Crowds gathered in New York to protest against the grand jury's decision
The US justice department is to launch a civil rights investigation into the death of Eric Garner, a black man who was placed in an apparent chokehold by a white New York police officer.
The inquiry was announced by Attorney General Eric Holder after a grand jury decided against charging the officer.
That decision prompted street protests in New York. Activists have called for a march in Washington next week.
President Barack Obama said the case "speaks to larger issues".
The decision not to charge the officer came just a week after another grand jury, in the state of Missouri, decided not to charge a white police officer who shot and killed a black teenager.
The ruling into the death of Michael Brown in the St Louis suburb of Ferguson sparked riots and protests across the country.
This week, in light of the Ferguson protests, President Obama sought emergency funding to improve police training and to restore trust in policing.
'I can't breathe'
Eric Garner, 43, was stopped on a street in New York on 17 July on suspicion of selling loose, untaxed cigarettes.
The case drew attention when mobile phone video of police officer Daniel Pantaleo arresting Mr Garner surfaced.
The video shows a lengthy exchange between Mr Garner and police, during which he verbally refuses to be handcuffed.
Several officers then move to restrain Mr Garner, with Mr Pantaleo holding him by the neck.
The detainee, who is asthmatic, can be heard shouting "I can't breathe!".
Footage of the arrest sparked national outrage, Nick Bryant reports
That cry was echoed by protesters who marched through the streets in New York late on Wednesday, occasionally disrupting traffic. They chanted "I can't breathe!" and "Hands up - don't choke!"
Attorney General Eric Holder announced "an independent, thorough, fair and expeditious" investigation into potential civil rights violations in the case.
The justice department, he said, would conduct a "complete review" of material gathered in the local investigation. "All lives must be valued - all lives," he added.
Urging demonstrators to remain peaceful, he said he was continuing a review of how to heal a "breakdown in trust" between police and communities.
Nick Bryant, BBC News, New York
In isolation, the decision of the grand jury in Staten Island not to indict the white NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo would have sparked anger.
The fact that it came less than 10 days after a grand jury in Missouri decided that the white officer involved in the shooting of Michael Brown should not face criminal charges has amplified the sense of racial injustice felt by those who believe the decision is inexplicable.
In contrast to Ferguson, there is video evidence showing what happened in Staten Island. New York's medical examiner had already ruled that the death of Eric Garner was a homicide, and that the chokehold contributed to it.
Even though America has a black president and a black attorney general, Eric Holder, this will reinforce the widespread feeling in poor African-American communities that the criminal justice system is weighted against them, and that the law is not colour-blind.
The grand jury decision sparked protest in New York and other cities After the grand jury decision President Obama said: "When anybody in this country is not being treated equally under the law, that is a problem, and it's my job as president to help solve it."
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio called the outcome "one that many in our city did not want" and appealed for a "peaceful, constructive" response.
'Most cruel thing'
Garner family lawyer Jonathon Moore said he was "astonished" by it, and Eric Garner's widow, Esaw Garner, said her husband's death would "not be in vain".
Mr Garner's mother Gwen Carr and widow Esaw Garner appealed for peaceful protests in the wake of the grand jury's decision
"I'm determined to get justice for my husband, because he shouldn't have been killed in that way," she said.
Mr Garner's daughter, Erica Snipes, told the BBC she was outraged: "On that video you can see the most cruel horrible thing that someone could do to someone. It's just not right."
Erica Snipes talks about the loss of her father
Civil rights activists Al Sharpton called for a march in Washington on 13 December. "We have no confidence in local state prosecutions because state prosecutors work hand in hand with the local police," he said.
Mr Pantaleo issued a statement in which he said it had never been his "intention to harm anyone" and that he was praying for Garner and his family.
The city's medical examiner's office said Mr Garner's death had been caused by "the compression of his chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police".
Other factors also contributed to his death, including asthma and heart disease, it added.
Mr Pantaleo's lawyer argued he had used a move taught by the police department, not a chokehold which is banned under New York Police Department policy.
Since Mr Garner's death, officers at the the largest police department in the US have been ordered to undergo retraining on restraint.
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service - if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at http://ift.tt/jcXqJW.
from Top Stories - Google News http://ift.tt/1BfZt1b
via IFTTT
0 comments:
Post a Comment