“I am incredibly saddened and shocked that a grand jury on Staten Island has failed to indict Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo in the death of Eric Garner. The system is broken. Officer Pantaleo’s deadly encounter was caught clearly on videotape, and yet Eric Garner and his family will not know the justice of a jury trial. This is a travesty. I hope that a federal investigation will be forthcoming.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the Garner family, and I wish them peace in their most difficult hour. This is why we protest: to fight injustice. Whether Amadou Diallo or Eric Bell or now Eric Garner, we protest to stand up against a justice system that so often seems to fail men and women of color. We can no longer allow that to stand.
“With that said, this is not the time for violence. I urge the people of this city to fight their battles through continued protest and activism, and not to meet this outrage with more violence,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.