New York, NY — Eric Garner — a Black Staten Island husband and father of four — was violently choked to death by NYPD officers Thursday and the entire brutal altercation was caught on tape. Garner can be seen in a video — that has since gone viral — screaming out in pain, “I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.”
The police officers claimed that Garner was allegedly selling loose cigarettes. But Garner claimed that the police targeted and harassed him frequently in the past. The NYPD have come under fire for its heavy reliance on racial profiling and discriminatory policing tactics such as Stop and Frisk under former police Commissioner Ray Kelly and now the “broken windows” policy under the new Commissioner Bill Bratton.
According to ColorOfChange.org Executive Director, Rashad Robinson, “this type of discriminatory policing can lead to baseless street stops, harassment, violence, and cause serious injury or even death.”
NYPD officers are prohibited from using dangerous chokeholds to subdue suspects. More than 20 years ago the NYPD made national headlines when officers used a violent and illegal choke hold on 20-year-old Anthony Baez.
“In order for all violence perpetrated against members of our community by police to end, there must be a fair and thorough investigation, and all the officers involved in the devastating police killing must be held accountable,” said Robinson.
The Wall Street Journal reports, both the NYPD and Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan’s office have launched invistigations and according the New York Daily News, 2 out of the 4 officers involved in the violent choking have been put on desk duty.
The petition calls for NYC Police Commissioner Bill Bratton to start the process of firing all the officers involved in this devastating police killing. Furthermore, it calls on Mayor Bill de Blasio and District Attorney Donovan to hold the police department completely accountable for both the individual officers action as well as department policies that encourage such behavior.
For interviews with Rashad Robinson, please contact CJ Frogozo at CJ@FitzGibbonMedia.com or 310-570-2622.