{"id":1194,"date":"2014-12-09T19:56:58","date_gmt":"2014-12-10T00:56:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/?p=1194"},"modified":"2014-12-09T19:56:58","modified_gmt":"2014-12-10T00:56:58","slug":"more-on-the-eric-garner-grand-jury-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/2014\/12\/more-on-the-eric-garner-grand-jury-decision.html","title":{"rendered":"More on the Eric Garner Grand Jury Decision"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this column, I recently argued in favor of a grand jury\u2019s refusal to indict Officer Dan Pantaleo for the death of Eric Garner.\u00a0 To my dismay (and, frankly, shock<\/em>), a great many \u201cconservatives\u201d and \u201clibertarians,\u201d I\u2019ve had the great misfortune to discover, disagree vehemently with the grand juror\u2019s decision.\u00a0 Some have gone so far as to describe Garner\u2019s death as murder. <\/em><\/p>\n

Bear in mind, the critics\u2019 knowledge of this case extends no further than a 15 second or so video of the fatal arrest and the fact that Garner was illegally selling cigarettes.\u00a0 That\u2019s it.\u00a0 <\/em>It is coupled by their belief<\/em>\u2014one that I share, by the way\u2014that this offense of Garner\u2019s should not <\/em>be a criminal offense at all.\u00a0 Thus, the police, so goes the reasoning, never should\u2019ve placed him under arrest in the first place<\/p>\n

The police, though, are not <\/em>authorized to be selective with respect to the laws that they enforce: Officers of the law <\/em>are obligated to enforce the laws\u2014<\/em>whether they personally <\/em>believe that the laws are just or unjust, good or bad.<\/p>\n

New information has surfaced since my last article on this subject that sharpens that much more the contrast between the critics\u2019 state of knowledge regarding this whole situation with that of the grand jury.<\/p>\n

For months, twenty-three <\/em>strangers, black, white, and Hispanic, poured over 60 items <\/em>of evidence.\u00a0 These included four videos\u2014<\/em>i.e. significantly more footage than that on which the pontificators in the media and elsewhere have been feeding; medical records; autopsy photographs; photos from the scene of the alleged crime; and information on NYPD policies, procedures, and officer training.<\/p>\n

Also among the evidence was testimony on the part of 50 witnesses.\u00a0 <\/em>No fewer than 22 <\/em>of these witnesses were civilians. <\/em>The remainder consists of police officers, EMTs, and doctors.<\/p>\n

The grand jury also received instruction in the \u201crelevant principles of law\u201d concerning an officer\u2019s right to use force.<\/p>\n

Officer Pantaleo explained that he did not <\/em>apply a \u201cchokehold\u201d to Garner.\u00a0 Rather, he applied a move that he learned in the police academy, <\/em>a move designed to \u201ctip the person [being arrested or restrained] so that they lose their balance and go to the ground.\u201d\u00a0 Though he heard Garner say that he couldn\u2019t breathe, Pantaleo testified that given the former\u2019s ability to speak, he didn\u2019t think that that was actually the case.\u00a0 Nevertheless, he immediately released him and called the EMTs.<\/em><\/p>\n

Pantaleo also added that he was fully aware<\/em> that he was being videoed\u2014but he didn\u2019t mind.\u00a0 <\/em>And he didn\u2019t mind because he \u201cknew\u201d that he wasn\u2019t \u201ccommitting\u201d any \u201cmisconduct.\u201d<\/p>\n

The grand jurors were in a position to evaluate Pantaleo\u2019s account.\u00a0 They found that it was truthful.<\/p>\n

The critics don\u2019t like the outcome.\u00a0 But they have no argument.\u00a0 And how could they?\u00a0 To claim that the activity for which Garner was initially confronted by police never should have been a crime is wholly irrelevant<\/em> to whether Officer Pantaleo acted lawfully or not in using force to bring Garner down, and even less relevant to the question of whether Pantaleo murdered <\/em>Garner.<\/p>\n

To argue\u2014<\/em>not emote, <\/em>but argue<\/em>\u2014that the grand jury made the wrong decision, the aggrieved must challenge both the evidence <\/em>that the jurors\u2019 drew upon for their conclusion, as well as the reasoning that lead them from the one to the other.<\/p>\n

As of yet, no one, as far as I\u2019m aware, has attempted either course.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this column, I recently argued in favor of a grand jury\u2019s refusal to indict Officer Dan Pantaleo for the death of Eric Garner.\u00a0 To my dismay (and, frankly, shock), a great many \u201cconservatives\u201d and \u201clibertarians,\u201d I\u2019ve had the great misfortune to discover, disagree vehemently with the grand juror\u2019s decision.\u00a0 Some have gone so far…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":399,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nMore on the Eric Garner Grand Jury Decision<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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\u201clibertarians,\u201d I\u2019ve had the great misfortune to discover, disagree vehemently with the grand juror\u2019s decision.\u00a0 Some have gone so far…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/2014\/12\/more-on-the-eric-garner-grand-jury-decision.html","og_site_name":"At the Intersection of Faith and Culture","article_published_time":"2014-12-10T00:56:58+00:00","author":"Jack Kerwick","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/2014\/12\/more-on-the-eric-garner-grand-jury-decision.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/2014\/12\/more-on-the-eric-garner-grand-jury-decision.html","name":"More on the Eric Garner Grand Jury 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