Why Eric Garner's death should disturb everyone

It could happen to you

Eric Garner protests
(Image credit: (Mark Makela/Getty Images))

On Wednesday, a grand jury declined to indict the police officer who killed Eric Garner by putting him in a chokehold. To most observers, it was a baffling decision; video footage seemed to definitively show an act of injustice. At the very least, this was manslaughter — and the police who did this deserve to be held responsible.

If you haven't read Harry Siegel's piece on Eric Garner's death, or viewed the videos he posted, you should. Like Siegel, I was struck by the cavalier attitude — the spirit of downright insouciance — displayed by the police officers as a man lay dying. On two different occasions now, when I have watched the video of an asthmatic man being placed in a chokehold, and then hearing him say, "I can't breathe," I have found myself viscerally writhing.

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Matt K. Lewis

Matt K. Lewis is a contributing editor at TheWeek.com and a senior contributor for The Daily Caller. He has written for outlets including GQ Politics, The Guardian, and Politico, and has been cited or quoted by outlets including New York Magazine, the Washington Post, and The New York Times. Matt co-hosts The DMZ on Bloggingheads.TV, and also hosts his own podcast. In 2011, Business Insider listed him as one of the 50 "Pundits You Need To Pay Attention To Between Now And The Election." And in 2012, the American Conservative Union honored Matt as their CPAC "Blogger of the Year." He currently lives in Alexandria, Va.