Two years have now elapsed since New York City Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo choked Eric Garner to death for the apparently egregious crime of selling loose cigarettes — but the only one facing any punishment for what many believe to be a cold-blooded murder is the man who filmed it.
Defying all reason, Pantaleo remains on the force — having faced no penalty for killing a nonviolent man who committed a crime under only the strictest legal definition of the term. And Orta, who filmed the gang of police protecting Pantaleo’s actions, preventing anyone from stepping in to allow Garner to breathe, has just accepted a plea deal for four years on unrelated charges.
Orta claims he’s been constantly harassed by the cops and repeatedly arrested since that day — almost certainly retaliation for exposing the brutal incident to the world.
Though a local investigation did not result in any indictments — another cynical typicality in the vein of ‘we investigated ourselves and found we did nothing wrong’ — a federal probe hasn’t made any headway, either, reportedly due to infighting between the New York and Washington segments of the Justice Department.
Last July, Garner’s family received a $5.9 million settlement with New York City, courtesy of the taxpayers — marking another aspect of how police brutalize citizens with virtual impunity as they aren’t required to carry liability insurance even for the gravest of wrongdoings.
DYI Comments: Of course not all cops are bad but when cases like this go unpunished a backlash against the police is easy to predict. Add on confiscation laws. When motorists are stopped and then searched for cash or prepaid debit cards, if found, are then confiscated deemed for use in the drug war. Many times the motorists, after confiscation is sent on his or hers marry way not even arrested. That is nothing more than grand theft by the cops.
Or when a suspect is cornered the standard operating procedure of clearing the area of innocents, locking down his avenues of escape and waiting him out. The police chief instead sends in a robot with C-4 and blows the suspect up killing him. I don't care if the person is guilty as sin every one is afforded their day in court - its called due process.
What is developing is a system that benefits the rich, politically connected, CEO's running large corporation, or those wearing blue uniforms are now seen doing whatever they wish and never be prosecuted or punished for crimes that you and me would certainly go to prison for. The rule of law is breaking down to a feudal state where elites or protected government workers are above the law and the peasants lives(average citizen) are at their whim of the overlords. Once this state is achieved civil war/anarchy will prevail.
DYI
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