The white New York police officer who killed unarmed African-American father Eric Garner in 2014 will not face federal charges. Officer Daniel Pantaleo kept Garner in an illegal chokehold even as Garner gasped “I can’t breathe” 11 times. This is Garner’s mother, Gwen Carr, speaking at a press conference yesterday, directly addressing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Gwen Carr: “You said you care about the New York citizens. Come forward, show yourself as a mayor, the mayor that you was elected to be, because the Garner family is not satisfied with what you have done. My son is dead. My granddaughter is dead. And then all you’re saying is 'Sorry. You have my condolence'? Well, keep your condolences and do the right thing. De Blasio, you and your administration, step up! Get those police officers off the force today!”
A senior Justice Department official said Attorney General William Barr made the call on Eric Garner’s case, overruling officials from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division who wanted to charge Pantaleo.