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
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
Jul 22, 2019
The U.S. Justice Department announced it will not bring charges against New York City cop Daniel Pantaleo, for the death of Eric Garner. Garner, a 43-year-old black man, was killed when five white cops took him to the ground while arresting him for “selling loose cigarettes.” In the process, Pantaleo put Garner in a chokehold, refusing to let up despite Garner’s repeated pleas that he could not breathe.
In his announcement on the decision, Richard Donoghue, the U.S. States Attorney for the Eastern District, said that it could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Pantaleo’s chokehold was imposed willfully, caused bodily injury to the victim, and represented unreasonable force.
What utter nonsense! The whole episode was caught on videotape and has been posted on the internet for all the world to see. It clearly shows, to anyone not completely in the tow of the NYC police department, this was a case of outright murder.
Even after Garner went into seizure and eventually lost consciousness, for over seven minutes none of the cops attempted resuscitation, and when the EMTs arrived, they did nothing for another four minutes.
The week of the Justice Department’s announcement was the five-year anniversary of Garner’s death. Five years of delays to obscure justice–to wait for public outrage to subside.
Trump’s DOJ made the final decision, but former President Obama’s Justice Department also failed to act. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio thus far has refused to fire Pantaleo, despite going through the motions of recently meeting with members of Garner’s family. Pantaleo, and the other cops, all still remain on the NYC police force.
The actions of the politicians and judicial officials provide a clear example of what workers, and the black population in particular, can expect from the American “Injustice” system.
After meeting with de Blasio, Gwen Carr, Garner’s mother, said, “Actions speak louder than words and so far I still haven’t seen action. I want to see action and will not stop fighting for my son until Pantaleo and all the other officers who did wrong are fired.”