New Yorkers Protest Over Police "Choke Hold"
Offline Apparently the protesters were a bit more behaved than the ones in Ferguson :
www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-28917255
Thousands march in New York over police chokehold death
housands of demonstrators have marched peacefully through the New York borough of Staten Island in protest at the death of a black man at the hands of a white police officer.
Eric Garner, 43. died in July after being placed in a chokehold as police arrested him for allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes.
The march was led by the Rev Al Sharpton and relatives of Mr Garner.
He died weeks before black teenager Michael Brown was killed in Missouri.
The 18-year-old was shot dead on 9 August after being stopped by a police officer for walking in the street in the St Louis suburb of Ferguson.
The killing sparked days of protest culminating in the deployment of the National Guard, which was withdrawn on Friday.
'We will prevail'
Some of the protesters in New York displayed banners saying "Black lives matter" while others demanded justice in the cases of both Mr Garner and Mr Brown, as a large police contingent looked on.
Some shops were closed for the day on Saturday, amid fears the protest could turn violent as happened in Ferguson earlier this week.
But civil rights activist Mr Sharpton repeatedly warned demonstrators that such action would not be tolerated. He said that Mr Garner's death was a defining moment for police nationwide.
In the event protesters filed peacefully past the spot where Mr Garner was held to the ground by police as the marchers processed towards the the Staten Island prosecutor's office.
"We will prevail," the black reverend - who was accompanied by Mr Garner's widow and several of his children - told the crowd. "They will not cry alone."
Homicide
The demonstrators demanded the prosecution of Daniel Pantaleo, the suspended police officer who arrested Mr Garner. Some chanted "Hands up, don't shoot" - the slogan often used by the Ferguson demonstrators.
A New York grand jury is considering criminal charges against Mr Pantaleo.
Mr Garner, who had asthma, was heard on a witness video shouting "I can't breathe!" as police arrested him.
A medical examiner has ruled his death a homicide.
However, the New York City medical examiner's office said other factors contributed to his death included asthma and heart disease.
Mr Garner's death provoked an outcry, especially after a video of Officer Pantaleo placing him in a chokehold became public.
Chokeholds are banned by the New York Police Department and Commissioner William Bratton has ordered an internal review of training.
“It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
― Giordano Bruno
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"suspicion of selling untaxed cigarettes" Glad our police are around to protect from such huge threats. Why just last night, I was lying awake worrying about all the thugs out there that might be selling untaxed cigarettes.
If, if a white man puts his arm around me voluntarily, that's brotherhood. But if you - if you hold a gun on him and make him embrace me and pretend to be friendly or brotherly toward me, then that's not brotherhood, that's hypocrisy.- Malcolm X
Untaxed cigarettes were always a luxury item in New Jersey growing up . LOL.
“It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
― Giordano Bruno
This is a good example of either a stupid cop or a racist cop, maybe a little of both. If I were a cop I'd just say "Hey stop selling those while I'm around" then let him go.
It would be interesting if cops were required to be Buddhist.
This is a race issue, from Rodny King, to Trevon Martin, to Eric Garner to Michael Brown.
Those who don't want it to be, but blame the societies they live in instead of addressing economic issues that lead to these conditions are the ones who are preventing a future where race is not an issue.
Long term social conditioning plays a factor in how we think about each even when we dont realize it.
You cannot simply blame cops or riotors. What this cop did was wrong even if we are going to give him the benefit of the doubt. It is far too easy to train cops to default to using their gun. No one deserves to die over theft or even misdemeanor assault.
It is not up to blacks to pull their pants up, and stop listening to rap and "act white" and "get a job". It is up to all of us to accept race IS a problem and the only way to fix it is to accept it first, and work on a ECONOMY that will improve the lives of blacks which are affected the most right now.
MLK was not simply struggling for blacks otherwise he would not have said "juged not by the color of your skin". So when you fall for coded langage like "thug" and start your arguments with "they do it too", you are making excuxes sold to you to knowingly our unwittingly fall for the false sterotypes of blacks.
You economically segragate large portions of a population, to the point they cannot make ends meet, then blame them for their conditions, it is the same mentality of a God, who sets up the conditions then blames those for what he created.
No, race should not be an issue. Trace our DNA back far enough and blacks and Japanese and Arabs and Europeans ect ect ect ect all came from the same past and all humans stem from other primates. The reason it is still an issue is because far too many people either "fear" needlessly, or stupidy say "I am not a racist" which allows them to make excuses to ignore that it is still a problem.
ECONOMICS should be our real focus, but race will not be out of the picture until it is faced as the reality it is.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
So are you saying that unarmed white people (or hispanics, asians, arabs etc) aren't killed by police, or are you saying that they don't matter?
PS Martin wasn't killed by a police officer.
WTF does economics have to do with police brutality? Do police demand proof of income before they decide to kill you?
If, if a white man puts his arm around me voluntarily, that's brotherhood. But if you - if you hold a gun on him and make him embrace me and pretend to be friendly or brotherly toward me, then that's not brotherhood, that's hypocrisy.- Malcolm X
Everything you dipshit. Once again the stupid thinking "individual" instead of collective climate that affects us all and some more than others.
When you condition a nation to make it about money, materialism, and PACE of getting the job done, you set the conditions that defaults will arrise that are in our mindset and training that do not allow us other options.
Now who do you think between poor blacks or CEO weapons industries have the monitary power to influence armor and training as far as lawmaking? Not the cops, not the black commuities they police.
Now again, one does NOT have to be a bigot to be unaware of their own subconsious conditioning.
The millitarization of cops affects black communities far worse than any other. The pay gap between blacks and whites and cost of living affects blacks far more than whites. If you do not address it both cops and blacks are going to be at a level of mistrust that we collectively as a society should not want. But blaming blacks is bullshit. That is your own fuckinhg ignorance having nothing to do with pulling "white guilt" or "the race card" on you.
It is an economic reality that is not solved with bullshit blaming the victim.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
The collective isn't being murdered by police. Individuals are, and the circumstances are not identical.
So the cop was greedy?
What ceo did this? Who sold the officer his arms?
If you have subconcious conditioning, you are a bigot. We have already established you conclude all facts based on the race of people involved. Therefore, you are racist by definition.
It affects all citizens who do not desire a police state. The race of the individuals is irrelevant. It has been proven that unarmed people of all races have been victims. The black community has been more prone to protest, probably because they have other issues under the surface. That doesn't change the reality that people of every race are threatened by an increasingly militarized and increasingly violent police force supported by statist assholes like you.
The gun companies have actively lobbied AGAINST giving surplus military equipment to police. They would much rather sell new guns and profit. They make zero when the military passes down guns.
If, if a white man puts his arm around me voluntarily, that's brotherhood. But if you - if you hold a gun on him and make him embrace me and pretend to be friendly or brotherly toward me, then that's not brotherhood, that's hypocrisy.- Malcolm X