The weaknesses of the grand-jury system were exposed in the process that led to no indictment of Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo last week despite the videotape showing him applying a chokehold for an extended period that the city Medical Examiner concluded was a factor in Eric Garner’s death.
A majority of the jurors convened by Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan appears to have accepted the account of Mr. Pantaleo, as described by his attorney, Stuart London, that he did not keep his arm around Mr. Garner’s throat any longer than was necessary. What the cellphone video actually showed, however, was that when the officer ceased using that hold, he immediately used both hands to mash Mr. Garner’s face into the pavement for an extended period, as if oblivious to his repeated cries of “I can’t breathe!”
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