>>> IN THIS CASE, THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCE OF MR. GARNER’S
DEATH MUST HAVE A CONSEQUENCE OF
ITS OWN.
ITS OWN. THEREFORE, I AGREE WITH THE
DEPUTY OF COMMISSIONER’S TRIAL
FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS, IT
IS CLEAR THAT DANIEL PANTALEO
CAN NO LONGER EFFECTIVELY SERVE
AS A NEW YORK CITY POLICE
OFFICER.
OFFICER. THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY NO VICTORS
HERE TODAY.
HERE TODAY. NOT THE GARNER FAMILY, NOT THE
COMMUNITY AT LARGE, AND
CERTAINLY NOT THE COURAGEOUS MEN
AND WOMEN OF THE POLICE
DEPARTMENT WHO PUT THEIR OWN
LIVES ON THE LINE EVERY SINGLE
DAY IN SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE OF
THIS GREAT CITY.
>> THAT WAS COMMISSIONER
O’NEILL, IN POLICE CUSTODY IN
2014 HAS BEEN FIRED FROM THE
NYPD.
NYPD. WHO SPARKED A NATIONWIDE OUTCRY
OVER POLICE BRUTALITY.
ERIC GARNER’S LAST WORDS "I
CAN’T BREATHE" NOW A RALLYING
CRY FOR THE BLACK LIVES MATTER
MOVEMENT.
MOVEMENT. AND JUST THIS AFTERNOON GARNER’S
DAUGHTER RESPONDED.
DAUGHTER RESPONDED. >> COMMISSIONER O’NEILL, I THANK
YOU FOR DOING THE RIGHT THING.
I TRULY AND SINCERELY THANK YOU
FOR FIRING THE OFFICER.
REGARDLESS OF HOWEVER YOU CAME
TO YOUR DECISION, YOU FINALLY
MADE A DECISION THAT SHOULD’VE
BEEN MADE FIVE YEARS AGO.
WE WILL BE GOING FOR THE
CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS.
CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS. WE WILL BE TRYING TO REOPEN THE
CASE.
CASE. WE WILL BE GOING AFTER THE REST
OF THE OFFICERS INVOLVED BECAUSE
IT’S NOT OVER.
JUSTICE FOR NEW YORK CITY MEANS
PANTALEO IS FIRED AND THERE’S NO
MURDERING COP ON THE POLICE
FORCE.
FORCE. >> JOINING THE TABLE REVEREND AL
SHARPTON, PRESIDENT OF THE
NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK AND HOST
OF "POLITICSNATION" HERE ON
MSNBC.
MSNBC. WE ARE WAITING TO HEAR FROM
GARNER’S MOTHER, REV.
THIS IS OBVIOUSLY BEEN FIVE
YEARS AND WE’VE BEEN WAITING AND
THE QUESTION I THINK FOR A LOT
OF PEOPLE, THERE ARE A MILLION
QUESTIONS, BUT THE BIGGEST ONE
IS THIS IS THE END OF THE STORY
OR IS THIS NOT THE END OF THE
STORY?
STORY? >> NO.
>> NO. IT’S NOT THE END OF THE STORY.
HIS DAUGHTER AND SON SAID THAT
THE PRESS CONFERENCE THIS
MORNING.
MORNING. THERE IS A COMMITMENT MADE TO
THE MOTHER BY CONGRESSMAN JERRY
NADLER THAT HE’S GOING TO DO
JUDICIAL HEARINGS ON WHY AND
WHAT HAPPENED IN TERMS OF THE
FEDERAL INVESTIGATION.
FEDERAL INVESTIGATION. AND THERE IS THE REQUEST SINCE
WE HAVE A NEW DA IN STATEN
ISLAND TO REOPEN THE STATE CASE.
YOU MUST REMEMBER THAT POLICE
SAID THAT ERIC GARNER HAD 10,000
CIGARETTES.
CIGARETTES. THAT ENDED UP NOT BEING TRUE.
THERE WERE STATEMENTS MADE THAT
WERE PATENTLY UNTRUE.
IF THOSE STATEMENTS WERE MADE TO
A GRAND JURY, THAT’S PERJURY.
BUT EVEN AS IMPORTANT AS ALL OF
THAT IS THIS WAS A POLICE POLICY
NO CHOKEHOLDS, CANNOT USE
CHOKEHOLDS AND THE COMMISSIONER
CITED THAT TODAY.
WE WANT TO SEE THAT MADE FEDERAL
AND/OR STATE LAW, NOT GOING FROM
ONE COMMISSIONER’S TENURE TO
ANOTHER’S.
ANOTHER’S. IT OUGHT TO BE AGAINST THE LAW.
AND I THINK THAT WHEN THE
COMMISSIONER SAID THAT IF HE WAS
A COP HE’D BE MAD AT HIM FOR
MAKING THE DECISION.
IF HE WAS A COP, HE OUGHT TO BE
GLAD THAT THE POLICE SAY WE’RE
GOING TO ENFORCE THE GUIDELINES
THAT YOU WERE TRAINED ON.
DON’T FORGET PANTALEO WAS
TRAINED AGAINST CHOKEHOLDS.
HE DECIDED WHETHER IT WAS DURING
THE ACTION OR BEFORE IT REALLY
DOESN’T MATTER THAT HE WAS GOING
TO DO WHAT HE KNEW WAS AGAINST
POLICE POLICY.
POLICE POLICY. SO ARE WE SAYING NOW THAT POLICE
ARE ABOVE THE LAW?
DON’T WORRY ABOUT POLICY, DON’T
WORRY ABOUT TRAINING.
IF YOU GET ANGRY, YOU CAN CHOKE
SOMEBODY TO DEATH.
I THINK THAT THAT IS WHAT THIS
DECISION TODAY SAID, NO, YOU
CAN’T DO THAT, AND POLICE CANNOT
ENFORCE LAWS IF THEY ARE NOT
GOING TO FOLLOW LAWS.
>> SAME QUESTION TO YOU.
AS WE COME TO THIS, IF IT’S NOT
THE END, WHERE DO THINGS GO AND
WHAT DO YOU THINK AT THIS POINT
AT THIS MOMENT WHETHER IT’S --
AND IT’S GOING TO BRING A
CERTAIN KIND OF CLOSURE IF NOT A
TOTAL ONE.
TOTAL ONE. WHAT ARE THE BIG LESSONS THAT WE
SHOULD TAKE AWAY FROM THE COURSE
OF HOW THIS HAS ALL BEEN, NOT
JUST THE CONTROVERSY ITSELF BUT
HOW THE CONTROVERSY’S BEEN
HANDLED, THE FACT THAT IT’S
TAKEN FIVE YEARS AND MANY PEOPLE
SEE THIS AS TOO LITTLE TOO LATE.
JUST TRY TO TAKE THIS UP TO
30,000 FEET AND TELL US HOW TO
THINK ABOUT THIS.
>> WELL, 30,000 FEET I
ABSOLUTELY AGREE WITH THE
REVEREND THAT, NUMBER ONE, THE
COMMISSIONER DID THE RIGHT THING
IN ACCEPTING THE RECOMMENDATION
FROM HIS ADMINISTRATIVE LAW
JUDGE.
JUDGE. HE DID NOT HAVE TO, AND WE HAVE
TO REMEMBER HE COULD HAVE
REJECTED THAT RECOMMENDATION.
THE DECISION WAS HIS.
BY THE SAME TOKEN THE DECISION
WOULD HAVE BEEN HIS TO ACT
WITHOUT THAT DECISION AS LONG AS
THERE HAD BEEN AN INTERNAL
INVESTIGATION AND DUE PROCESS
FOR OFFICER PANTALEO.
THE SO THE QUESTION HERE BECOMES
AT THE 30,000 FOOT LEVEL HOW AND
WHEN IS THERE JUSTICE IN LAW IF
SOMEONE LOSES THEIR LIFE AT THE
HANDS OF AN OFFICER WHO WAS
VIOLATING CLEAR POLICY AND
TRAINING BECAUSE AS WE KEEP
HEARING IN THE DISCUSSION, IT IS
VERY DIFFICULT TO BRING A
CRIMINAL PROSECUTION EVEN IN A
CASE WHERE YOU HAVE A MAN WHO,
NUMBER ONE, UNDER THE DISCRETION
OF THE OFFICER DID NOT HAVE TO
BE ARRESTED.
BE ARRESTED. YOU KNOW, ALL THIS TALK ABOUT
HOW SOMEHOW ERIC GARNER CAUSED
HIS OWN DEATH, LOTS OF QUESTIONS
IN THE TRIAL ABOUT HOW DID THE
OFFICERS HAVE PROBABLE CAUSE FOR
HIM SELLING LOOSE CIGARETTES AT
OVER 300 FEET FROM WHERE ERIC
GARNER WAS STANDING?
SO EVEN THE PREMISE OF THE
ARREST SHOULD BE UNDER QUESTION.
AND THAT’S SOMETHING WE ARE NOT
TALKING ABOUT.
TALKING ABOUT. IT’S UNSAFE TO BE A POLICE
OFFICER IN TOO MANY INSTANCES.
AND IN TOO MANY INSTANCES IT’S
UNSAFE TO BE BLACK.
>> REVEREND, THE MAYOR OF NEW
YORK CITY AND ALSO A
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE IF AN
UNDERDOG CANDIDATE, BILL de
BLASIO DIDN’T REALLY TAKE A
STAND WHETHER OR NOT THIS POLICE
OFFICER SHOULD’VE LOST HIS JOB
OR NOT.
OR NOT. >> I THINK THAT BY CITY CHARTER
HE COULD NOT INTERVIEW.
>> BUT YOU CAN VOICE YOUR
OPINION.
OPINION. >> MY OPINION IS THAT HAD HE
INTERFERED, THEY WOULD THEN BE
ABLE TO SAY THIS WAS ALL
POLITICS WHAT, THEY’RE SAYING
ANYWAY.
ANYWAY. WOULD I HAVE LIKED TO SEE THIS
DEALT WITH FIVE YEARS AGO?
YES, I WOULD HAVE.
BUT WOULD I HAVE LIKED TO SEEN
THIS JEOPARDIZE?
THIS JEOPARDIZE? IF THE MAYOR COME IN, WHICH I
WISH SOMEONE HAD MOVED
IMMEDIATELY, THEY WOULD HAVE
SAID IT WAS POLITICAL, APPEALED
IT AND WE WOULD HAVE LOST THE
TERMINATION FIGHT.
TERMINATION FIGHT. SO IN THE IMMEDIACY OF IT I WISH
HE HAD MOVED.
IN THE LEGAL RESTRAINTS, I THINK
THAT IT PROTECTED THIS DECISION
THAT WAS MADE TODAY.
BUT THIS DECISION SHOULD’VE BEEN
MADE BY A JURY IN A COURTROOM.
WHEN WE STARTED THIS WHOLE
MOVEMENT WITH ERIC GARNER AND
THEN ON TO MICHAEL BROWN AND
FERGUSON, WAS FOR THE LAW TO
WORK, NOT ADMINISTRATION JOBS.
>> REVEREND, I’M GOING TO CUT
YOU OFF REAL QUICK BECAUSE WE’RE
GOING TO HEAR ERIC GARNER’S
MOTHER.
MOTHER. >> PANTALEO, YOU, YOUR REGIME,
YOU CAN APPEAL ALL YOU WANT.
BUT I AM STILL OUT HERE.
I AM OUT HERE FOR THE LONG RUN.
YOU CALL OUT HERE AGAINST ME.
I’M OUT HERE.
AND CANNOT SCARE ME AWAY.
PANTALEO, YOU MAY HAVE LOST YOUR
JOB, BUT I LOST A SON.
>> THAT’S RIGHT!
>> JULY 17th, 2014, I LOST MY
SON.
SON. CANNOT REPLACE THAT.
YOU CAN GET ANOTHER JOB MAYBE AT
BURGER KING.
BURGER KING. OKAY?
OKAY? >> SO THAT’S ERIC GARNER’S
MOTHER OBVIOUSLY UPSET AND
TALKING ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF
APPEAL.
APPEAL. WE’VE SEEN THE POLICE OFFICER’S
UNION COME OUT AND IS UNHAPPY
TODAY WITH THIS RULING.
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT WHERE THIS
GOES FROM HERE.
IS THE FACT THAT THERE IS NOT
JUST LARGER POLICY ISSUES HERE,
BUT THIS ISSUE SEEMS JUST WITH
THE WAY THE OFFICER’S UNION IS
STANDING AND RESISTING,
DENOUNCING THIS OUTCOME.
SEE, IT DOES NOT SEEM LIKE
THERE’S GOING TO BE A KIND OF
CONSENSUS AROUND THIS IN TERMS
OF THIS RESOLUTION.
>> WELL, NO.
AND, LOOK, WE WERE NEVER GOING
TO GET CONSENSUS, UNFORTUNATELY
WITH AT LEAST THE SENIOR
LEADERSHIP OF THE POLICE
BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION.
BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION. THE RANK IN FILE REMEMBER AND
SOME OF THEM TURNED THEIR BACK
ON MAYOR de BLASIO BECAUSE HE
SAID IT COULD’VE BEEN HIS SON.
AND THAT’S THE CONVERSATION WE
HAVE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE
HONESTLY.
HONESTLY. ONE THING I WILL SAY, HAVING
WORKED IN CITY HALL AND HAVING
GOTTEN TO KNOW MANY RANK AND
FILE POLICE OFFICERS IS MANY OF
THEM WANT TO HAVE THAT
CONVERSATION.
CONVERSATION. WE SHOULDN’T CONFUSE THE PBA