On Wednesday, a grand jury in Staten Island decided not to return an indictment for the police officer who put such a strong chokehold on Eric Garner, an unarmed black man,?that it killed him. The entire incident was caught on film by a man named Ramsey Orta. As it turns out, a?different Staten Island grand jury was less sympathetic to?Orta.
From the Huffington Post:
In August, less than a month after filming the fatal July 17 encounter in which Daniel Pantaleo and other police officers confronted Garner for allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes, a grand jury indicted Orta on weapons charges stemming from an arrest by undercover officers earlier that month.
Police alleged that Orta had slipped a .25 caliber handgun into a teenage accomplice’s waistband outside a New York hotel. Orta testified that the charges were falsely mounted by police in retaliation for his role in documenting Garner’s death, but the grand jury rejected his contention, charging him with single felony counts of third-degree criminal weapon possession and criminal firearm possession.
Unfortunately for the side of justice, Eric Garner’s killer won’t be held accountable. Eric Garner’s death was ruled a homicide by chokehold by the medical examiner. Incidentally, the chokehold was banned by the NYPD in 1993.
Ramsey Orta was also arraigned on gun charges, and he insists that he was arrested as revenge for filming the killing of Eric Garner. From Gothamist:
“When they searched me, they didn’t find nothing on me. And the same cop that searched me, he told me clearly himself, that karma’s a bitch, what goes around comes around,” Orta said, adding later, “I had nothing to do with this. I would be stupid to walk around with a gun after me being in the spotlight.”
[…]
Orta’s family also said the police have been following him around since his incriminating video was shown. His wife said, “He called me and said, ‘babe, hurry up and come over here. They’re trying to pin something on me.’ The day after they declare it a homicide, you find someone next to him with a gun, and you saw him pass it off? Out in public when he knows he’s in the public spotlight? It makes no sense.”
Protesters are flooding the streets in NYC. Watch this space.
You can watch the video of Garner’s killing below.
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Tiffany Willis is a fifth-generation Texan and the founder and editor-in-chief of Liberal America. An unapologetic member of the Christian Left, she has spent most of her career actively working with ?the least of these? and disadvantaged and oppressed populations. She’s passionate about their struggles. To stay on top of topics she discusses,?like her?Facebook page,?follow her on Twitter, or?connect with her via LinkedIn. She also has?a?grossly neglected personal blog?and a?literary quotes blog that is a labor of love. Find her somewhere and join the discussion.
