New York, December 5 (RHC)-- Thousands have again taken to the streets in the United States over a grand jury's failure to indict a New York white police officer in the chokehold death of a Black man. Demonstrations were held in several cities across the United Sates, including Washington, DC, and New York, on Thursday, a second day of protests after the Staten Island grand jury cleared police officer.
Garner, a 43-year-old African American, died after being placed in the chokehold by Pantaleo on Staten Island on July 17th. According to the medical examiner's office, the cause of the death was "compression of neck (chokehold), compression of chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police."
The demonstrators chanted slogans against police brutality and racial discrimination. They held placards with messages such as "Black Lives Matter" and "Respect Human Lives." The New York Police Department arrested dozens of people on Wednesday night demonstrating against the controversial decision. Similar demonstrations were held in Washington, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Oakland, California.
Protesters in Ferguson, Missouri also quickly took to the streets on Wednesday night, where 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot to death in August by former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. Just ten days ago, a St. Louis grand jury refused to indict Wilson and the decision sparked nationwide protests.
The chokehold death of Garner, a father of six and grandfather of two, was recorded on videos that have been widely seen and have contributed to the public outrage. In the video, Garner repeatedly told police officers "I can't breathe! I can't breathe!"
The U.S. has recently been confronted with a series of images of police brutality, where unarmed Blacks have died after encounters with police. Tamir Rice, a Black 12-year-old in Cleveland, Ohio was fatally shot after a police officer mistook his toy gun for a real one. Based on a recent study by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, 313 black people were killed in 2012 by police officers, private security guards and members of the public and in most cases, the perpetrator was not indicted.
