(In the U.S) "Eric Garner's Death Sparks National Outcry"

 

On July 17, 2014 – Eric Garner is killed by police officer Daniel Pantaleo in New York City, after the latter put him in a prohibited chokehold while arresting him

On July 17, 2014, Eric Garner, a 43-year-old Black man and father of six, died on a Staten Island sidewalk after being placed in a chokehold by NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo. Garner was approached by police for allegedly selling loose, untaxed cigarettes. A bystander recorded the entire encounter on video, showing Garner repeatedly telling the officers, "I can't breathe," as Pantaleo kept him in a chokehold, a maneuver banned by the NYPD since 1993. Despite his pleas, officers did not release him or administer aid promptly. Garner eventually lost consciousness and was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

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Garner’s death sparked national outrage and became a symbol of police brutality, especially against African American communities. The phrase "I can't breathe" became a rallying cry for protests and movements across the country, including the burgeoning Black Lives Matter movement. Demonstrators in New York and other major cities marched, demanding justice, transparency, and reform within law enforcement practices. The medical examiner ruled Garner’s death a homicide, citing "compression of neck (chokehold), compression of chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police" as the cause.

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Despite the widespread outcry and the medical ruling, a grand jury in Staten Island declined to indict Officer Pantaleo in December 2014. This decision intensified protests and added to the growing national debate on racial injustice and police accountability. The U.S. Department of Justice opened a civil rights investigation, but in 2019, federal prosecutors announced they would not bring charges against Pantaleo. That same year, however, the NYPD fired Pantaleo following an internal departmental trial. Eric Garner’s death left an enduring impact on the public consciousness and continues to be referenced in discussions around police reform and racial justice.

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