in a check for $ XYZ."
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