Daniel Pantaleo, the New York City police officer who administered the choke hold that led to Eric Garner’s death earlier this summer, was not charged by the grand jury. Although the news came as a shock, it wasn’t a surprise to many on social media. Even though the whole incident was caught on camera, and choke holds are banned in New York City, many feel that although black lives may matter to many people, they don’t matter to the legal system or those in law enforcement.
On Twitter, #ICantBreathe, which were the last words spoken by Garner, is trending in response to the nonindictment. The sentiments range from anger to disbelief, but the one common denominator in it all is that yet another cop has gotten away with killing an unarmed black person, all of this on the heels of the nonindictment of Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown.
Take a look at what people have been saying on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/YEEZYSOULED/status/540263152760664064https://twitter.com/fiyawata/status/540251964316348417https://twitter.com/AkilahObviously/status/540247964611252224https://twitter.com/LoriGama/status/540265231810048000https://twitter.com/TSoulMusic/status/540261258738823169https://twitter.com/TaylourPaige/status/540254382718476289https://twitter.com/Typicalblkchick/status/540259430190039040
Being able to breathe shouldn’t be a privilege squeezed out by a choke hold.