New York City Councilwoman Margaret Chin is condemning the Grand Jury decision not to indict the white police officer who put Eric Garner in the chokehold that caused his death.
The decision less than two weeks after a Grand Jury in Ferguson made the same decision in the death of Michael Brown sparked nationwide protests.
“It’s shameful to allow NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo a free pass rather than force him to stand trial for his actions,” said Chin. “It’s a miscarriage of justice for the family of Eric Garner. It’s a disheartening blow to every New Yorker of color who knows that, for them, true quality has sadly not come.”
You can read her entire statement below.
My statement on the injustice of the #EricGarner decision: pic.twitter.com/sFTLOIJDWt
— Margaret S. Chin (@CM_MargaretChin) December 3, 2014
The New York City Council Black, Latino and Asian Caucus also released a statement saying it “stands united today to denounce the Grand Jury’s failure to hold New York police officer Daniel Pantaleo accountable for the death of Eric Garner.
“The failure to recognize that black and brown lives matter is evident throughout all five boroughs, as New York’s communities of color suffer the brutality of hyper-aggressive policing and are too often denied meaningful accountability of officers who to choose to use excessive and deadly force,” the group said in a statement.
The Justice Department announced today it would launch a federal probe into the Garner case.
