Due to the power of social media, the world watched as Eric Garner was choked to death by New York police officer Daniel Pantaleo. On July 17, 2014, a group of NYPD officers questioned Garner for selling single cigarettes on the street. He told the officers that he wasn't selling anything and that he didn't want to be harassed anymore, but they attempted to arrest him, anyway. When he became uncooperative, he was placed in a chokehold by Pantaleo. Garner repeatedly told the officers "I can't breathe," but they ignored him as he weakened and fell to the ground. They killed him on the streets of Staten Island.
It would take five years for the NYPD to terminate Pantaleo's employment, and in August 2019, the former officer found himself without a job. However, he hopes that he won't be unemployed for long, because Pantaleo is reportedly attempting to get back into the NYPD. Pantaleo, along with his legal team, have continuously insisted over the years that he used the necessary and proper amount of force on Garner. It was Garner's prior health conditions that aided in his demise, not a chokehold that killed him, claims the disgraced officer. In June, it was announced that charges would not be filed against Pantaleo. Following an administrative trial, Pantaleo was terminated, however, in the lawsuit to get his job back, he calls the move "arbitrary and capricious."
CBS New York states that Al Sharpton sahas said, "If Pantaleo's case goes to trial, the National Action Network, Black clergy members, and civil rights leaders will pack the courts while wearing neck braces to show solidarity in our fight for justice for the Garner family and victims of police brutality. And if Pantaleo wins this lawsuit, he will continue to pose a threat to all Black and Brown people in New York City."
