Why Were So Many Police Officers At The Scene When Mr. Garner Was Brought Down?

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

Did one or two officers call for backup because he resisted arrest?

When exactly did this start?

[B2G]

1. I had read that there were a lot of complaints

from residents in the area and they were conducting a 'sweep'. Will try to find the article.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

2. Sweeps of what exactly?

And why was immunity given to all the other officers?

Shouldn't they all have been arrested, because they would all have been involved in his death? You can sit on someone's chest and kill kill him if he can't breathe!

Oh, and thanks!

[JustAnotherGen]

3. There have been a few reports that he - Mr Garner was breaking up a fight right before the incident

By most accounts, Garner, who had been arrested numerous times for selling loose cigarettes and other minor traffic infractions, was well-known as a peacemaker on Staten Island streets. Married with six children, his large presence often helped broker disputes and break up fights – which witnesses say he was doing on the day of his death. Garner was trying to break up a fight before police arrived on the scene.

But when at least three police officers tried to arrest the 6-foot, 3-inch, 350-pound man, again for peddling single cigarettes called “loosies,” Garner told the cops surrounding him, “It ends today!” telling them to keep their hands off him and suggesting that he would not submit to another low-level arrest
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2014/1203/Eric-Garner-case-why-it-might-not-be-Ferguson-all-over-again-video

Perhaps that was why the police were called? People were getting rowdy and Mr. Garner was trying to tamp down the acrimony?

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

5. A man's death is always a tragedy

but that would take it to another level.

If backup was called because he was resisting arrest for selling loosies, then that would change the story that the officers acted too quickly, but it sure doesn't seem like that is the story, huh?

[JustAnotherGen]

10. I think the video speaks for itself

They acted too quickly.

They did the wrong thing.

And that was a choke hold.

They killed him as sure I got up and peed this morning.

There's no wiggle room on this.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

11. The wiggle room

would be whether one or more officers had to call for backup because he was resisting arrest. How long was this situation going on? Did he resist arrest for several minutes before this video started? The video we see, now, shows that the police officers took no time at all to reason with Mr. Garner. If it went down like that with no "prologue," then this video shows very bad police work, at the very least.

[JustAnotherGen]

13. There was no time for back up

Ever been in one of the boroughs? SI doesn't have cop cars every five feet on patrol.

So what if he WAS resisting arrest?

I resisted arrest at a college bar fight up in Niagara Falls in 1994 -

And guess what?

1. No choke hold.
2. They didn't shoot me.
3. No charges were ever pressed.

And I'm black. The N.F. PD didn't do ANY of that shit to ANY young black, white, mixed race, latinos, out of control after last call outside of Little Louie's bar in a fight with a bunch of townies.

That simply didn't happen.

Because it wasn't necessary. They knew how to do their jobs.

[DustyJoe]

4. Good Question

In the sea of blue were 2 police supervisor sergeants one visible in the video.
Why, if the hold was against dept. regs did a Sgt not yell, scream, stop the chokehold ?

Should have been the entire crowd of cops in the indictment process, not just the one cop.

[VanillaRhapsody]

6. because the first couple cops took a look at him and got scared....plus

"It would be great fun if this guy could resist a little and me and the guys could have a little fun with Big Boy"

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

7. Hearing on CNN right now

that the grand jury was given four different videos and how many people testified, but that they will not release the testimony.

[jwirr]

9. Shouldn't the public have the right to see the videos under the freedom of information act?

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

12. I don't know the answer to that question

Grand jury secrecy was supposed to protect citizens' reputations, and keep witnesses safe. Grand juries were supposed to protect you and me from an unjust, overzealous prosecutor. Grand juries are supposed to protect us from having to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars protecting ourselves from an overzealous prosecutor, or from having to get by with an awful public defender. It was not meant to protect police officers.

We need laws demanding special prosecutors in these cases.

[jwirr]

14. yes

[Iggo]

8. Cowards.

They are trained to be afraid.