Man Accidentally Killed by Police Choke Hold in Staten Island

[Deus Naturae]

Do the people who are defending these guys realize that there was no evidence Garner was even selling untaxed cigs at all? The fact that they choked an obese man to death is because he resisted arrest (while also implying that his death was somehow his fault because of his bad physical condition) is bad enough, but they was zero proof that he had even done anything wrong. WTF kind of country do we live in when someone can be forced onto the ground and butchered like an animal for protesting being arrested for a crime there is no evidence of them even committing?

[Deus Naturae]

Previous arrest is not evidence though. You can't just arrest somebody for something you have zero evidence for just because they were previously arrested for doing that thing. He has every right to resist. Plus, if you watch the video, Garner's "resistance" basically amounts to him waving his arms around before the guy grabs him from behind and puts him on the ground. Obviously this technically led to his death because it has a link in the chain of events that ended with him dying...but you could say the same thing about him leaving his house in the morning or getting out of bed. The point is that he was in no way at fault for his death.

[Deus Naturae]

Well, that's an interesting proposition.  You can resist arrest as long as you think you're innocent?  That would be a strange world.  In reality, if a police officer sees you break the law, they can arrest you.  They can arrest you for putting your feet up on the subway or riding a bicycle without a bell.  As I understand it, they saw him commit the crime so it was 100% a legal arrest.  But, I agree with you that the fault here lies with the NYPD.  The boys didn't need to get all Ultimate Fighting Championship on that guy.

They never saw him do anything though...

[Deus Naturae]

I'm not saying that's WHY he was arrested, me and you don't know sh**t about whether he was breaking the law.  All I'm offering is that it's quite likely he was doing it because he's done it before.

So every person who has ever committed a crime should be arrested because they've likely committed that crime again?

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Garner's "fighting" basically amounted to him verbally arguing with the cops and waving his arms a few times. You're telling me he has no right to do either of those things when he's being arrested for a crime there's no evidence for?

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Probably because he wasn't spotted by a messed up cop with a history of sadistic bullying. Also, given that he was actually guilty in the previous incidences his arresters presumably had some actual evidence.

[Deus Naturae]

the cop has had his (no doubt by a black and angry chief*) gun and badge taken away from him.

Though not without protest from the head of the NYC police union.