Fire the Officer in the Eric Garner Case? De Blasio Falters

[brooklynite]

New York Times

In the five years since Eric Garner died at the hands of several police officers on Staten Island, Mayor Bill de Blasio has often spoken about how the incident was profoundly personal to him, as the father of a biracial son.

He mentioned it in 2014, after a grand jury in Staten Island declined to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo in Mr. Garner’s death, and has continued to do so on the 2020 campaign trail as a long-shot presidential candidate, trying to appeal to the far left.

But Mr. Garner’s death also highlights a potential vulnerability for the mayor: He has never called for Officer Pantaleo to be fired, declining again on Wednesday to do so, saying it was important to respect the officer’s right to due process. He also delayed for years a departmental trial that could have led to the officer’s dismissal; the trial finally began in May, and is now awaiting an administrative judge’s decision.

But with the Justice Department’s decision on Tuesday to decline to bring federal civil rights charges against Officer Pantaleo, Mr. de Blasio’s stance has come under closer scrutiny and criticism from Mr. Garner’s relatives, and even from Democratic colleagues of the mayor.

[cwydro]

1. That guy should not be a cop. Period.

What a travesty.