Protests continue after chokehold death ruling

2014-12-04 2

For the second time in nearly two weeks, thousands of protesters across the country are out on the streets.

They're demanding justice for Eric Garner, an African American who died after being placed in a chokehold by a New York police officer.

A grand jury decided Wednesday not to charge the officer.

Like the situation in Ferguson, Missouri, the NYPD officer was white and Garner was black and unarmed.

On Staten Island, protesters gathered at the spot where officer Daniel Pantaleo had put Garner in the chokehold - a practice banned by the NYPD.

Garner was accused of illegally selling cigarettes. Police say he was resisting arrest.

Garner later died.

The city's medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, saying the police officers killed Garner by compressing his neck and chest .

Garner's last words, "I can't breathe," have become a slogan for protesters, angry at his death, the grand jury decision, and the use of force by police.