With that we’re going to wrap up this live blog. Thanks for joining us throughout the afternoon and evening.
Protesters are now being moved off the Brooklyn Bridge, according to reporters on the ground there:
Coming off Brooklyn Bridge more charged atmosphere w NYPD. Still they are very passive
— Steven Thrasher (@thrasherxy) December 4, 2014
Police pushing #EricGarner protesters off the Brooklyn Bridge pic.twitter.com/UwZ5hwfLyy
— David Mack (@davidmackau) December 4, 2014
Reports are coming in now that the police have moved in on protesters on Brooklyn Bridge and made arrests:
Another photo of Brooklyn Bridge arrests. pic.twitter.com/ruFI45yJm9
— John Asbury (@johnasbury) December 4, 2014
NYPD shielding photos of arrests and telling protestors to keep watching walking across the bridge pic.twitter.com/BI92O8m1fj
— John Asbury (@johnasbury) December 4, 2014
Updated
Guardian journalist Steven Thrasher is on the Brooklyn Bridge march, which has now turned into a sit-in. Here’s a video he’s just posted:
Brooklyn Bridge shutdown
Protesters appear to have shut off the Brooklyn Bridge:
All traffic on Brooklyn bridge shut down as hundreds of #EricGarner protesters head east pic.twitter.com/aDhAsEE0dt
— David Mack (@davidmackau) December 4, 2014
They took the brooklyn bridge pic.twitter.com/RSenCzLuXw
— Josh Davis (@joshabla) December 4, 2014
Updated
Protesters are now reportedly crossing the Brooklyn Bridge:
Large group of protesters walking over the Brooklyn Bridge now #EricGarner
— Shimon Prokupecz (@ShimonPro) December 4, 2014
Updated
In an interesting little quirk Guardian journalist Steven Thrasher was in that group of protesters who just walked past the office:
March is heading down Broadway now. There does seem to be NYPD car at front.
— Steven Thrasher (@thrasherxy) December 4, 2014
My colleague Kayla Epstein rushed down to get some video from the ground:
Over 100 protesters just marched past Broadway and Spring, heading downtown. Chanting "How do you spell mur... https://t.co/7hbue9Sw0H
— Kayla Epstein (@KaylaEpstein) December 4, 2014
#ericgarner Protest down Broadway followed by several #NYPD vehicles at a crawl (I don't think they were th... https://t.co/MngJIXdmbd
— Kayla Epstein (@KaylaEpstein) December 4, 2014
The midtown protests just came past the Guardian office at Broadway in Manhattan.
Here’s a quick Vine I made looking down out the window:
I'm live blogging the protests that just went past my office window. #ericgarner https://t.co/ckl7ULUlPu
— Oliver Laughland (@oliverlaughland) December 4, 2014
Updated
Guardian journalist Steven Thrasher has just sent me this audio report from a march in midtown Manhattan on 6th Avenue.
It contains a really fascinating observation about drivers - largely people of color - honking their support for the protesters, whilst their passengers - largely white - appear more apprehensive as the protests go by.
Another film director is out on the protests (although it appears Michael Moore might have got there a bit late).
Now. 113th St. pic.twitter.com/9gWKsshb6b
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) December 4, 2014
And here’s another striking image from protests at Grand Central station a little earlier:
#EricGarner protestors flood Grand Central station #c4news pic.twitter.com/I9iAY1fjBh
— Hannah Miller (@hanrmiller) December 4, 2014
The Lincoln Tunnel appears to have reopened following a brief shutdown:
NEW: Lincoln Tunnel reopened after #Garner protestors stopped traffic earlier (photo via Ross Baldisserotto) #nbc4ny pic.twitter.com/lw1bQ88U4I
— Steven Bognar (@Bogs4NY) December 4, 2014
Director Spike Lee was at one protest in Times Square today. There’s no time stamp on this, and it appears to be from earlier in the night:
#SpikeLee & son Jackson joined #EricGarner demonstrators at TimesSquare @CNN pic.twitter.com/i92zFBMGH7
— Deborah Feyerick (@DebFeyerickCNN) December 4, 2014
The Guardian’s Jessica Glenza is at the protests on the West Side Highway, which she says are now winding down. She’s just filed this report on interactions between police and protesters:
The police corralled protesters in front of Mount Sinai’s ambulance entrance. One officer said that police couldn’t continue to “chase 100 people around the city,” and so were allowing protesters to leave from a barricaded area 10 at a time.
Until protesters reached the hospital at 113th St and Amsterdam Ave, they’d avoided the police, who steadily attempted to cut off the march. Many protesters had marched from Times Square. Though protesters remained peaceful throughout, attempting to evade the police made the crowd’s mood more tense and agitated.
And despite attempting to disperse protesters by releasing them in groups, many reconvened across the street, forming a group of about 100, before some began to leave for the evening. Others continued to 125th Street.
As with other marches around the city, protesters walking from Times Square took the streets at will, without permits. Many vowed to return the following night.
Police appear to be enclosing protesters on the West Side Highway now:
So the protesters are stuck at 113 @ Amsterdam. Cops on front and back arresting everyone they can. We are trapped. #EricGarner
— Nicolás Medina Mora (@MedinaMora) December 4, 2014
Protesters penned in by police at Amsterdam and 113th. People on sidewalk chanting "let them through!" #EricGarner pic.twitter.com/CdzAltRmER
— Casey Tolan (@caseytolan) December 4, 2014
Lt Bacero (sp?) says they're releasing 10 protesters at a time!
— Jessica Glenza (@JessicaGlenza) December 4, 2014
Police are now blocking the Lincoln Tunnel in midtown New York:
NYPD blocking off Lincoln Tunnel #EricGarner pic.twitter.com/a7ON4siO8g
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) December 4, 2014
Protestors not leaving Lincoln Tunnel. "If you're a good cop! Step into the crowd!" The chant continues. pic.twitter.com/Yj8Y1zSuny
— Frank Pallotta (@frankpallotta) December 4, 2014
Updated
More images from ongoing arrests at the West Side Highway protest are coming in:
NYPD grabbing people to arrest pic.twitter.com/v5bcHnHeuE
— Jessica Glenza (@JessicaGlenza) December 4, 2014
Silent protester #ShutItDown pic.twitter.com/aIn4n649cL
— Jessica Glenza (@JessicaGlenza) December 4, 2014
My colleague Ana Terra Athayde has just posted this video to You Tube of Garner’s step father Benjamin Carr speaking to reporters in Staten Island earlier in the evening:
Arrests at West Side Highway
Guardian reporter Jessica Glenza reports that police have begun arresting protesters at the West Side Highway protest:
Police just started grabbing people to lock them up! One guy had a camera
— Jessica Glenza (@JessicaGlenza) December 4, 2014
Cop just started pushing me said get on the sidewalk! #ShutItDown
— Jessica Glenza (@JessicaGlenza) December 4, 2014
New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton has reportedly told CNN around 30 people have been arrested in protests tonight:
.@CommissBratton says there have been about 30 arrests tonight. No reports of violence or vandalism. https://t.co/ewAxS5WXYq
— Emma G. Fitzsimmons (@emmagf) December 4, 2014
Updated
Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who represents California’s 13th district, including Oakland where small protests are being staged, has just tweeted this picture with her hands up in solidarity:
Death of #EricGarner was a tragedy & decision not to indict is an outrage. #BlackLivesMatter #TheSystemIsBroken pic.twitter.com/yMElSr8aql
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) December 3, 2014
Jessica Glenza is at the West Side Highway protests and has been interviewing onlookers. Despite being stuck in traffic, many appear to be sympathetic to the protesters’ cause:
Here’s Jessica’s quick report:
“Something has to be done because I think there are some double standards,” said driver Frank Eric, while stuck in blocked traffic.
Asked if he was upset about the traffic, he said, “No, I’m not stuck here, because if I wasn’t working I’d be doing this.”
Brooklyn resident Jordan Benston stopped her car to talk to reporters. “It was on tape, it was on tape. It’s cruel and unusual punishment!”
But a white, upper west side resident named John who refused to give his surname, asked, “How is any of this going to help the tragedy?”
Some of the second group of New York protesters have made it down to Grand Central station:
Grand Central #EricGarner @PIX11News pic.twitter.com/uevILPRW6H
— Pamela Ng (@ng_pamela) December 4, 2014
It appears we’re now talking about two groups of protesters in New York (I previously had it down at three but one seems to have fizzled out).
There are now two groups of #EricGarner protests. One from West Side and one in Midtown. pic.twitter.com/2uAtErSxzc
— John Asbury (@johnasbury) December 4, 2014
Guardian reporter Jessica Glenza, who is on the ground at the West Side Highway protest reports the group has splintered:
Some groups splintering off w side highway - heading east through upper west side
— Jessica Glenza (@JessicaGlenza) December 4, 2014
Reports on social media are suggesting small protests have begun in Seattle and Oakland: https://twitter.com/VivianHo/status/540319488219291649
About 200 in Seattle now for the #EricGarner protest pic.twitter.com/kzogTS8umO
— Henry Rosoff (@HenryKIRO7) December 4, 2014
"I can't breathe! I can't breathe!" #EricGarner #Ferguson protesters in Oakland https://t.co/eW5CFEgekg
— Vivian Ho (@VivianHo) December 4, 2014
Here’s the full video that short press conference from attorney general Holder, announcing the federal inquiry into Garner’s death:
Guardian reporter Jessica Glenza is out at the protest on the West Side Highway. She has just filed this report from the ground:
Traffic is at a standstill on the West Side Highway as protesters chant at NYPD officers, largely holding their ground despite threats of arrest.
“How do you spell racist? NYPD!” they’ve chanted, alongside the known chant from Ferguson protests, “Hands up, don’t shoot!”.
Most of the roughly 100 police are in street gear, though some are wearing clear riot masks and carrying plastic handcuffs. I’ve witnessed one arrest, but protests have remained peaceful.
The protesters are one group of a few hundred marched who from Times Square to block the highway. Now, dozens of police scooters and foot patrol officers are blocking the highway, trying to force protesters uptown.
Meanwhile the Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Center has been lit. It was reported that protesters had planned to target the ceremony but the protests didn’t quite get that close:
The tree is lit pic.twitter.com/LwWCKlJLbF
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) December 4, 2014
Front pages of tomorrow’s New York press are beginning to appear online, with some pretty striking headlines related to the Garner decision:
Brutal. Our front page tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/31JazbMJOW & our editorial http://t.co/oLjS2s5uxn
— Harry Siegel (@harrysiegel) December 4, 2014
The New York Times has also published an editorial stridently critical of the Grand Jury decision and of the New York police department. An extract is below. You can find the full article here.
Though Mr. Garner’s death was officially ruled a homicide, it is not possible to pierce the secrecy of the grand jury, and thus to know why the jurors did not believe that criminal charges were appropriate.
What is clear is this was vicious policing and an innocent man is dead. Another conclusion is also obvious. Officer Pantaleo was stripped of his gun and badge; he needs to be stripped of his job. He used forbidden tactics to brutalize a citizen who was not acting belligerently, posed no risk of flight, brandished no weapon and was heavily outnumbered.
My colleague Ana Terra Athayde is on Staten Island, at the site of Garner’s death.
A small group of protesters have gathered. Ana has sent the following images and video over the past hour:
" No matter what I do, I get harassed by the police" #statenisland #ericgarner https://t.co/A332RqAvz1
— Ana Terra Athayde (@anaterrathayde) December 4, 2014
#EricGarner pic.twitter.com/FRzECs8cCl
— Ana Terra Athayde (@anaterrathayde) December 4, 2014
Only a few people here now #StatenIsland #EricGarner pic.twitter.com/fDqq8sc45w
— Ana Terra Athayde (@anaterrathayde) December 4, 2014
Earlier in the day a number of high profile voices in the US posted their thoughts on the Garner decision to social media. My colleague Kayla Epstein has collated a few of them:
"I. CAN'T. BREATHE." God Damn.
— John Legend (@johnlegend) December 3, 2014
This one was on film. http://t.co/Zm7DKL09ok
— Chris Rock (@chrisrock) December 3, 2014
My colleague Steven Thrasher spoke with Imani Math, from the Bronx, who was in the Rockefeller Center area to see the Christmas tree there be lit.
I asked a police officer, why is it being blocked off over here, because we’re going to the tree lighting… So he said, ‘Oh, you’re not going to be able to make it down there because of the protesters.’ And he said, ‘It’s a shame, you know.’ I said, ‘what’s a shame is that messed-up verdict that was given today, that’s what’s a shame.’ …
Of course, the conversation stopped, and that was it. But I’m a law-abiding citizen, I pay taxes, and I think that it’s no longer an issue for just black people, I think it’s an issue for humanity, and anyone who believes in a humane society should get on board and really have a discussion with true policy changes that can help put this all to an end.
Steven also reports that the protests around 47th and 6th are now dying down.
Here’s an aerial shot of the protests on the West Side Highway, where reporters are saying police have blocked the marcher’s path:
NYPD officers have blocked off protesters trying to walk down Manhattan's West Side Highway #EricGarner pic.twitter.com/lhrtD020wp
— Dan Linden (@DanLinden) December 4, 2014
It also appears another rally is heading towards Harlem:
NYPD officers have blocked off protesters trying to walk down Manhattan's West Side Highway #EricGarner pic.twitter.com/lhrtD020wp
— Dan Linden (@DanLinden) December 4, 2014
My colleague Jessica Glenza is also at another protest in New York, at the West Side Highway, where it seems protestors are attempting to block the road.
I make that three confirmed blocks of protests at the moment in New York.
Hundreds of ppl at west side highway #ericgarner #shutitdown https://t.co/atlR4Qg4M0
— Jessica Glenza (@JessicaGlenza) December 4, 2014
What the west side highway looks like right now #EricGarner #ShutItDown pic.twitter.com/jfk67jvgPa
— Jessica Glenza (@JessicaGlenza) December 4, 2014
Cops said they're going to start "locking ppl up" west side highway pic.twitter.com/rSu1drN1Yn
— Jessica Glenza (@JessicaGlenza) December 4, 2014
Updated
My colleague Mae Ryan is at another protest on Times Square. Police were making arrests a few minutes ago:
Just saw two arrests in the middle of street in Times Square #EricGarner pic.twitter.com/IwZ6Oe52dR
— Mae Ryan (@MaeRyan) December 4, 2014
My colleague Steven Thrasher is down with protestors in Manhattan near the Rockefeller Center.
He sends this report from the scene:
The scene at 47th and 6th has calmed down a little after a frenetic build up. A clearly drunk white man started yelling “Why the fuck are you protesting?” The crowd, made of white and black protestors, responded. Many were trying to keep him from being a troll. A white woman with him grabbed my camera phone and stared me down. I had to wrestle it from her gently without making things worse.
A group of men and women tried to separate the drunk men from the crowd, but he was frozen in his drunk stupor. He was surrounding by cameras and I lost sight of him. Like Joe the Plumber, he was a single disgruntled white guy who needed to be paid attention to.
Black guy screaming at a black cop "a black cop was shot in Brooklyn by a white cop...you should be ashamed of yourselves!"
— Steven Thrasher (@thrasherxy) December 4, 2014
Here’s a recent update on who we believe is the same drunk man:
The drunk bro who just nearly caused a melee by dismissing the protests. Came around to the cause bc he hates cops. pic.twitter.com/3935gslAZk
— Philip Bump (@pbump) December 4, 2014
Garner's wife: "As long as I have breathe in my body I will fight"
Esaw Garner, Eric Garner’s widow, is now addressing the conference.
I’m determined to get justice for my husband... he should be here celebrating Christmas and Thanksgiving... my husband’s death will not be in vain. As long as I have breathe in my body I will fight the fight.”
Gwen Carr, Garner’s mother, then makes an address:
I am truly disappointed with the grand jury’s decision this evening. I don’t know what video they were looking at... how can we put our trust in the justice system when they fail us like this.
...
We’re so happy that the federal government is now taking over and investigating.
We want you to rally for us, but rally in peace.
Updated
Rev Al Sharpton is now addressing the press from the National Action Network headquarters in Harlem.
He reiterates that he has “no confidence in state prosecutors”He says: “they do not have the independence.”
Sharpton announces that a national march against police impunity will commence in Washington DC on 13 December.
“It’s time for a national march to deal with a national crisis,” Sharpton says. The march will be led by the Brown, Garner and Gurley families.
“We are not going away. It will not get too cold... this will be a winter we will freeze out police brutality.”
We’re now awaiting another press address from the Garner family along with Rev. Al Sharpton. Protests are continuing throughout New York, with protestors in midtown Manhattan lying down in the roadway:
#EricGarner lies down in #ColumbusCircle roadway pic.twitter.com/Qq3GTdJ5KQ
— Aidan Gardiner (@AidanGardiner) December 4, 2014
More from Holder:
As the brother of a retired police officer I know very personally about the bravery of the men and women in uniform who put their lives at risk every day to protect public safety.
....
I know that substantial number of people in New York and across the country will be disappointed and will be frustrated by the outcome of the state Grand Jury proceedings today.
I know many plan to voice their disappointment publicly through protest. This is a right of all Americans, as I have said before throughout history the most successful movements adhere to the principles of non-violence.
I urge all those who are to demonstrate tonight and in the days ahead ... not to engage in activities that deflect our attention to the very serious matters our nation must confront.
Holder says the Justice Department investigation will include a “complete review” of the material presented to the Grand Jury.
“All lives must be valued,” Holder says, “All lives.”
He says Garner’s death, along with several others across the country “have tested the sense of trust between law enforcement and the communities they are charged to serve.”
“This is not a New York issue or a Ferguson issue alone.” he adds.
Updated
Holder announces Justice Department investigation
Holder says his office monitoring the Garner case closely. He announces immediately that the Justice Department “will proceed with a federal civil rights investigation” into Garner’s death. He says that investigation will be “independent, thorough and fair”.
Reporters are saying attorney general Eric Holder will address the press in two minutes:
Two-minute warning for Holder: http://t.co/y6DlM0odSu #EricGarner
— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner) December 4, 2014
My colleague Paul Lewis in Washington has just sent this report on comments made by Marcia Fudge, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus:
Fudge has called for calm but warned of the message of combined decisions not to indict Darren Wilson and Daniel Pantaleo.
“In the span of two weeks, this nation seems to have heard one message loud and clear: there will be no accountability for taking black lives,” Fudge, an Ohio representative, said in a statement to reporters. “As an American, it is growing increasingly difficult to believe that there is justice for all.”
She added: “I am deeply disappointed by the Staten Island Grand Jury’s decision not to indict Officer Pantaleo in the death of Eric Garner. Even in the face of video footage, it appears justice will not be served for Mr. Garner or his family.
Fudge asked for “for calm yet resolute voices to be heard in our communities”.
“It is imperative that people of good will, those who believe in a just and fair criminal justice system, hear our voices. Black lives do matter and our lives do hold value. This is yet another sad day for our county and our democracy.”
We’re waiting for an imminent press conference from the attorney general Eric Holder in Washington, meanwhile the crowds down at the Rockefeller center are chanting “I can’t breathe”:
Protestors: "I can't breathe" At Rockefeller Center March west #EricGarner https://t.co/1lMMmDZ5Xc
— Aliza Nadi NBC (@alizanadi) December 4, 2014
We’re seeing some tweets coming in from the reporters on the ground saying that the NYPD have started making arrests a few blocks from the Rockefeller Center:
Man in red jacket plucked out of crowd and arrested, unclear as to why pic.twitter.com/X8wM3wyWQn
— Christopher Robbins (@ChristRobbins) December 4, 2014
Arrests sixth avenue. pic.twitter.com/FH9obZIMyo
— Robert MacMillan (@bobbymacReports) December 3, 2014
NYPD violently plunging into the crowd to arrest protesters pic.twitter.com/owprgZuyBH
— Christopher Robbins (@ChristRobbins) December 4, 2014
Protesters ripping down some barricades, flooding. 6th Ave & W 47th pic.twitter.com/o8ShdYinrW
— Christopher Robbins (@ChristRobbins) December 3, 2014
Updated
There appear to be some protesters gathering in Washington DC. The Huffington Post’s Ryan Reilly gives us this view from nearby the White House.
And New York City’s public advocate Letitia James has called on the Staten Island courts to release grand jury documents.
The family of #EricGarner has the right to understand why there was no indictment. We demand that these grand jury records are unsealed.
— Letitia James (@TishJames) December 3, 2014
In an earlier statement, Richmond County (Staten Island) district attorney Daniel Donovan said New York prosecutors don’t have discretion to release such documents, unless there is a “compelling and particularized need for access.”
Donovan said he applied for a court order to “publicly release specific information in connection with this grand jury investigation”.
There are reports that attorney general Eric Holder will announce a Department of Justice civil rights investigation into Eric Garner’s death as soon as tonight.
Sari Horwitz of the Washington Post reports that Loretta Lynch, nominated to fill Holder’s, will lead the investigation.
#DOJ civil rights invest into death of #EricGarner will be led by AG nominee US Attorney #LorettaLynch, whose office oversees Staten Island.
— Sari Horwitz (@SariHorwitz) December 3, 2014
The first wave of protesters are arriving at Rockefeller Center, making good on their promise to go to the city’s Christmas tree lighting.
First wave of protesters have arrived at Rockefeller Center #EricGarner pic.twitter.com/cFGsbJOQO5
— Dan Linden (@DanLinden) December 3, 2014
Here’s a picture of protesters passing Radio City Music Hall.
Overhead shot from @Time of Sixth Avenue, traffic moved to only one lane. #EricGarner #ICantBreathe pic.twitter.com/ayX0pcCQTN
— Andrew Katz (@katz) December 3, 2014
Sharpton’s show PoliticsNation also gave us the first comments we’ve heard from Garner’s widow and mother.
Esaw Garner, Eric’s widow, called the officer’s actions and the grand jury’s decision not to indict a “modern day lynching,” a phrase she’s used before. His mother, Gwen Carr, said she was still in disbelief.
I was so disappointed with the no bill. It just tore me up to see, I couldn’t see how a grand jury could vote no – saw that there was no probable cause. What were they looking at? Were they looking at the same video that the rest of the room was looking at?”
Reverend Al Sharpton is now speaking with members of Eric Garner’s family and their attorney, on his show PoliticsNation.
There’s a whole range of charges they could have considered here, the fact that they came up with nothing is really, in our judgement, outrageous,” said the family attorney Jonathan Moore about the grand jury’s decision not to charge officer Pantaleo.
Updated
New York governor Andrew Cuomo has released a statement saying Garner’s death was “nothing short of tragic” and calling for protests to remain peaceful:
The circumstances surrounding his death were nothing short of tragic. And while there will be people who disagree with today’s grand jury decision, it is important that we respect the legal process and rule of law. At the same time, the justice system also allows for additional investigations and reviews, and it may be appropriate for the federal government to do so in this case. And if there are improvements to be made and lessons to be learned, we at the state level are ready to act to better the system.
De Blasio: 'It is a moment that change must happen'
De Blasio says peaceful protest and nonviolent activism “is the only thing that’s ever worked” to bring about change. He discourages vandalism. He closes with a Martin Luther King Jr quote. “Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere.”
De Blasio says “It’s all our problem. And anyone who believes in the values of this country should feel a call to action right now.”
“It is a moment that change must happen.”
The focus of the president and attorney general on the case “is powerful,” de Blasio continues.
“Change is happening right now,” he says, “because the people willed it to happen. .. .The people willed this change to happen.”
He said stop-and-frisk arrests were shelved because of the popular will. And “the people believed there were too many young people of color arrested... simply for a small amount of marijuana and that policy has changed.”
De Blasio turns to praising his police commissioner, Bill Bratton.
De Blasio quotes Bratton as describing who should not be a New York cop: “The department will act aggressively to ensure that any officer who is not meant to be in this work no longer is.”
The unspoken question: does that include officer Pantaleo?
De Blasio: 'our history forces us to say, "black lives matter"'
De Blasio continues: “Our history forces us to say black lives matter,” he says. “It should be self-evident.”
He says that investigations are ongoing. “There are more chapters ahead,” including a police department investigation and a federal probe, he says. “The federal government is clearly engaged and poised to act,” De Blasio says.
He says he has spoken with attorney general Eric Holder and the nominee to replace him, Loretta Lynch.
They made clear that the investigation would “be done expeditiously,” move with “a clear sense of independence” and would be “full and thorough,” the mayor says.
De Blasio says he and his wife, Chirlane McCray, have instructed their son, who is mixed race, on how to be careful around police in New York.
We “have had to Dante for years about the dangers he may face. .. Because of a history that still hangs over us, we’ve had to train him as families have... in how to take special care in any interaction with the police officers who are there to protect him.”
“There’s a history we have to overcome.”
De Blasio: 'It's a very painful day'
De Blasio:
“It’s a very emotional day for our city. It’s a very painful day for so many people of this city... We’re grieving again over the loss of Eric Garner... a man who should be with us and isn’t. That pain, that simple fact, is felt again so sharply today.”
De Blasio says he met with Ben Garner, the victim’s father, who is “in unspeakable pain.”
The mayor says he couldn’t help but think of how it would feel to lose his own son, Dante.
De Blasio said that Ben Garner said “there cannot be violence.”
“Eric would not have wanted violence,” the mayor quotes the father as saying.
De Blasio: “Tonight there was a particular sense of challenge and of pain.”
He has just met with clergy leaders and city council members and officials in Staten Island.
Mayor Bill de Blasio is speaking in an appearance on Staten Island. “There’s a lot of pain and frustration in the room, at the same time a lot of purposefulness,” he begins.
The Guardian’s Mae Ryan is at a protest in Times Square:
Dozens gathered in Times Square for peaceful protest #EricGarner pic.twitter.com/txXD0Wcu1V
— Mae Ryan (@MaeRyan) December 3, 2014
Amnesty International urges the justice department “to collect and publish national data annually” on people killed by law enforcement officers,” in a statement issued this afternoon and attributed to Amnesty US executive director Steven W. Hawkins:
The death of Eric Garner, along with those of Michael Brown, Akai Gurley, Tamir Rice and others around the country demonstrate the need for a national review on the use of force by law enforcement officers. Amnesty International is urging the Department of Justice to conduct such a review and to collect and publish national data annually on the number of people killed each year by law enforcement.”
(via @amnestymandy)
Updated
It’s time for peaceful – but disruptive – protests in New York City and beyond, writes Steven W Thrasher in Comment Is Free:
Some will say protesters need to be peaceful, to be respectful. They will say this after Daniel Pantaleo, the police officer who choked Eric Garner to death with a forbidden chokehold, walks free – news that is not any more surprising than the news that Darren Wilson was not indicted for the shooting death of Mike Brown.
And, yes, the protesters should be peaceful – but we need to be disruptive. Because the same structural racism exists in New York City that does in Ferguson, as it does everywhere in the United States. As President Obama said on Wednesday night: “This is an American problem.” And no holiday lights should be lit while the light of justice is snuffed out for so many.
Read the full piece here.
Representative Michael Grimm, the congressman from Staten Island who won reelection last month but faces a trial on federal corruption charges in February, has released a statement “applauding” the “integrity” of the county prosecutor:
There’s no question that this grand jury had an immensely difficult task before them, but I have full faith that their judgment was fair and reasoned and I applaud DA Donovan for overseeing this case with the utmost integrity. As we all pray for the Garner family, I hope that we can now move forward and begin to heal together as a community.”
Rep. Charles Rangel, the long-serving congressman from Harlem, held a news conference to decry the grand jury decision not to indict officer Daniel Pantaleo. Rangel said that before Garner died, he was surrounded by police officers, and “no one else touched him, and the grand jury did not say he committed suicide.”
Yes. We've seen progress & change. But deep wounds don't heal overnight. #EricGarner #mikebrown #ferguson pic.twitter.com/Rs1YOIz7XJ
— Charles Rangel (@cbrangel) December 3, 2014
Pantaleo: 'I feel very bad'
The Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association has released a statement by officer Daniel Pantaleo, who was filmed placing Eric Garner in the chokehold that caused his death, which was ruled a homicide.
Pantaleo says:
I became a police officer to help people and to protect those who can’t protect themselves. It is never my intention to harm anyone and I feel very bad about the death of Mr. Garner. My family and I include him and his family in our prayers and I hope that they will accept my personal condolences for their loss.”
Updated
A protest at Grand Central station in midtown Manhattan:
Protesters hold "die in" at Grand Central. #EricGarner pic.twitter.com/8IDqcOQQkS
— Ivan Pereira (@IvanPer4) December 3, 2014
(h/t @kaylaepstein)
Obama on Garner case: 'We are not going to let up'
President Barack Obama addressed the decision of a grand jury not to indict officer Pantaleo, in remarks at the White House tribal nations conference.
“This is an issue that we’ve been dealing with for too long...” Obama said. “I’m not interested in talk, I’m interested in action. I’m absolutely committed as president of the United States” to ensure equality before the law.
Obama said he had just spoken with attorney general Eric Holder, who “will have more specific comments about the case in New York.”
Obama continued:
“We are not going to let up until we see a strengthening of the trust and a strengthening of the accountability” in the relationship between communities and law enforcement. He says law enforcement can only work “if everybody has confidence in the system.”
He calls discrimination “an American problem, and not just a black problem and not just a native American problem.”
“When anybody in this country is not being treated equally under the law, that’s a problem, and it’s my job as president to try to solve it.”
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District attorney Daniel M. Donovan of Richmond County, which comprises Staten Island, has drawn an explicit link between today’s grand jury decision and the decision nine days ago of a St Louis County grand jury not to indict officer Darren Wilson.
Donovan’s office released a statement explaining the decision to convene a special grand jury in the killing of Eric Garner:
Clearly, this matter was of special concern in that an unarmed citizen of our County had died in police custody. For that reason, a dedicated grand jury was empanelled exclusively to hear this case, committed to serving in that capacity for the months the investigation would entail. All 23 members of this community who comprised the Grand Jury in this matter dutifully fulfilled that commitment by attending each and every one of the sessions that began on September 29, 2014, and concluded on December 3, 2014.
Donovan warns that evidence in the Staten Island case may not come to light as it did in the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri:
Recent events in other jurisdictions may have created unrealistic expectations regarding what can be disclosed regarding the proceedings of a New York grand jury. For example, the state of Missouri has enacted “Sunshine Laws” that permit disclosure of grand jury testimony and evidence.
The New York civil liberties union has called for an end to a police department “culture of impunity” after Eric Garner’s death in police custody.
“The failure of the Staten Island Grand Jury to file an indictment in the killing of Eric Garner leaves New Yorkers with an inescapable question: How will the NYPD hold the officers involved accountable for his death?” NYCLU executive director Donna Lieberman said in the statement:
And what will Commissioner Bratton do to ensure that this is the last tragedy of its kind? Unless the Police Department aggressively deals with its culture of impunity and trains officers that they must simultaneously protect both safety and individual rights, officers will continue to believe that they can act without consequence.”
De Blasio urges protesters to avoid violence
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has issued a statement on the grand jury decision, in advance of an appearance scheduled for 4.45pm ET.
De Blasio says many people didn’t want “today’s outcome”. He urges “non-violent protest”. He also reminds people that two investigations into the incident remain open – a federal investigation and an NYPD investigation.
“This is a deeply emotional day – for the Garner Family, and all New Yorkers,” de Blasio’s statement begins:
“His death was a terrible tragedy that no family should have to endure. This is a subject that is never far from my family’s minds – or our hearts. And Eric Garner’s death put a spotlight on police-community relations and civil rights – some of most critical issues our nation faces today.
“Today’s outcome is one that many in our city did not want. Yet New York City owns a proud and powerful tradition of expressing ourselves through non-violent protest. We trust that those unhappy with today’s grand jury decision will make their views known in the same peaceful, constructive way. We all agree that demonstrations and free speech are valuable contributions to debate, and that violence and disorder are not only wrong – but hurt the critically important goals we are trying to achieve together. [...]
“These are the long term reforms we are making to ensure we don’t endure tragedies like this one again in the future. But we also know that this chapter is not yet complete. The grand jury is but one part of the process. There will still be an NYPD internal investigation. And we know the US Attorney is continuing her investigation. Should the federal government choose to act, we stand ready to cooperate.”
Read the statement in its entirety here.
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Small crowd at spot where #EricGarner died. One protestor -- "This justice system died right along with #EricGarner pic.twitter.com/p86l7FKq4b
— John Annese (@JohnAnnese) December 3, 2014
Good afternoon and welcome to our liveblog coverage of reaction to the announcement that a Staten Island grand jury has decided not to indict a police officer in the chokehold death in July of Eric Garner.
Garner, a father of six, died after being placed in a chokehold – banned under police policy – by officer Daniel Pantaleo. Police suspected Garner of selling loose cigarettes.
The grand jury’s decision was announced nine days after a St Louis County grand jury declined to indict Darren Wilson, a white police officer, in the shooting death of unarmed black teen Michael Brown. The Staten Island killing also involved a white police officer and a black victim.
In anticipation of protests Wednesday night in New York, police deployed extra officers and vehicles and set up barricades. New York mayor Bill de Blasio was expected to speak shortly, as was the Reverend Al Sharpton, family members of Eric Garner and others.
Here is video of the takedown that killed Garner:
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