Dozens arrested as NYC protests Eric Garner decision

Demonstrators block the West Side Highway during a protest against the grand jury decision on the death of Eric Garner, in New York December 3, 2014.(Reuters / Adrees Latif)

At least 30 people were arrested by the New York Police Department on Wednesday evening, as thousands of protesters flooded city streets after a grand jury declined to indict an officer for killing a Staten Island man via chokehold.

Following the decision, demonstrations began popping up throughout the city. Protesters disrupted traffic by blocking numerous streets – including the West Side Highway – marching into Times Square, and taking over the area near Rockefeller Center, where the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony was taking place. Streets and sidewalks were blocked, with police telling people they could only pass if they had passes to the ceremony.

Protestors gather in New York Grand Central Station on December 3, 2014.(AFP Photo / Timothy A Clary)

Demonstrators also poured into Grand Central Station by the hundreds, where they staged a “die-in” and spread their bodies across the floor. Numerous protesters told RT they wanted to “shut down” the city as a result of the decision, and traffic jams were subsequently reported at Lincoln Tunnel and Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, as well as other areas.

Approximately 30 people were arrested, according to NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton, though more have been reported since he spoke around 10 p.m. So far, police have not reported any violent incidents or injuries.

While the protests were not previously planned, momentum for them began building soon after the grand jury’s decision was reported. The case involved 43-year-old African American Eric Garner of Staten Island, who was placed in a chokehold by Officer Daniel Pantaleo for allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes. Garner was taken to the ground with the help of several others. Despite repeatedly complaining that he couldn’t breathe, Garner ended up going into cardiac arrest and dying.

People take part in a protest against the grand jury decision on the death of Eric Garner in midtown Manhattan in New York December 3, 2014.(Reuters / Eric Thayer)

People take part in a protest against the grand jury decision on the death of Eric Garner in midtown Manhattan in New York December 3, 2014.(Reuters / Eric Thayer)

The July incident was caught on video by a civilian bystander and ruled a homicide by the city medical examiner, but the grand jury did not indict Pantaleo on any charges.

The decision was met with fierce criticism immediately after it was revealed, drawing condemnation from all over the political spectrum. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said it was “a very emotional day for our city,” adding that Garner was “a man who should be with us, and now isn’t.”

Soon afterwards, Attorney General Eric Holder announced the Justice Department is opening a federal civil rights investigation into the incident, one that would include a “complete review” of the evidence collected during the local investigation.

However, this news didn’t quell outrage among residents, many of whom also protested last week’s decision by a St. Louis County grand jury not to indict a white officer for killing a black teenager. People marched through the streets chanting slogans such as “I can’t breathe,” referring to Garner’s last words. They also yelled, “No Justice, no peace.”

Following the decision, Pantaleo issued an apology for what occurred back in July.

"It is never my intention to hurt anyone and I feel very bad about the death of Mr. Garner," Pantaleo said."My family and I include him and his family in our prayers and I hope they will accept my personal condolences for their loss."

Protesters against the Staten Island grand jury's decision not to indict Daniel Pantaleo, the NYPD officer involved in Eric Garner's chokehold death, walk together December 3, 2014 in New York.(AFP Photo / Yana Paskova)

Speaking alongside Rev. Al Sharpton, Garner’s widow, Esaw Garner, said she did not accept Pantaleo's apology.

"I couldn't care less about his condolences," she said. "He's still working, he's still feeding his kids. And my husband is six feet under and I’m looking for a way to feed my kids now. Who’s going to play Santa Claus for my grandkids this year? Who’s going to do that now?"

"I am determined to get justice for my husband because he shouldn't have been killed in that way,” said Esaw Garner.“My husband’s death will not be in vain. As long as I have breathe in my body I will fight the fight.”

Meanwhile, Sharpton announced that there will be a march against police brutality in Washington, DC, on December 13.

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Photo Of Portland Cop Hugging Protester Goes Viral On Social Media

A touching photo of a white police officer hugging an African-American boy at a Portland protest this week has drawn heavy attention on social media. (Johnny Nguyen via Instagram)

PORTLAND, Ore. (CBS/AP) — A touching photo of a white police officer hugging an African-American boy at a Portland protest this week has drawn heavy attention on social media.

The moment was captured by photographer Johnny Nguyen covering a protest in Portland, Oregon, over a Missouri grand jury’s decision not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson for the shooting of Michael Brown.

At the Portland rally was 12-year-old Devonte Hart, who stood crying out of sadness over the events in Ferguson. He was holding a “Free Hugs” sign.

Portland Police Sgt. Bret Barnum saw the boy’s sign and asked if he could have a hug. The boy gave him one.

Devonte’s mom Jen Hart was there Tuesday and remembers the moment as “one of the most emotionally charged experiences I’ve had as a mother.”

To view the full-size image, along with other photographs from Johnny Nguyen’s coverage of the Portland protest go to: http://chambersvisuals.com/5fjbf7k3oce97juhi5v91c7qeenu36

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Ferguson shooting reaction a study in the growing impact of social media

Sharing sites have done more than bring the fatal shooting in Ferguson to global attention - they also enabled the world to respond. Instantly.

The National Guard patrols outside the Ferguson Police Dept. Photo AFP

The Ferguson shooting is a study, according to one observer, in "how social media make everything everyone's business, whether you want that or not".

Ferguson Democratic committeewoman Patricia Bynes said social media had helped local people share their fears and feelings. "It has kept the conversation going and it has helped inform people about the evidence and circumstances," she said.

Bynes also thinks social media helped export the conflict and meaning of Ferguson to the rest of the world. Ferguson became everybody's business.

On Tuesday night, Ferguson became more than a neighbourhood demonstration over a grand jury decision: It expanded into a national night of protest.

The public was ahead of the media from the outset. According to the Pew Research Centre, more than one million tweets with Ferguson hashtags were traded between August 9, when Michael Brown was killed, and CNN's first prime-time story on Ferguson, on August 12.

In the months since, Ferguson community leaders used social media to urge peace and organise crowd-minders.

"We've seen a lot of creativity in Ferguson, as with other social movement uses of social media," says Mark Lashley, assistant professor of communication at La Salle. "There's a mix of humour and seriousness, as you also see in protests in Hong Kong and Mexico."

According to tracker site Trendsmap, as of Monday morning, the hashtag Ferguson was buzzing all over the world, and from coast to coast in the US, with major spikes in Missouri, but also in Philadelphia and New York, and in Florida and California.

Bynes said that, thanks to social media, "people felt the shock we in this community felt, when they started seeing images of Michael Brown's body in the street uncovered, and it kept being retweeted and people kept seeing it. For others it was images of the mother and stepfather at the scene. They saw the agony happening right there. It's just been a storm ever since, as it should be".

On Tuesday, organised by local and national social media campaigns, largely peaceful protests were launched throughout the country.

In New York, Al Sharpton gave a speech in Harlem, and a large crowd marched from Union Square to Times Square then to Columbus Circle. In Chicago, hundreds marched from the police station through town.

It had its spectacular side. Brooklyn Bridge and the Triborough were briefly shut down in New York, as was Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. In Los Angeles, protesters shut Interstate 110.

And at the White House, Jennifer Bendery tweeted: "At least 200 people chanting 'How many black kids will you kill?'"

As all these things happened, people posted and tweeted. According to the tracking site Topsy, more than 3.2 million tweets using the hashtag Ferguson were posted between Monday and Tuesday afternoons.

Exactly how is this different from the civil rights demonstrations of the 1950s-1970s? Didn't people say, "The whole world is watching" back then? Yes, they did. But as many remarked on Tuesday, today it's in real time.

But the truly new, truly now thing is this: The world could respond. Instantly. And it did. A survey of hundreds of tweets from all over the world suggests that, to these tweeters, the no-indictment decision of the grand jury was yet another racist episode in American history. French justice minister Christine Taubira tweeted: "How old was Michael Brown? 18. TrayvonMartin? 17. TamirRice? 12. How old next? 12 months? 'Kill them before they grow' - Bob Marley".

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as The social media grand jury

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