How minor crime questioning led to chokehold death of Eric Garner

Eric Garner, a New York man allegedly selling illegal “loosies” – single cigarettes – outside a Staten Island store, died Thursday after police used an unauthorized street fighting move known as a “chokehold” to subdue the 350-pound man. The stark contrast between a minor street crime – one which Mr. Garner had been arrested for many times – and the tragic consequence of leaving a widow with six kids has forced New Yorkers to revisit some of the darker chapters for the city’s elite but oft-chastised police force, and to rehash what many thought were long-settled issues. According to Police commissioner William Bratton, chokeholds used by at least two police officers to subdue Garner came after the man pleaded with a gaggle of officers to leave him alone as he was “minding his own business.” “Every time you see me, you want to mess with me,” Garner can be heard saying. Read More http://ift.tt/1qq9LHQ