Liliputins -269-2 Pope Francis

Just give a haggard or a hag a hug ... "
Pope Francis

Do not confuse a hug with a chokehold ... "
Pope Francis

Liliputins. What, the heck, is this ?
http://www.stihi.ru/2012/08/18/5368


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Word of the Day  December 3 
    
haggard\HAG-urd\
   
 adjective 1 : of a hawk : not tamed
 
2 a : wild in appearance
 
  b : having a worn or emaciated appearance : gaunt
   
   The mountain climbers were hungry and haggard but were otherwise in good shape after having been stranded on the mountain for more than a week. "[Dorothea] Lange's 1936 photographs of California migrant worker Florence Owens Thompson and her children capture the haggard desperation of Thompson and her brood during the Great Depression…." — Chuck Sudo, Chicagoist, November 7, 2014
 
    Haggard comes from falconry, the sport of hunting with a trained bird of prey. The birds used in falconry were not bred in captivity until very recently. Traditionally, falconers trained wild birds that were either taken from the nest when quite young or trapped as adults. A bird trapped as an adult is termed a haggard, from the Middle French hagard. Such a bird is notoriously wild and difficult to train, and it wasn't long before the falconry sense of haggard was being applied in an extended way to a "wild" and intractable person. Next, the word came to express the way the human face looks when a person is exhausted, anxious, or terrified. Today, the most common meaning of haggard is "gaunt" or "worn."

***

Hag

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A hag is a wizened old woman, or a kind of fairy or goddess having the appearance of such a woman, often found in folklore and children's tales such as Hansel and Gretel.[1]




Description

Hags are often seen as malevolent, but may also be one of the chosen forms of shapeshifting deities, such as the Morrнgan or Badb, who are seen as neither wholly beneficent nor malevolent.[2][3] The term appears in Middle English, and was a shortening of hжgtesse, an Old English term for witch, similarly the Dutch heks and German hexe are also shortenings, of the Middle Dutch haghetisse and Old High German hagzusa respectively.[4] All these words derive from the Proto-Germanic *hagatusjon-[4] which is of unknown origin, however the first element may be related to the word "hedge".[4][5] As a stock character in fairy or folk tale, the hag shares characteristics with the crone, and the two words are sometimes used as if interchangeable.[6]

Using the word "hag" to translate terms found in non-English (or non-modern English) is contentious, since use of the word is often associated with a misogynistic attitude.[7][8]

Hag in folklore

A hag, or "the Old Hag", was a nightmare spirit in English and anglophone North American folklore. This variety of hag is essentially identical to the Old English mжra — a being with roots in ancient Germanic superstition, and closely related to the Scandinavian mara. According to folklore, the Old Hag sat on a sleeper's chest and sent nightmares to him or her. When the subject awoke, he or she would be unable to breathe or even move for a short period of time. In the Swedish film Marianne, the main character suffers from these nightmares. This state is now called sleep paralysis, but in the old belief the subject had been "hagridden".[9] It is still frequently discussed as if it were a paranormal state.[10]

Many stories about hags seem to have been used to frighten children into being good. The Northern English Peg Powler, for example, was a river hag who lived in the River Tees and had skin the colour of green pond scum.[11][12][13] Parents who wanted to keep their children away from the river's edge told them that if they got too close to the water she would pull them in with her long arms, drown them, and sometimes eat them. This type of nixie or neck has other regional names, such as Grindylow[14] (a name connected to Grendel),[14][15] Jenny Greenteeth from Yorkshire, and Nellie Longarms from several English counties.[16]

Many tales about hags do not describe them well enough to distinguish between an old woman who knows magic or a supernatural being.[17]

In Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga was a hag who lived in the woods in a house on chickens legs. She would often ride through the forest on a mortar, sweeping away her tracks with a broom.[18] Though she is usually a single being, in some folktales three Baba Yagas are depicted as helping the hero in his quest, either by giving advice or by giving gifts.[19]

In Irish and Scottish mythology, the cailleach is a hag goddess concerned with creation, harvest, the weather and sovereignty.[3][20] In partnership with the goddess Brнd, she is a seasonal goddess, seen as ruling the winter months while Brнd rules the summer.[20] In Scotland, a group of hags, known as The Cailleachan (The Storm Hags) are seen as personifications of the elemental powers of nature, especially in a destructive aspect. They are said to be particularly active in raising the windstorms of spring, during the period known as A Chailleach.[20][21]

Hags as sovereignty figures abound in Irish mythology. The most common pattern is that the hag represents the barren land, who the hero of the tale must approach without fear, and come to love on her own terms. When the hero displays this courage, love, and acceptance of her hideous side, the sovereignty hag then reveals that she is also a young and beautiful goddess.[3]

The Three Fates (particularly Atropos) are often depicted as hags.

In Persian folklore, the Bakhtak has the same role as that of "the Old Hag" in English folklore. The Bakhtak sits on a sleeper's chest, awakening them and causing them to feel they are unable to breathe or even to move. Bakhtak also is used metaphorically to refer to "nightmare" in the modern Persian language.[citation needed]

She is similar to Lilith.

In Western literature This section requires expansion. (December 2009)

In mediaeval and later literature, the term "hag," and its relatives in European languages, came to stand for an unattractive, older woman. Building on the mediaeval tradition of such women as portrayed in comic and burlesque literature, specifically in the Italian Renaissance the hag represented the opposite of the lovely lady familiar from the poetry of Petrarch.[22]

In neurobiology

The expression Old Hag Attack refers to a hypnagogic state in which paralysis is present and, quite often, it is accompanied by terrifying hallucinations. When excessively recurrent, some consider this to be a disorder; however, many populations treat them as simply part of their culture and mythological world-view, rather than any form of disease or pathology.

See also
Banshee
Batibat
Black Annis
Boo Hag
Cailleach
Crone
Fag hag
Freddy Krueger
Goblin
Hag (Dungeons & Dragons)
Imp
Kikimora
Queen (Snow White)
Sea Hag
Sheela na Gig
The Witch (fairy tale)
Wicca
Wicked fairy godmother
Witchcraft
References^ Briggs, Katharine (1976) An Encyclopedia of Fairies, Hobgoblins, Brownies, Boogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures, "Hags", p.216. ISBN 0-394-73467-X
^ Lysaght, Patricia

***

Hug

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
A hug is a near universal form of physical intimacy in which two people put their arms around the neck, back, or waist of one another and hold each other closely. If more than two persons are involved, this is informally referred to as a group hug.


Description

A hug, sometimes in association with a kiss, is a form of nonverbal communication. Depending on culture, context and relationship, a hug can indicate familiarity, love, affection, friendship or sympathy.[1] A hug can indicate support, comfort, and consolation, particularly where words are insufficient. A hug usually demonstrates affection and emotional warmth, sometimes arising from joy or happiness at meeting someone or seeing someone long-absent. A non-reciprocal hug may demonstrate a relational problem. A hug can range from a brief one-second squeeze, with the arms not fully around the partner, to an extended holding. The length of a hug in any situation is socially and culturally determined. In the case of lovers, and occasionally others, the hips may also be pressed together.

Unlike some other types of physical contact, a hug can be practiced publicly and privately without stigma in many countries, religions and cultures, within families, and also across age and gender lines,[citation needed] but is generally an indication that people are familiar with each other. Moving from a handshake (or touch-free) relationship to a hug relationship is a sign of a new friendship[citation needed].

An unexpected hug can be regarded as an invasion of a person's personal space, but if it is reciprocated it is an indication that it is welcome. Some Western culture commentators advise avoiding hugs at work to prevent uncomfortable moments, especially with people who dislike hugging.[2] Also, a person, especially a child, may caress and hug a doll or stuffed animal. Young children will also hug their parents when they feel threatened by an unfamiliar person, although this may be regarded as clinging onto rather than hugging because it demonstrates a need for protection rather than affection.

While less common, hugging may be undertaken as part of a ritual or social act in certain social groups. It is a custom in Latin cultures such as France, Spain and Latin America for male friends to hug (as well as slap each other on the back) in a joyous greeting. A similar hug, usually accompanied by a kiss on the cheek, is also becoming a custom among Western women at meeting or parting. In Portugal and Brazil, it is common, mostly among males, to finish letters and emails with Um abraзo or Abraзos (lit. "A hug" / "Hugs"), followed by the sender's signature. Similar formulas may be used in oral comunication.

In May 2009, The New York Times reported that "the hug has become the favorite social greeting when teenagers meet or part these days" in the United States.[3] A number of schools in the United States have issued bans on hugs, which in some cases have resulted in student-led protests against these bans.[4][5] In the Roman Catholic rite of the Holy Mass a hug may be substituted for a kiss or handshake during the kiss of peace ritual. Some cultures[citation needed] do not use hugging as a sign of affection or love, such as the Himba in Namibia. During the month of Ramadan, it is halal for Muslims to hug during daylight hours if one has self-control. However if accompanied by libidinous urges, it is haram.[6]

Hugging has been proven to have health benefits. One study has shown that hugs increase levels of oxytocin and reduce blood pressure.[7] A group hug has been found to be a useful tool in group therapy to cement a sense of cohesion among the participants after a session,[8] although it may cause discomfort for group members who shy away from physical contact.[8]

Hugging in non-humans

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hugging animals.
 
Hugging catsPatricia McConnell notes that dogs tend to enjoy being hugged less than humans and other primates do, since canines interpret putting a limb over another animal as a sign of dominance.[9]

Cuddling
See also: Cuddle party
Cuddling is a related form of physical intimacy in which two people hold one another with each person's arms wrapped around the other's body. Cuddling is an act usually associated with lovers and family members, though cuddling between friends is not unheard of. Similar to hugging, cuddling is a more affectionate and intimate embrace, normally done for a longer period of time (usually lasting from a few minutes to several hours). In contrast to hugging, which can often be a nonverbal greeting or parting tradition, cuddling is usually shared between two people who are lying down together or sitting somewhere in an intimate manner. Like hugging, cuddling makes the body release oxytocin, which has a variety of effects.

Gallery
Glassy embrace, a glass sculpture depicting a hug 
 
A hug can be a sign of joy or happiness 
 
See also[edit]Kiss
Free Hugs Campaign
Hug machine
Pound hug
Side hug
Haptic communication
Romantic friendship

***
 
N.Y. / Region |;;NYT Now
 
Wave of Protests After Grand Jury Doesn’t Indict Officer in Eric Garner Chokehold Case
By J. DAVID GOODMAN and AL BAKERDEC. 3, 2014

A Staten Island grand jury on Wednesday ended the criminal case against a white New York police officer whose chokehold on an unarmed black man led to the man’s death, a decision that drew condemnation from elected officials and touched off a wave of protests.
The fatal encounter in July was captured on videos and seen around the world. But after viewing the footage and hearing from witnesses, including the officer who used the chokehold, the jurors deliberated for less than a day before deciding that there was not enough evidence to go forward with charges against the officer, Daniel Pantaleo, 29, in the death of the man, Eric Garner, 43.
Officer Pantaleo, who has been on the force for eight years, appeared before the grand jury on Nov. 21, testifying that he did not intend to choke Mr. Garner, who was being arrested for allegedly selling loose cigarettes. He described the maneuver as a takedown move, adding that he never thought Mr. Garner was in mortal danger.

After the news from Staten Island, a wave of elected officials renewed calls for Justice Department intervention, saying the grand jury’s finding proved that justice could be found only in the federal courts. By the evening, the department announced it would open a civil rights inquiry.
On the streets of the city, from Tompkinsville to Times Square, many expressed their outrage with some of the last words Mr. Garner uttered before being wrestled to the ground: “This stops today,” people chanted. “I can’t breathe,” others shouted.
While hundreds of angry but generally peaceful demonstrators took to the streets in Manhattan as well as in Washington and other cities, the police in New York reported relatively few arrests, a stark contrast to the riots that unfolded in Ferguson in the hours after the grand jury decision was announced in the Brown case.
Continue reading the main story
President Obama, speaking in Washington, said the decisions in New York and Missouri highlighted the frustrations that many African-Americans have harbored about a legal system that has a long history of discrimination against black people.
“When anybody in this country is not being treated equally under the law, that is a problem,” Mr. Obama said, “and it’s my job as president to help solve it.”

5 Key Moments in the Death of Eric Garner
The panel’s rationale was not made public, but issues such as whether Mr. Garner was resisting arrest may have been a factor.
 
Officer Pantaleo said in statement on Wednesday that he felt “very bad about the death of Mr. Garner,” just as he had told the 23 panelists of the grand jury when he testified before them for two hours.
During the proceedings, jurors were shown three videos of the encounter, and in his testimony Officer Pantaleo sought to characterize his actions as a maneuver taught at the Police Academy. He said that while holding onto Mr. Garner, he felt fear that they would crash through a plate glass storefront as they tumbled to the ground, said Stuart London, his lawyer. One of the officer’s arms went around Mr. Garner’s throat, as Mr. Garner repeatedly said, “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe.”
Continue reading the main story Appearing with the Rev. Al Sharpton in Harlem, Mr. Garner’s widow, Esaw Garner, said she did not accept the officer’s apology.
“Hell, no,” Ms. Garner said. “The time for remorse for the death of my husband was when he was yelling to breathe.”
She said that while she mourned, the officer could go home to his family.
Continue reading the main story
 Columbus

DEC. 3, 2014

By The New York Times “He’s still feeding his kids,” she said, “and my husband is six feet under and I’m looking for a way to feed my kids now.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio, speaking on Staten Island, said that it was a “deeply emotional day” for the Garner family and all New Yorkers, and that he had thought of his own son in considering Mr. Garner’s fate. But he implored demonstrators to voice their outrage peacefully and not engage in the destructive violence that followed protests in Ferguson over Mr. Brown’s death.
“Today’s outcome is one that many in our city did not want,” Mr. de Blasio said. “Yet New York City owns a proud and powerful tradition of expressing ourselves through nonviolent protest.”
An autopsy by the city’s medical examiner found that Mr. Garner’s death was a homicide resulting from the chokehold — a maneuver banned by the Police Department in 1993 — and the compression of his chest by police officers.
In early September, the Staten Island district attorney, Daniel M. Donovan Jr., impaneled the grand jury to weigh evidence; it heard testimony from the officers involved and 22 civilian witnesses. All of the officers, with the exception of Officer Pantaleo, were granted immunity.

A New York police officer used a chokehold on Eric Garner, who died while being put under arrest.
Video by Taisha Allen on Publish Date July 20, 2014. The encounter exposed apparent lapses in police tactics and raised questions about the aggressive policing of minor offenses in a time of historically low crime. The officers involved, part of a plainclothes unit, suspected Mr. Garner of selling cigarettes on the street near the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, a complaint voiced by local business owners.

Who would doubt that if Mr Garner were a mob affiliated street punk working a petty racket this encounter wouldn't even happen? Who could...

NYCATLPDX19 minutes ago
 
The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 prohibits soldiers from acting as law enforcement. By militarizing local police departments all over the...

lisa19 minutes ago
There goes race relations. Right down the drain. Even I, a high black educated woman, don't trust white police officers after these two most...

See All Comments Write a commentMr. Garner’s death hastened an effort to retrain all the department’s patrol officers and brought scrutiny on how officers who violate its rules are disciplined. Officer Pantaleo has been stripped of his gun and badge during the investigation.
Now, Mr. de Blasio said, the grand jury decision had accelerated the need for that overhaul. Earlier on Wednesday, the mayor announced the start of a pilot program to equip officers with body cameras to record encounters on patrol.
But how useful such technology will prove to be in settling disputes over police actions remains an open question. Mr. Garner’s relatives had believed for months that a widely circulated cellphone video of the violent arrest that caused his death would be enough to convince grand jurors that the case merited a criminal trial.
Jonathan C. Moore, a lawyer for the Garner family, said “We’re astounded by the outcome of the grand jury process.”
Continue reading the main story 
OPEN Graphic
Graphic: Fatal Police Encounters in New York City In a statement, Mr. Donovan said investigators also spoke with the emergency responders who provided medical treatment both at the scene and at the hospital, and expert witnesses in the area of forensic pathology as well as the procedures and training of police officers. He said that he was constrained by law from discussing details of their findings, but that he had petitioned the court for “authorization to publicly release specific information in connection with this grand jury investigation.”
Continue reading the main story Continue reading the main story He expressed his condolences to the family and said his office conducted a thorough investigation that “spanned four months.”
“I assured the public that I was committed to a fair, thorough, and responsible investigation into Mr. Garner’s death,” he said.
Grand juries determine whether enough evidence exists for a case to go forward to a criminal trial, either before a jury or a judge. By law, they operate in secret and hear only evidence presented by prosecutors, who also instruct the grand jurors on the law. Defense lawyers are barred from speaking. For a decision, 12 jurors who have heard all of the evidence must agree.
Continue reading the main story 2632
 
Comments
 While the exact makeup of the grand jury was unclear, Mr. London said it was roughly half white, with the other half evenly divided among blacks and Hispanics.
With the criminal phase over, Officer Pantaleo’s fate moves into the realm of Police Department discipline. It is far from clear if he will return to enforcement duties, and Commissioner William J. Bratton said he would remain on suspension pending an internal investigation.
Even before Mr. Garner’s death, Mr. Bratton had been tasked by the mayor with repairing the fissures between the police and the communities they serve, moving away from street stops and minor marijuana arrests. Those changes, however, have yet to quell the anger that deaths such as Mr. Garner’s bring forth.
Reporting on the grand jury’s decision in the death of Eric Garner was contributed by Ronnie Cohen, Emma G. Fitzsimmons, Edna Ishayik, Mark Landler, James C. McKinley Jr., Benjamin Mueller, Kate Pastor, William K. Rashbaum, Marc Santora, Nate Schweber, Nikita Stewart, Alex Vadukul and Benjamin Weiser.

A version of this article appears in print on December 4, 2014, on page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: New York Officer Facing No Charges in Chokehold Case. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
Next in N.Y. / Region‘I Can’t Breathe’ Is Echoed in Voices of Fury and Despair
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NYT Pick emm305SC 21 hours ago
I am a 63 year old white woman in South Carolina who grew up with a mother who taught me to always say 'yes, sir' and 'no, sir' to the cops if they stopped me and to agree with everything they said and admit whatever I might have done wrong and it has saved me from a ticket a time or two.

But, there is something horribly wrong when an arrest for selling loose cigarettes ends in a death from a proscribed kind of restraint and there is no manslaughter charge.
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Kathy in CTFairfield County CT 21 hours ago
Chokeholds are banned by NY Police rules. Yet this officer used one to kill someone.
And yet he's not even taken to trial by jury, out in public.
And people wonder why African-Americans protest?
He killed a man for selling loose cigarettes, because it upset local business owners.
This is what our country has come to. Rule of law? Hardly.
FlagReply1476RecommendShare this comment on FacebookShare this comment on TwitterNYT Pick RoseNew York 21 hours ago
Don't forget, the grand jury was asked to determine if the officer had INTENT to kill Garner. The jury made the right decision.
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KDNew York 21 hours ago
If the Eric Garner video does not convince a grand jury to at least return an indictment, what good would requiring police officers to wear video cameras do?
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MGNY 21 hours ago
I was surprised by the Ferguson grand jury decision but am FLOORED by this one. I believe there was sufficient evidence to warrant a full trial in Ferguson, however that case was more muddied and complex, with conflicting witness accounts and questions about the safety of Officer Wilson. However here the incident caught ON VIDEO, which shows that the office was NO WAY in danger and did not need to engage in such aggressive tactics given his backup team of officers. Tragically absurd.
FlagReply1036RecommendShare this comment on FacebookShare this comment on TwitterNYT Pick Baron95Westport, CT 21 hours ago
So, like in Ferguson, the prosecutor allowed the officer to testify before the grand jury. What the NYT and the liberal media had called unprecedented and racist and biased.

Like in Ferguson, the prosecutor presented evidence and witnesses from both sides. What the NYT and the liberal media had called unprecedented and racist and biased.

Like in Ferguson, the grand jury listen to the witnesses, reviewed the evidence, and concluded that, when a very large man 290lbs+ resists arrests and challenges and officer, all options to defuse him are bad, and sometimes death results. What the NYT and the liberal media had called unprecedented and racist and biased.

Tragic, but justifiable. Tragic, but not a crime.

Both Brown and Garner where stopped because they were in the process of committing a crime. Both had prior arrests. Both were very large. Both used force against the officer. Both are dead. Due to their actions.

Sometimes poor choices in life have tragic consequences. But we don't go on compounding them by putting innocent police officers on trial to satisfy the liberal politically correct narrative.

To both grand juries: Well Done. You showed that America is a country of laws.
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FrankSan Francisco 21 hours ago
Incredible. We have at least two legal systems: one for the people and one for the cops. If the cops are not guilty, let a proper trial occur--what's to hide. We must have transparency and due process. Cross examination and a chance to impeach witnesses is key to our society. Without it, riots and guillotines become manifest.
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MartinNew York City 21 hours ago
The only point in having a police force is to keep the community safe. Because of this, police action is typically attenuated when it is believed that it does not safeguard the lives of community members. Cops don't flood white communities to make drug arrests because, though white kids buy and use drugs as much as anyone else, white communities realize that ruining lives with arrests for victimless crimes does more harm than good. But communities of color have less influence on police forces whose commanding officers and civilian leaders are predominantly white. Police use far less discretion, and therefore have a far more destructive impact, when confronting petty crime in communities of color.
FlagReply291RecommendShare this comment on FacebookShare this comment on TwitterNYT Pick Stephen MatlockSeattle WA 21 hours ago
There is something monstrously wrong with a law enforcement system when the people we _entrust_ to enforce the law are themselves _exempt_ from the same laws, up to and including laws about unlawful deaths.

Oddly enough, we expect people to just "take" these kinds of decisions. People are subjected to the full, random cruelty of the police; when they protest, they are defamed.

Where are the good people of America speaking up about this cruel, arbitrary, and deadly application of law enforcement? Where are the good police officers of America speaking up about this injustice?
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Dr. O. Ralph RaymondFort Lauderdale, FL 33315 21 hours ago
Thank you. All good advice, I'm sure. But why should we have to deal with a "20 year old kid ... often making tragic mistakes," wearing a badge with a gun drawn? What kind of recruitment and police training is that? And why should an American citizen, of whatever racial or ethnic background, have to fear asking an officer of the law to inform him of what he is accused? Putting one's hands up when instructed makes sense too, but I kept hearing talking-heads justifying the shooting of Michael Brown complaining that Brown should not have had his hands up, but should have been lying on the ground. Even if he had been told by officer Wilson. The very fact he reportedly he had his hands up legitimately could be interpreted by a green, frightened policeman as preparation to become "demonic," "bulk up," and "charge." And of course one shouldn't put one's hands inside a police car--maybe Michael Brown understood that, and was trying to break loose from officer Wilson when Wilson, as some witnesses report, grabbed him from inside the cruiser and dragged him half way through the car window. So, yes, good advice. l suppose.
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ElizabethBrooklyn 21 hours ago
sure Jerry, these would be good suggestions, but history tells us even these won't protect you if you are black. Looking at a toy gun in Walmart while black? You might end up dead! Reaching into your own car to get the driver's license an officer just asked you to get? You might end up dead! Ask for help after a car accident? You might end up dead! White people have a jittery hair trigger when it comes to approaching black people - and there is no perfect behavior that black people can achieve that will change that. White people have to change that.
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Bruce WayneSeattle 20 hours ago
Meanwhile, Cliven Bundy continues to live with impunity as he illegally grazes on public land and threatens to kill any law enforcement officer who dares to stop him. This is the America we live in.
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ErrolMedford OR 20 hours ago
I disagree with those who want to make this and Ferguson into a race issue, even though race probably does play a part in both. I think the issue is, and should be, police use of excessive force generally, regardless of the race of the victim. It does not matter what motivates cops to beat and kill people. It matters that they do it, not why.

Police are essentially above the law. They cover up for each other. Their supervisors cover up for them. The prosecutors cover up for them. And the stupid citizenry won't convict them in the rare cases that they are brought to trial. With no consequences for their misbehavior, the only thing that restrains them is their own personal code of ethics. Many do not have a very strong code of ethics. And even those that do will not report on those that do not.

Focusing on race will, at best, bring about some "sensitivity" training and a few more minority police. Sensitivity training isn't worth much when cops are above the law. And minority cops are every bit the equal of white cops, and just as likely to use excessive force so long as they can get away with it.
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BruceChicago 20 hours ago
We need two parallel streams of "This Stops Now"

The first is to get our police---who we as taxpayers pay to keep us as citizens safe--to stop treating our black citizens with excessive force.

The second is for those of us who keep breaking the law---Mr. Garner had been arrested 23 times by the NYC police for a variety of offenses---to stop breaking the law, and for the rest of us to stop tolerating and enabling that lawless behavior. If we as a society made it clear we wouldn't accept this sort of repeated lawlessness, our country and all the citizens in it would be much better off.

Neither Eric Garner nor Michael Brown should have been treated as they were by the police---they, as do we all,deserved better, more respectful, less violent treatment. But there has been so little appropriate response by society to the lawlessness of Mr. Garner and Mr. Brown, it shocks me. Why did Michael Brown commit a strong arm robbery and then, instead of attempting to escape with his stolen goods, brazenly advertised the success of his theft by walking down the middle of the street with the stolen goods in his hands? In my view that should "stop now" as certainly as the excessive force of the police.
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Mark WoltersPennington NJ 20 hours ago
Once you are told you are under arrest you must comply with the officers instructions. This is true in every state. Clearly this man resisted arrest and while a chokehold is against NYPD policy it is not against the law and no one can say that the officer wanted to kill Eric Garner. Nothing to do with race and we haven't seen the evidence the Grand Jury. Now we can all hear from the talking heads spinning this for controversy.
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BleekNM 20 hours ago
I am speechless. I am black, I am educated and I am at a loss of words. I am angry but I can channel my anger. I have young children but I can not given them a good explanation for the this miscarriage of justice.
I do not condone violence but I can now much better understand that some of my brothers and sisters see this as a legitimate avenue. Where should this peolpe turn? It is a perversion of the justice system when we let police brutality go unpunished but when we bring charges against a distraught step father who yells and screams after he learns that a Grand Jury will not indict. For all those who the facts in Ferguson were too murky to see the case as police brutality, what more do you need then the video of Mr. Garners brutal arrest. The outcomes in both cases are in no relation to the alleged infractions of the later victims. Whoever can not agree on this, sees black folks not as equal.
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JCNYC 20 hours ago
You have to keep in mind that officers cannot use lethal or near-lethal force whenever they are attacked. They have to make a judgment call. But here is the problem, (randomized and retrospective) research shows officers are more likely to use lethal force on blacks and white people are more likely ascribe superhuman abilities to blacks. That is where the bias comes in, officers’ perceptions are polluted by implicit and explicit racism. This is why it is hard to talk about racism in America. So many people, even educated people, are very research and history illiterate on race matters. So they interpret events without the proper context.
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212Realnewyorkmanhattan 20 hours ago
Very simple - respect authority figures. everyone. period.

you are stopped by the police, shut up, listen, do not fight.

You feel this is unjust, then file a complaint -after its over.

this goes for all: white, yellow, brown, black, red, green, old, young, male, female, unisex, trans.

I learned this in the first grade.
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PeterPNW 20 hours ago
This is a frightening new tactic of using Grand Juries to avoid a jury of peers. Had this case been tried in a jury of peers, then it would be peers of Eric Garner, and this officer would have had to face justice. But, by keeping it in a Grand Jury-they were able to make sure that it will never go before a jury of peers. Don't forget that the NYPD and the court are on the same team.
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RonNew York 20 hours ago
To all the folks who vent without knowledge the situation is this:
1. Crime is being committed.
2. Police take action
3. Subject resists arrest.
4. Subject is subdued using available methods.
5. Severely overweight subject dies in struggle.
6. Facts brought to Grand Jury
7. Facts indicate no wrongdoing, jury decides not to indict.

Now should the Police just leave when anyone decides that they dont want to be arrested? Should the Police not enforce the law for petty crimes? See folks, ya can't have it both ways. If the Police are to do their jobs and in the course of doing so an individual decides they aren't going to cooperate today should they just leave and say have a good day? And which crimes are entitled to such a decision. The old addage when I grew up in Brooklyn's very tough 75 precinct was yes sir, and keep going otherwise you got a crack in the jaw. Challanging Law Enforcement is never a good idea. Not in the street. Let the courts and lawyers sort it out.
FlagReply131RecommendShare this comment on FacebookShare this comment on TwitterNYT Pick Dan StackhouseNYC 20 hours ago
This seems like a fair finding to me. The chokehold was illegal, and it is dangerous, but it was only applied for a few seconds, not long enough to kill. Most likely what killed Mr. Garner, I think, was the partial weight of about five cops on his torso once he was on the ground. His health was terrible, and this stress, combined with a rapid heart rate and so on, could easily have triggered his heart failure. But this was a guy who could have been killed by running for two blocks.

So I think errors in handling the suspect led to this unfortunate death, but it wasn't intentional. None of these cops started their day thinking, "today I'm going to murder someone for the heck of it, maybe someone selling loosies". Mr. Pantaleo should still be terminated as an officer for using the chokehold, but not brought up on murder charges, I believe.

Hopefully the protests will go peacefully, as I'd expect, and hopefully Mr. Garner's family and friends can deal with his loss somehow. But what mystifies me most about this series of negative police incidents is how Mr. Garner and Michael Brown have gotten so much attention, despite there being justifications and excuses, but Tamir Rice, the 12-yr-old shot in Cleveland, hasn't gotten nearly as much. In his case there are no excuses nor justifications, and he's a real martyr in the case of police brutality and racism.
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PaulLong island 20 hours ago
After Ferguson, this is truly shocking, especially given the widely televised video. We really need to change the process and eliminate the entire secret grand jury in such cases and replace it with a mandatory jury trial with the charge of manslaughter. Right now people, especially African-Americans, believe the police are an occupying force that no longer protects them, but is murdering their children with no semblance of justice. A mandatory, open trial would provide the essential process for all to see that justice is done.
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Davis ChambersAtlanta, GA 20 hours ago
I'm deeply disturbed by the application of the law in both the cases of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. The deference granted to Daniel Pantaleo and Darren Wilson during their proceedings clearly illustrates the great imbalance of justice in our country. Poor minorities, especially African Americans, face a judicial system laden with racial bias; meanwhile, police and district attorneys observe the long-held status quo, "Protect your own. No matter how gross."

Notions of equal civil rights or racial harmony wither when faced with the deaths of Mr. Brown and Mr. Garner. How can one claim progress when evidence, demonstrated too many times to count, suggests a pervasive culture of intimidation, discrimination and violence perpetuated against those Americans neglected by our country?

I want these wounds to decency and morality to heal, but how long until the next Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown or Eric Garner? Shame!
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RDA in ArmonkNY 20 hours ago
It boggles the mind that there was no indictment in this case. Having served on a (federal) grand jury, I think it is safe to say that the prosecution could not have made any real effort to obtain an indictment and that the grand jury lacked the gumption to think for itself. Whether a jury trial would have led to a conviction on some criminal count is a question left unanswered. But when a policeman applies an illegal choke hold on a man committing a petty, non-violent act who then complains about not being able to breathe and the hold is not immediately released and the man subsequently dies, I think there is some question of culpability on the policeman's part.
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KMWNew York City 20 hours ago
I was not surprised in the decision by the Ferguson grand jury not to indict Darren Wilson because his life seemed to be threatened and he was in real danger. Just look at the photos of the attack he sustained. I was rather surprised by this decision not to indict Daniel Pantaleo. He seemed to use excessive force in restraining Eric Garner which was shown in the videos on tv. I guess there was some information presented that we did not know.