Country needs to breathe more freely.
By Sujeet Rajan
NEW YORK: A sleephold, to cut off blood supply to the brain, cause fainting, restrain a suspect, became a chokehold, deadly, shut off air.
The action was recorded on video, screened on public channels for a nation of 300 million plus people to see. Be appalled. Wrong, said those who saw the video. Daniel Pantaleo’s action killed Eric Garner, most agreed. Near unanimous verdict: excessive police action. The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide.
Yet, a grand jury refused inexplicably today to indict the NYPD police officer Pantaleo. He is a free man. The family of Garner, a father of six, continue to grieve. A nation bristles in anger at the injustice. Coming on the heels of the happenings in Ferguson, it seems like America has turned into a corrupt police state; run by an arrogant law enforcement and prosecution blind to its follies, atrocities committed, untouchable, aloft on a pedestal, where the gavel of courts have no reach.
When perhaps the round two of rioting, anarchy, vandalism, bloodletting that will likely flare up its ugly head, perhaps later tonight, do an encore of the Ferguson act in New York City, to a lesser or larger degree, calm down, gets placated, a nation can huddle together, start a serious debate.
Demand change in laws, try ensure men and women in uniform be punished, if guilty.
President Barack Obama said today, speaking on the Garner verdict, addressing growing distrust by ordinary people of police: “It is an American problem, not a black problem, not a brown problem, not a native American problem.”
Indeed, it’s an American problem, as Obama said. But it’s also clear to most people that it’s more of problem for the black and brown folks, those who are unlucky enough to come under the spotlight of the police force, get victimized. Feel injustice was committed, but understand what many like them learnt: just suck it, walk away. Bear rage, trauma, a silent fear, disgust of the police force, unseen scars shroud personality for the rest of life.
If the black community has cases like Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and Trayvon Martin, in the recent past, to feel justice denied, then the brown community, the Indian and Indian American community have cases this year like of the deaths of Pravin Varughese, Pallavi Dhawan and Sumeet Dhawan, to have a grouse. Those death put the spotlight on the local police and prosecution for their questionable investigation tactics.
Varughese’s death, this past February, was ruled a homicide by experts. Police continue to contend it was a case of hypothermia. The Justice Department last month appealed to the Varughese family to lodge complaints against the local Carbondale, Illinois law enforcement and county prosecutors.
The heartbreaking case of the Dhawans in Texas surely requires an investigation by the Justice Department. A family was wiped out. The death of their child was only the beginning of the nightmare for the Dhawans. The law enforcement and the prosecution tried their best to pin the death as murder committed by the mother, who pleaded innocence, her husband trying his best to defend her.
The couple caved in though, were found dead in their house. Pallavi’s death was ruled a suicide, Sumeet’s murder. A suicide note found by law enforcement has never been released.
Pallavi was to appear before a Grand Jury. She was petrified. Perhaps knew what the rest of the country also knew. Grand jury decisions, like in the cases of Brown and Garner, go the way prosecution wants it to go; evidence presented to sway decisions.
But the Brown and Garner cases, where most feel injustice led to their deaths, may lead to some strong, unprecedented legislative action, change in laws to make this country a more just one. To have independent panels investigate inappropriate police action, or inaction. Demand greater accountability from the men and women in uniform.
Some measures, like body cameras on police officers, cameras on all police cars, should be made mandatory when in contact with the public. Where this is being practiced, it’s commendable. States should have independent panels investigate questionable police behavior, not leave it to a grand jury.
There may be more lawsuits against law enforcement, and states may have to cough up more money in the process, but with more accountability, and above reproach behavior by the police in the long run, the public will also learn to respect them more.
Injustice is not about race. In the end, it’s only about injustice. Injustice needs to be choked. Let the country breathe more freely.
(Sujeet Rajan is the Editor-in-Chief of The American Bazaar)