The Spark

the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist

“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx

NYPD Wants a Free Hand to Kill

Feb 29, 2016

New York police choked Eric Garner to death in July of 2014. The world knows the story because his friend, Ramsey Orta, took a video of the murder with his cell phone. Anyone who has seen the video, with Garner repeatedly saying “I can’t breathe!” can see that it was murder by cop, plain and simple.

Yet Ramsey Orta is the only person who was there that day who has been charged with a crime.

In fact, Orta has faced constant harassment and surveillance by the NYPD. When he asked why the police were filming him, they said “you filmed us, so now we’re filming you.” He was held in the notorious Rikers Island jail twice, once for 60 days, once for 30 days, where he went on a hunger strike because he said they put rat poison in his food. His wife was arrested for assault–but the charges were dropped immediately. Now he has five charges pending against him.

It’s a warning to everyone else: report a cop and you are toast!

And this in “liberal” Bill de Blasio’s city!!!