We lost two Garners recently.
James was a great loss. He was there all through my childhood, a steady presence and quite a favorite of mine, from Maverick to Murphy's Romance. He was masculine without being overbearing, laid back without being purposeless. I will miss him.
But he lived a long and successful life, and one imagines, had at least his share of happiness.
Eric Garner was another story. Whether he was selling 'loosies' or not, he had a hard life. He obviously was NOT successful and he had a lot of conflict in his short life. He had a history with the police and in the end, was horribly mistreated by the group of police which ended his life.
Let me point out, I am usually on the side of the police when a controversy arises. They have a hard job, dealing with the worst of humanity and putting themselves in danger many times and we need to give them some benefit of the doubt. Most of us don't know how we would react in their difficult situations, but certainly we would expect some understanding.
When the police tell you to drop your weapon, it is YOUR fault if you get hurt if you don't.
Unless you have reason to believe you are dealing with a bad cop, it is YOUR fault if you get hurt when you run from the police.
However, this situation is quite different. This man was accused of a minor crime, was unarmed and it is really a stretch to say he was resisting arrest. Even if he was, he was not violent and the number of police around him should have been enough to subdue him without an illegal choke hold and kneeing him to the ground for an extended period of time.
At the very least all of the officers involved should be disciplined, several of them should be fired and the legal case against them would be an easy win.
I am ashamed of them AND of the union who supported them. Unions have a duty to their members, but it DOES NOT extend this far. Not even close. Whoever the spokesman and decision makers are for this union are the reason that everyday people don't like unions. They are giving us all a bad name. Other unions should take a stand against them.
The best thing I can say is thank goodness we have the current administration in NYC, because under some of the recent administrations, this would be swept under the rug.
Godspeed, James and Eric.
