New York – “The decision to not charge Officer Daniel Pantaleo is inexplicable and wrong. It took the Department of Justice five years to deny justice to Gwen Carr, when it takes five seconds to see that Eric Garner was choked to death for no reason. While I am not surprised by the Trump ‘Justice Department’s’ ill-advised and wrong-headed decision to give Officer Pantaleo a pass, I’m nonetheless outraged. Pantaleo does not deserve a pass, he needs to be fired and so do the other officers involved in this case.

“For all Americans, but especially those from the African-American community, the Justice Department has traditionally been the place of last resort for justice. Sadly, as today’s decision confirms, that is no longer the case. My heart goes out to the family of Eric Garner. The system has continued to fail this family even on the eve of Eric’s tragic death.”