"Every time you see me, you wanna mess with me. I'm tired of it. It stops today."That's what Eric Garner said to police officers questioning him yesterday on the streets of New York City.
It turns out he was right. The NYPD will not be bothering him again.
That's because, yesterday, he died.
An NYPD officer put him in a choke hold, and he died. WARNING: VIDEO OF A MAN'S DEATH.
An officer: "Put your hand behind your back."Over and over he says that.Garner: "I can't breathe. I can't breathe."
"I can't breathe."
The person filming the video says a couple times that the cops are bothering Garner for breaking up a fight. We can hear Garner protesting, before the choke hold, that he hadn't sold anything; the NY Daily News article says the police claimed he was selling untaxed cigarettes.
At the end of the video, the police officer who put Garner in a choke hold said it wasn't about a fight, it was about something else.
Another officer also said, "He's alright."
Garner was dying, or already dead.
© cai
12:19 AM PT: There was a previous diary on this, Will de Blasio insist on prosecution? by lucid. Thanks to VClib for the heads-up.