Editorial

Jury’s Decision Not Final Word

Posted

The recent decision of a Staten Island grand jury not to indict a police officer in connection with the chokehold death of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man, during a struggle to arrest him last July has struck a nerve in the city.

There were protest demonstrations and displays throughout the city taking place every day since the Dec. 3 decision was announced, continuing this week. They were generally peaceful, though at times disruptive, and sometimes quite powerful, as with the quiet “die-ins” that saw hundreds of people simply stop and lie down during the afternoon rush at Grand Central Terminal.

LeBron James’ appearance wearing a T-shirt with “I Can’t Breathe,” Garner’s last words, during a pre-game warm-up in Brooklyn’s Barclay Center was a strong statement by a public figure; the young protesters who “occupied” an Apple store on Fifth Avenue was a silly one.

The protests—and the fact that they have not been met with counter-protests (at least not by CNY’s press time)—do make it clear, however, that many New Yorkers think someone should be held accountable for Garner’s unfortunate death. A nationwide USAToday/Pew Research poll found that most Americans feel the same way.

And coming as it did shortly after a grand jury reached a similar non-indictment conclusion in the Ferguson, Mo., Michael Brown police shooting, the decision in Staten Island fed a public perception that the justice system is stacked against communities of color in confrontations with police.

To be sure, the circumstances in Ferguson and on Staten Island were quite different, and it’s not our purpose here to go over the details of each and to point out the differences. All of that has been well covered in media elsewhere.

We do agree, though, that perception is powerful, and that if confidence in our criminal justice is shaken by these events, then that must be addressed.

This should not be read as a blanket condemnation of New York’s Finest, who as a whole have done a tremendous amount of good work on the frontlines of the battle against crime in the city. They have presided over record-setting declines in recent years, especially in the murder rate, which is poised to hit another year-end low.

It is not a simple matter, but something must be done—ranging from re-training police officers in community relations and conflict resolution techniques to examining the way that police misconduct cases are investigated.

In the immediate future, with the Staten Island grand jury session complete, we can look to federal and departmental investigations to determine whether any further action is needed. This is part of our system, and we expect these investigations to be conducted fairly.

This has been a painful experience for our city. We pray that it will move us forward in a way that will afford us safety in our communities and confidence in our system of justice.