(Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
The NYPD commissioner has fired the cop who used a prohibited chokehold on Eric Garner, who died 5 years ago in an encounter with police over selling cigarettes on a street corner.
The commissioner followed the recommendation of a civil service judge. Previously, a grand jury had refused to indict the officer, and the U.S. Department of Justice had declined to prosecute him.
Garner’s death sparked widespread demonstrations and his last words — “I can’t breathe” — became a rallying cry in protests against police violence against black men in the United States.
This is not necessarily the end of the story. The fired cop may or may not challenge the firing through the Union. Or there maybe a deal where if he goes quietly he gets retirement.
Of course there is somewhere in these United States that will hire him as a cop. Look forward to I can’t breath near a town near you should this cop move there. Seattle is a lovely place for a new career!
I doubt he’ll get hired by Seattle PD, but you’re probably right about some podunk town taking him to save on training costs. Police departments take other police departments’ castoffs all the time. See, e.g., North Bend, Washington.