Staten Island Grand Jury Declines to Indict NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo in Chokehold Death of Eric Garner

BREAKING … NYC grand jury clears NYPD cop in the chokehold death of Eric Garner …

A Staten Island grand jury voted a “no-bill” and dismissed all charges against NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo in the choke-hold death of Eric Garner. Coming off the racially charged Ferguson, Mo grand jury “no-bill” vote, this could get really ugly. Eric Garner, while being arrested on July 17, 2014 for selling “loose” untaxed cigarettes died after being placed in a chokehold by Daniel Pantaleo.  Hopefully the reaction to this with protests will be peaceful. One of the reasons why the protests might be more peaceful than what we saw in Ferguson, MO is because the MSM and race merchants were too busy focusing on Ferguson and not this one.

A Staten Island grand jury cleared an NYPD cop in the chokehold death of Eric Garner during his caught-on-video arrest for peddling loose cigarettes, the Staten Island district attorney confirmed Wednesday.

The panel voted a “no-bill” and dismissed all potential charges against Officer Daniel Pantaleo.

The blockbuster decision capped weeks of investigation by the special grand jury, which was empaneled in September specifically to review evidence in Garner’s racially charged death.

In a statement released by his union, Pantaleo said: “I became a police officer to help people and to protect those who can’t protect themselves.”

“It is never my intention to harm anyone and I feel very bad about the death of Mr. Garner,” he added.

“My family and I include him and his family in our prayers and I hope that they will accept my personal condolences for their loss.”

Honestly, I have to admit I did not know that selling individual cigarettes was a crime.

UPDATE I: From PJ Media, this answers my question about the criminalization of selling loose cigs.

An FDA rule issued on June 22, 2010 — well within the Obama era, under a president who has unleashed bureaucracy on the entire country — mandates that individual cigarettes cannot be sold without their original packaging. You must not sell an unhealthy product that everyone knows is unhealthy unless it’s still in the polluting box that it originally came in.

If you sell cigarettes, you must comply with the following bullet points. Note the bold.

Check photo ID of everyone appearing under age 27 who attempts to purchase cigarettes, cigarette tobacco, or smokeless tobacco.
Only sell cigarettes, cigarette tobacco, and smokeless tobacco to anyone age 18 or older. **
Only sell cigarettes, cigarette tobacco, and smokeless tobacco in a direct, face-to-face exchange. ***
Do NOT break open cigarette or smokeless tobacco packages to sell products in smaller amounts.
Do NOT sell cigarette packages containing fewer than 20 cigarettes.
Do NOT sell single cigarettes, also called “loosies”.
Do NOT give away free samples of cigarettes.
Do NOT give away free samples of smokeless tobacco except from a “qualified adult-only facility.”
Do NOT sell flavored cigarettes or flavored cigarette tobacco (other than menthol).

* This is only a summary of the laws. For the full list of federal laws, visit: www.fda.gov/BreakTheChain.

Michael Brown’s Step-Father Louis Head Being Investigated for Inciting Riots in Ferguson, MO … “Burn the B*tch Down”

Last time I checked it was against the law to yell fire in a movie theater or bomb in an airport, unless there actually was one …

Oh the irony. Louis Head, the step-father of Michael Brown in being investigated by local officials for possibly inciting riots following the grand jury no indictment decision. Following the grand jury decision on November 24 not to indict officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown, his step-dad went off and fanned the flames, literally, as he yelled over and over, “Burn this Bitch down” … “Burn this motherf*cker down!”  Hmm, guess what happened … the mobs burned Ferguson, Mo down.

Nice try CNN, is doesn’t matter whether Lois Head intended to cause a riot. What did he think was going to happen to the powder keg? Even if your intent is a joke to yell fire or bomb at the movies or airport, it is still a crime. However, the reality is that nothing will be done. All in the name of racial harmony, this irresponsible act will be swept away as individuals lost their businesses because of those acts. Did Louis Head cause all the riots in Ferguson after the indictment came down, no. But he certainly did not help and he should have known better. What a role model for Michael Brown, eh?

Michael Brown’s step-father, Louis Head, shouts “Burn This Bitch Down” … “Burn this motherf*cker down!”

CNN:

To some, they’re the gut-wrenching emotional cries of a man whose stepson’s life was taken.

Others say they were dangerous words that sparked a powder keg as violent protests broke out in Ferguson, Missouri last week.

But did Michael Brown’s stepfather intend to incite rioting in the St. Louis suburb?

That’s a question Ferguson police say they’re looking into.

Brown’s stepfather didn’t hold back as news of a grand jury’s decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson reached Ferguson. As throngs in front of the Ferguson Police Department listened to St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch’s announcement on cell phones and radios, Louis Head stepped onto a platform above the crowd and embraced his wife, Brown’s mother. He then turned to the demonstrators — some of them shouting “F— the police!” — and yelled, “Burn this motherf—er down!” and “Burn this bitch down!”

Watch Feruson, Missouri burn as Louis Head called for.

NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley Says Ferguson Grand Jury Got it Right, Looters Are Scumbags … “If it Wasn’t for the Cops We would be Living in the Wild, Wild West in our Neighborhoods”

Last week Charles Barkley had an interview on Philadelphia radio 97.5′s “The Fanatic,” that all need to listen to, especially blacks and the media.

Never one to hold back and speak his mind, not caring about public opinion or political correctness, Charles Barkley schooled host Mike Missanelli on the facts of the case and that the Ferguson grand jury got it right in not indicting police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown. Sir Charles first discussed his past comments about “brainwashed blacks” holding back black people. Then went into the Ferguson situation and called the looters “jackasses”. Barkley said, “those aren’t real black people, those are scum bags.” He went on to say that the media never covers stories of black people in a positive light, only the negative ones. Charles has a point. Barkley ended the interview with, “there is no excuse for those people burning down people’s businesses”

It is a must listen to interview … Charles Barkley is the voice of reason.

Click HERE to LISTEN

Breitbart.com:

“I can’t believe anything I hear on television anymore, and that’s why I don’t like talking about race issues with the media anymore because they love this stuff and lead people to jump to conclusions. The media shouldn’t do that. They never do that when black people kill each other.”

“We have to be really careful with the cops because if it wasn’t for the cops we would be living in the wild, wild west in our neighborhoods. We can’t pick out certain incidentals that don’t go our way and act like the cops are all bad. Do you know how bad some of these neighborhoods would be if it wasn’t for the cops?”

Five ST. Louis Ram Players Display “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” Gesture Before Game with Raiders … SLPOA Condemns Rams Display … “Tasteless, Offensive and Inflammatory” (Update: NFL Says No Fines)(Update: Rams & Police Battle Over Apology)

Who wants to tell these fools that “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” was a lie?

The NFL gets another black eye. Before Sunday’s game against the Oakland Raiders, members of the St. Louis Rams came out during pregame introductions with their hands up as they entered the field at the Edward Jones Dome in solidarity with the ‘Hands Up, Don’t Shoot’ movement. Really?  A St. Louis Rams spokesman said the team was unaware of the demonstration before the game. However, the St. Louis Police Officers Association was none too happy with these actions and condemned the St. Louis Rams football players who entered the field displaying the “hands up don’t shoot.” Too bad it was a contrived false narrative made up by the MSM.

Wide receivers Stedman Bailey, Tavon Austin, Chris Givens and Kenny Britt and tight end Jared Cook all took the field displaying the gesture, which mimics the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” stance that has become a frequent image among protesters since the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson in nearby Ferguson, Mo. in August.

While the players and Rams have not yet confirmed whether the gesture was related to the recent protests after a prosecutor’s decision Monday not to indict Wilson, a number of other athletes did respond to the news from Ferguson via social media and in interviews earlier this week.

Statement from St. Louis Police Officers Association:

“St. Louis, Missouri (November 30, 2014) – The St. Louis Police Officers Association is profoundly disappointed with the members of the St. Louis Rams football team who chose to ignore the mountains of evidence released from the St. Louis County Grand Jury this week and engage in a display that police officers around the nation found tasteless, offensive and inflammatory.

“Five members of the Rams entered the field today exhibiting the “hands-up-don’t-shoot” pose that has been adopted by protestors who accused Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson of murdering Michael Brown. The gesture has become synonymous with assertions that Michael Brown was innocent of any wrongdoing and attempting to surrender peacefully when Wilson, according to some now-discredited witnesses, gunned him down in cold blood.

“SLPOA Business Manager Jeff Roorda said, “now that the evidence is in and Officer Wilson’s account has been verified by physical and ballistic evidence as well as eye-witness testimony, which led the grand jury to conclude that no probable cause existed that Wilson engaged in any wrongdoing, it is unthinkable that hometown athletes would so publicly perpetuate a narrative that has been disproven over-and-over again.”
(more)

Police Officers Association: Rams Players Need to be Disciplined for ‘Hands Up, Don’t Shoot’ Gesture.

“No matter what happened on that day, no matter how the whole situation went down, there has to be a change.”

Coach Jeff Fisher said he’d not been aware the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” gesture had been planned by the players, all of them black.

Wide receivers Tavon Austin and Kenny Britt came out together first, with the move obscured by a smoke machine in the upper reaches of the Edward Jones Dome. Cook, Stedman Bailey and Chris Givens then came out and stood together with hands raised in the fog.

Some witnesses said Michael Brown had his hands up before being fatally shot by police officer Darren Wilson in August. Brown had been unarmed.

“I don’t want the people in the community to feel like we turned a blind eye to it,” Britt said. “What would I like to see happen? Change in America.”

UPDATE I: NFL Will not Fine Players … sides with thuggery.

Keep it up NFL and you will become the NBA real fast. You already went soft on domestic abuse, now you thumb your nose at the very individuals who keep our streets safe. Pathetic.

The NFL will not adhere to a request from the St. Louis Police Officer’s Association to discipline St. Louis Rams players who did the “hands up, don’t shoot” pose used by protesters in Ferguson, Mo. during pre-game introductions on Sunday.

“We respect and understand the concerns of all individuals who have expressed views on this tragic situation,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports.

The police officer’s association issued a letter late Sunday condemning the players’ actions as “tasteless, offensive and inflammatory” given a grand jury’s decision not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of black teenager Michael Brown.

UPDATE II: NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement, “We respect and understand the concerns of all individuals who have expressed views on this tragic situation.”

“So we wanted to come out and show our respect to the protests and the people who have been doing a heck of a job around the world.”

Well, cops in St. Louis County wouldn’t have minded being told they were doing a heck of a job, too – what with trying to keep criminals from burning down businesses and generally running riot with the same “hands up, don’t shoot” attitude the players brought to the field with them on Sunday.

And in case geniuses like Cook et al didn’t realize it, the fan base of the NFL is at bottom middle-class America, the kind of people – white and black – who don’t appreciate rioting as some kind of art form for social justice.

That something the police union is trying to make them aware of.

“I’d remind the NFL and their players that it is not the violent thugs burning down buildings that buy their advertiser’s products. It’s cops and the good people of St. Louis and other NFL towns that do. Somebody needs to throw a flag on this play,” the union’s statement said.

“If it’s not the NFL and the Rams, then it’ll be cops and their supporters.”

A lot of those cops, and they’re supporters, were Rams fans until Sunday.

UPDATE III: St. Louis County police, Rams spar over reported apology.

Why is it so difficult to apologize for the St. Louis Rams? If some thing had been done to offend blacks in any way I am sure there would be an apology.

The St. Louis Police Officers Association was furious, saying the players “chose to ignore the mountains of evidence released from the St. Louis County Grand Jury” after the jurors decided not to indict former Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson.

A Rams official spoke with police Monday. And that’s when the he-said, he-said started.

St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar sent an e-mail to his staff saying the Rams’ chief operating officer called him Monday to apologize.

“I received a very nice call this morning from Mr. Kevin Demoff of the St. Louis Rams who wanted to take the opportunity to apologize to our department on behalf of the Rams for the “Hands Up” gesture that some players took the field with yesterday,” Belmar wrote in the e-mail, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

But the Rams said that’s just not true.

“We did not apologize,” Rams spokesman Artis Twyman told CNN.

Race-Baiter Al Sharpton Still Causing Trouble in Ferguson, MO … “You won the first round, Mr. Prosecutor, but don’t take your gloves off. Justice will come to Ferguson.”

AL SHARPTON CONTINUES TO CAUSE DIVISION … FANNING THE FLAMES!!!

The race-baiting “vulture” Al Sharpton continued to cause a divide in Ferguson, Missouri over the weekend as he showed up to speak at a church and fanned the flames.  At the Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis, Sharpton took aim at St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch from the pulpit Sunday, claiming the fight for justice in the Michael Brown case is not over. Sharpton said, “You won the first round, Mr. Prosecutor, but don’t take your gloves off. Justice will come to Ferguson.” Hmm, I guess that Reverend Al does not think that the grand jury system is just.

Sharpron is a vile individual, but to do this from the pulpit of a church is beyond words. One day Mr. Sharpton you will have to answer to God for your actions.

The Rev. Al Sharpton took aim at St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch from the pulpit Sunday, saying the fight for justice in the Michael Brown case is not over.

“You won the first round, Mr. Prosecutor, but don’t take your gloves off,” Sharpton said. “Justice will come to Ferguson.”

Sharpton made two appearances Sunday in the St. Louis area, the first at Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis, where Brown’s funeral was held three months ago.

An hour later, he ducked into a church service held under a tent on a parking lot on West Florissant Avenue, with a burned-out building in the background.

It used to be the home of The Flood Christian Church, where Brown’s father, Michael Brown Sr., is a member. But a week ago, after it was announced a grand jury would not indict the police officer who fatally shot Brown in August, the building was torched.