# Why wasn't the police officer who killed Eric Garner indicted? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 4, 2014, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-the-police-officer-who-killed-eric-garner-indicted/706271 "2014-12-04T00:06:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 33
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-the-police-officer-who-killed-eric-garner-indicted/706271/641 "2014-12-12T20:53:46Z")
Good Lord, man, he savagely and brutally pulled his arm away! What more do you need? ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-the-police-officer-who-killed-eric-garner-indicted/706271/642 "2014-12-12T21:08:14Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > [Garner’s death was found by the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office to be a result of compression to the neck, compression to the body, and prone positioning.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Eric_Garner#Investigation_and_grand_jury) > > Have you read anything at all about this case? > > Cite? Why do you keep making things up? Wikipedia? Wikipedia says what? Is Wiki now the official outlet of the NYC Medical Examiner’s Office? You’ll have to view one of the longer, unedited, videos of Garner’s arrest. I saw it on the news several days ago. I’ll see if I can find what you can’t. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-the-police-officer-who-killed-eric-garner-indicted/706271/643 "2014-12-12T21:12:28Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Good Lord, man, he savagely and brutally pulled his arm away! What more do you need? After some 30+ arrests, you would think that Garner could remember the procedure? Garner wasn’t being arrested for savagely and brutally pulling his arm away. Resisting arrest would have been in addition to the original charge. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-the-police-officer-who-killed-eric-garner-indicted/706271/644 "2014-12-12T21:43:39Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > Wikipedia? Wikipedia says what? Is Wiki now the official outlet of the NYC Medical Examiner’s Office? I’m sorry, I assumed you had followed this story at all in any way. [Here are](http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/08/01/medical-examiner-says-chokehold-by-police-officer-caused-death-nyc-man-ruled/) some [different](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/medical-examiner-says-chokehold-police-officer-caused-death-nyc-man-ruled-homicide) sources. > [@](#): > > You’ll have to view one of the longer, unedited, videos of Garner’s arrest. I saw it on the news several days ago. I’ll see if I can find what you can’t. Couldn’t find it. What are you referring to? ---
**Author:** ![Human\_Action](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@Human\_Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Action)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-the-police-officer-who-killed-eric-garner-indicted/706271/645 "2014-12-12T22:59:23Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > (post shortened) > > - Some people disagree with your opinion and have written books on the subject. > > \*Inside the Criminal Mind > Understanding the dark side of human conduct > by Stanton E. Samenow, Ph.D. > > …Criminals have long terrorized individuals, groups, and nations. Again, through the Internet, the scope of their operations expands exponentially, and they can contact millions of potential recruits to join their terror organizations. > > However, even if the type of crime and modus operandi (“MO”) are new, the criminal’s basic thinking patterns and outlook in life do not change. In the revised 2014 edition of Inside the Criminal Mind, I take the reader on tour of the criminal mind and describe in detail the thought patterns at work. Criminals like the man who told me, “Crime is like ice cream; it’s delicious” find excitement in whatever is illicit and whatever facilitates conquests and a buildup of themselves. Shutting off fears of consequences and denying conscience, the criminal is heedless of the price that others pay for his adventures, whether the victim is an individual or a large corporation. “Take my crime away and you take my world away,” one offender declared, reflecting the timeless mentality that I have come to know so well over the decades of my research and clinical practice dealing with criminals\*. > > [Has the "Criminal Mind" Changed? | Psychology Today](http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/inside-the-criminal-mind/201411/has-the-criminal-mind-changed) > > [Stanton E. Samenow Ph.D. | Psychology Today](http://www.psychologytoday.com/experts/stanton-e-samenow-phd) Does Dr. Samenow argue that all criminals have the same “basic thinking patterns”? If so, how is this established and studied? > [@doorhinge](#): > > - What do you consider to be “knife range” or a “reasonable” distance? 21 feet? 35 feet? The opposite side of the street? How do officers control a situation from hailing distance? Sure, 21-30 feet. Far enough so that the individual doesn’t feel cornered and trapped, close enough to prevent flight. > [@doorhinge](#): > > - Are other countries police forces facing the same criminal mindset that U.S. police are facing? Why wouldn’t they? You just told me that all criminals share common thought patterns and outlook on life. > [@doorhinge](#): > > - Two days ago - > > A plainclothes police officer photographed aiming his gun at protesters in Oakland, California, on Wednesday was protecting himself and his partner from a “mob” that had encircled them, according to a California Highway Patrol official. > > [http://www.policeleak.com/undercover-police-officer-points-gun-at-california-protesters/](http://www.policeleak.com/undercover-police-officer-points-gun-at-california-protesters/) > [@](#): > > Browne’s account conflicted with a report from KTVU that alleged the tense scene began when one of the officers pushed a protester after their identities had been revealed. Police claim that their conduct was justified, other accounts differ. Shocking. In any case, the above incident didn’t spring from a mob attacking police officers making an arrest. > [@doorhinge](#): > > - Yes, Garner wanted to fight. He didn’t strike anyone or threaten anyone. What’s the basis for your claim here? > [@doorhinge](#): > > Garner chose to resist arrest. Garner made the wrong choice. He and he alone? You never answered that one. > [@doorhinge](#): > > - Garner (and Brown) committed crimes and didn’t want to be arrested for committing those crimes. The protestors, looters, rioters, and arsonists are angry that criminals are being arrested. First off, you don’t know that Garner committed a crime. Second, no, protestors aren’t angry that criminals are being arrested. That’s either a massive strawman, or you are completely out of touch with the other side in this matter. > [@doorhinge](#): > > - Which culture? The culture that suggests it’s OK to commit crimes against store owners? That culture doesn’t exist, or at least not in any meaningful way. I refer to a police culture that regards civilians as enemies, that employs force in the face of any non-compliance, that is willing to hurt and kill members of the public on flimsy pretexts. > [@CurtC](#): > > It seems pretty clear to me that a blood choke is not prohibited - it does not fall in the category of moves that prevents or hinders breathing. If the NYPD intended to ban blood and air chokes, how would that phrase in the patrol guide be any different? Any act of placing an arm around a neck consists of putting pressure on the throat, and can hinder breathing. Again, the chief of police at the time characterized the policy shift as “Basically, stay the hell away from the throat”. Allowing one kind of dangerous arm-around-the-throat move and not another doesn’t square with that. > [@CurtC](#): > > Pretty much everything I know about this case I’ve learned in this thread, but even still a conclusion is gelling in my head. > > The police handled the situation very poorly. They escalated to a much too high a level of force, way too early. The police need to be better at using an appropriate level of force, because the communities that they should be trying to help already feel like this is typical behavior by the police, and the police are seen as enemies due to this. > > Part of the police’s overreaction included the use of a blood choke hold, which technically would not be against the police regulations (not being an air choke). They also cuffed the guy while he was on his chest, and cops were piled on his back. It was the prone position with people on his back, along with leaving him lying down, that eventually killed him, not the choke hold. This I agree with. The choke hold is part of the problem, but not the whole thing. > [@CurtC](#): > > In looking for justice, people concentrated on the choke hold because it seemed to be something that was objectively prohibited, and not a gray-area problem like escalating the situation way too quickly. But I can’t see how the choke hold could have caused his death, and from reading the regulation it’s technically allowable. The quick escalation and overreaction is what killed him, but that’s harder to prosecute. > > The black community there was right to be angered by the police’s actions in this case, but the choke was a red herring. The medical examiner was of the opinion that the chokehold contributed, and I see no reason to dispute that, unless you have some evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-the-police-officer-who-killed-eric-garner-indicted/706271/646 "2014-12-12T23:38:49Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > - Are other countries police forces facing the same criminal mindset that U.S. police are facing? > [@Human\_Action](#): > > Why wouldn’t they? You just told me that all criminals share common thought patterns and outlook on life. You might understand Doorhinge’s question better if I translate the dog whistle: "Are other countries’ police forces facing as many niggers that U.S. police are facing? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-the-police-officer-who-killed-eric-garner-indicted/706271/647 "2014-12-12T23:52:28Z")
To be ruthlessly just, he has not truly given clear evidence of bigotry. While that is typical of the tighty-righty mindset, it is not universal. So, no fair. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2014, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-the-police-officer-who-killed-eric-garner-indicted/706271/648 "2014-12-13T00:06:47Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > You might understand Doorhinge’s question better if I translate the dog whistle: "Are other countries’ police forces facing as many niggers that U.S. police are facing? If you want to" translate" another poster’s remarks, do it in The BBQ Pit. Pretending that another poster was “really” saying something nasty is not honest and not appropriate in this forum. [/Moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Ionizer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5daacb/32.png) [@Ionizer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ionizer)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2014, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-the-police-officer-who-killed-eric-garner-indicted/706271/649 "2014-12-13T00:13:57Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > However, I see no good reason to punish someone for resisting an unlawful intrusion on their person. On its face it is absurd, and a violation of the rights of any free person. I have only read the first 5-6 pages so far, but Oklahoma does (in a way) allow resisting arrest without being charged with such if the arrest is shown to be ‘unlawful’. [One link here](http://www.okcca.net/online/oujis/oujisrvr.jsp?oc=OUJI-CR%206-47) A few years back, a patrol car failed to yield to an ambulance on emergency run (IIRC) and cop and ambulance driver got near-physical over it. I am pretty sure cop tried to arrest amb driver and received stiff resistance. Forget most details, but amb driver’s charge of resist arrest were refused since elements of alleged crime were not met. I’d look deeper, but had an emergency/permanent pacemaker installed three days ago and am with only one useful-arm atm. Just food for thought on resisting arrest charges, for the lawyers, of course… ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2014, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-the-police-officer-who-killed-eric-garner-indicted/706271/650 "2014-12-13T00:15:25Z")
Keep that ticker ticking! And so say all of us… ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2014, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-the-police-officer-who-killed-eric-garner-indicted/706271/651 "2014-12-14T17:01:48Z")
Clearly when anyone says “I can’t breathe.” they always meam “It is impossible for me to expand my lungs at all and take in air.” Certainly no one has EVER said “I can’t breathe” simply to mean that they are having trouble breathing. Luckily the police will be put on trial so that they can explain away why there were no cigarettes found on the body, why they violated department regulations regarding the chokehold, present certification showing they were trained on how to subdue a perp with a chokehold, why they held his face down on the pavement with BOTH hands, … Wait what? ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-the-police-officer-who-killed-eric-garner-indicted/706271/652 "2014-12-15T14:35:32Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > It wasn’t an “all-or-nothing proposition”. The police witnessed Garner violating the law. They detained him and told him that he was under arrest. > > _ **In an all-or-nothing scenario** _, the police could have shot him, but they didn’t need to. The police could have tasered Garner, but that might cause someone like Garner to suffer a heart attack. The police could have used batons until Garner admitted kidnapping the Lindbergh baby. That didn’t happen, either. > > Or police could wait until Garner decided that he would voluntarily accept being handcuffed. The down side to this would be if Garner supporters, or the anti-police types, used that time to attack the officers in an attempt to free Garner. > > Or they could have gang tackled Garner and placed him in handcuffs. Which is within police regulations. > > The police had many choices but they chose the one that was both legal and had proven effective in the past. Or just surround him, with his hands up, at just beyond arm’s length, for, like, five minutes, tell him his rights, etc. Make him aware how bad it could get given that he’s already surrounded by a dozen cops. If the police were targetting him because he’s a “career criminal” then they’d already know his criminality is pretty minor and does not involve carrying a gun. The police were all wearing armour so any attack on the officers would be pretty futile. An attack seems pretty unlikely, anyway, with one friend there filming and no-one else (if there were anyone else the film or the police reports would have noted it). Attack him if he makes a move towards his clothing where you think a weapon might be (in his trackpants and t-shirt). IF. There’s no way he could get a weapon out from hands up quicker than you could jump on him. > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I need this explained to me. Let’s assume that Garner’s weight had a major impact on him dying. I think that we can all agree that some or all of the chokehold, laying prone, sitting on his back, pushing his face into the cement, etc. precipitated his death. How does the eggshell skull doctrine NOT apply here? The eggshell doctrine should apply, certainly. Does it apply only to actual heads? I’m not American, but logic would say that it doesn’t actually only apply to heads any more than it does to eggs. Asthma is an extremely common condition and should always be taken into account when dealing with a suspect. If you can sit the suspect upright, for example, when they’re already handcuffed, why not? There’s no extra risk to you and the suspect is more likely to survive. Why leave them face down if not to prolong their pain? Hell, once he’s face up you can even ask if he’s asthmatic and he might be able to nod. Given Garner’s clothing I doubt he had an inhaler with him and maybe regulations would prevent a passer-by or a fellow cop passing on their own inhaler or you, as a cop, from checking him for one, but that information would make a difference to the emergency services. FWIW, I’m asthmatic and yes in the early stages you can say something like “I can’t breathe” or “I need help.” Sometimes an attack comes on really suddenly and you can’t say anything, but sometimes you can even stagger to another room for help before you collapse and turn blue. Due to long-term asthma, my lungs are already inflated to at least 40% of the average person’s (this was at a hospital about a year and a half ago; sometimes it goes to as much as 60%. I take a lot of asthma medication and this was not during an asthma attack, just during an x-ray for something else). That means that a chokehold would have a hell of a lot more of an effect on me than someone without asthma of my severity because I just don’t have that much breath. And I’m not all that unusual. And this bloke wasn’t dangerous. They should have let him breathe. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-the-police-officer-who-killed-eric-garner-indicted/706271/653 "2014-12-15T19:02:16Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Or just surround him, with his hands up, at just beyond arm’s length, for, like, five minutes, tell him his rights, etc. Make him aware how bad it could get given that he’s already surrounded by a dozen cops. > > If the police were targetting him because he’s a “career criminal” then they’d already know his criminality is pretty minor and does not involve carrying a gun. The police were all wearing armour so any attack on the officers would be pretty futile. An attack seems pretty unlikely, anyway, with one friend there filming and no-one else (if there were anyone else the film or the police reports would have noted it). > > Attack him if he makes a move towards his clothing where you think a weapon might be (in his trackpants and t-shirt). IF. There’s no way he could get a weapon out from hands up quicker than you could jump on him. Not a dozen but there were five officers, including a supervisor/sergeant. Basic police armor protects the torso. Heads, necks, arms, legs, eyes, arteries, and wedding tackle remain unprotected. Police didn’t arrest Garner for being a career criminal. He was being arrested for selling untaxed cigarettes. He was taken down because he resisted that arrest. Having been arrested some 30+ times, I would expect Garner was well aware of the usual police procedure. I assume Garner would also have been aware of the usual police procedures for someone who resisted arrest. Garner made a very bad choice. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-the-police-officer-who-killed-eric-garner-indicted/706271/654 "2014-12-15T19:13:14Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I’m sorry, I assumed you had followed this story at all in any way. [Here are](http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/08/01/medical-examiner-says-chokehold-by-police-officer-caused-death-nyc-man-ruled/) some [different](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/medical-examiner-says-chokehold-police-officer-caused-death-nyc-man-ruled-homicide) sources. > > Couldn’t find it. What are you referring to? Found it. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OxM9pWGsaQ) At 0:34, Garner asks X. An officer turns around and points at, or in the direction of, the person Garner is inquiring about. FYI - In spite of the ongoing conversation about illegally selling illegal cigarettes, the person taking the video repeatedly claims this is about breaking up a fight. Maybe the videographer is deaf??? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-the-police-officer-who-killed-eric-garner-indicted/706271/655 "2014-12-15T19:28:19Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > Not a dozen but there were five officers, including a supervisor/sergeant. Basic police armor protects the torso. Heads, necks, arms, legs, eyes, arteries, and wedding tackle remain unprotected. > > Police didn’t arrest Garner for being a career criminal. He was being arrested for selling untaxed cigarettes. He was taken down because he resisted that arrest. Having been arrested some 30+ times, I would expect Garner was well aware of the usual police procedure. I assume Garner would also have been aware of the usual police procedures for someone who resisted arrest. Garner made a very bad choice. I didn’t see Garner given a lot of options. It was the police who made the bad choice. The one that made the chokehold in particular. He should be in jail awaiting trial. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-the-police-officer-who-killed-eric-garner-indicted/706271/656 "2014-12-15T19:33:42Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > Found it. > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_OxM9pWGsaQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OxM9pWGsaQ) > > At 0:34, Garner asks X. An officer turns around and points at, or in the direction of, the person Garner is inquiring about. > > FYI - In spite of the ongoing conversation about illegally selling illegal cigarettes, the person taking the video repeatedly claims this is about breaking up a fight. Maybe the videographer is deaf??? How does this answer the question? You said officers witnessed him breaking the law. What is the lawbreaking at 0:34? ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-the-police-officer-who-killed-eric-garner-indicted/706271/657 "2014-12-15T19:40:26Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > Not a dozen but there were five officers, including a supervisor/sergeant. Basic police armor protects the torso. Heads, necks, arms, legs, eyes, arteries, and wedding tackle remain unprotected. They should have taken the chance. Given their numerical advantage, they should be less likely to resort to chokeholds. Hell, just have each of them grab a limb. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-the-police-officer-who-killed-eric-garner-indicted/706271/658 "2014-12-15T19:45:11Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > How does this answer the question? You said officers witnessed him breaking the law. What is the lawbreaking at 0:34? There is no lawbreaking at 0:34. There was a discussion under way. Garner asked the officer, “who did I sell a cigarette to?” The officer then turned and pointed in the direction of the person in question. The liar taking the video didn’t video the crime that the police witnessed. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-the-police-officer-who-killed-eric-garner-indicted/706271/659 "2014-12-15T19:46:42Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > They should have taken the chance. Given their numerical advantage, they should be less likely to resort to chokeholds. Hell, just have each of them grab a limb. Contact the Chief of Police and tell him how to do his job. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-the-police-officer-who-killed-eric-garner-indicted/706271/660 "2014-12-15T19:49:29Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > There is no lawbreaking at 0:34. There was a discussion under way. Garner asked the officer, “who did I sell a cigarette to?” The officer then turned and pointed in the direction of the person in question. > > The liar taking the video didn’t video the crime that the police witnessed. The conversation is not at all this clear. The cop might have been pointing at someone who may have reported something, or it may have been for something totally different. Further, you asserted as a factual statement that officers observed lawbreaking. A video showing a cop pointing at someone is not even close to proof that officers observed any lawbreaking. You’re just making things up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-the-police-officer-who-killed-eric-garner-indicted/706271.md?page=32) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-the-police-officer-who-killed-eric-garner-indicted/706271.md?page=34)