The News Minute| December 6, 2014| 5.31 pm IST
The death of Eric Garner, a 43 year old , father of six children has sparked off a wave of protest in many cities in US after a court decision not to charge the police officer allegedly involved in the death of Garner.
Garner, unarmed at the time of the arrest was seen in a video, with the police officer wrapping his arms around his head in what appeared to be a chokehold, reported HuffingtonPost.
According to BBC, a grand jury refused to indict the police officer involved, Daniel Pantaleo and other New York city police officers when provided with a report and a video of the incident.
However, according to the coroner’s report, Eric Garner died of "compression of neck (chokehold), compression of chest and prone positioning during physical restraint"
The police officer allegedly involved in Garner’s death Pantaleo, 29, has been sued three times for violating the constitutionl rights of blacks arrested previously, reported Daily Mail.
However, police unions have counter argued that it was not a chokehold, but a headlock, an 'authorized take down' move in arrests, said HuffingtonPost.
One Imgur user uploaded stills of the incident that day explaining his version of what went on during the arrest.
A day after a grand jury exonerated the police officer who was responsible for the death of Eric Garner, there were fresh protests in New York demanding drastic changes in the judicial and police system.
"What is needed is a drastic change, from the first contact of the person with the police right up to the judicial system which includes judges and laws," said Lycia Ora, president elect of the National Lawyers Guild, and one of the thousands of protesters thronging Foley Square Thursday night.
Protests erupted after a grand jury declined to indict a white police officer, Daniel Pantaleo, caught on videotape applying a chokehold on Garner while trying to arrest him for allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes July 17.
The African American ultimately died of asphyxiation.
While the US Department of Justice will be launching an independent investigation to determine if there was a violation of civil rights in the case of Eric Garner, the New York Police Department (NYPD) is conducting its internal investigation of Pantaleo's actions.
However, the demonstrators are not satisfied with such pre-established routes.
"There have been many times that they have done investigations and yet, here we are, in 2014, protesting against yet another death," Ora added.
Among the thousands of New Yorkers was Senator Gustavo Rivera who spoke against the "injustice" of the incident and asked for a "real change" and said that the Senate would be taking up measures aimed at bringing about a change in police conduct.
With inputs from IANS