Contributing Writers: Azad Ali, Tangerine Clarke,
George Alleyne, Nelson King,
Vinette K. Pryce, Bert Wilkinson
GENERAL INFORMATION (718) 260-2500
Caribbean L 10 ife, Aug. 2–8, 2019 BQ
By Jumaane D. Williams
Just over five years ago,
on Bay Street in Staten
Island, New York City
police officers confronted
Eric Garner on suspicion
of selling unlicensed
cigarettes. As the situation
escalated, Officer Daniel
Pantaleo wrapped his
arms around Garner in a
maneuver that became a
choke hold, one banned by
the police department in
which he served. Garner
said, 11 times, “I can’t
breathe.” His pleas were
ignored, and he died on
that street on July 17,
2014.
We know this because
we’ve seen it. Because it
was caught on film and
grabbed the attention of the
country, pushing forward a
movement for racial justice
and police reform that is
changing conversation and
policy.
But that movement has
still not seen any justice for
the man whose last words
became a rallying cry. His
killer, Pantaleo, has not
been held accountable.
And no matter what
Department of Justice
prosecutors ruled, no matter
what this administration
says in response, there
have been opportunities
for New York City Mayor,
Bill de Blasio to take action
against the man who heard
Garner’s cries, 11 times,
and ignored them.
Here are 11 times the
de Blasio administration
failed to act:
1. July 18, 2014. While
the mayor cannot directly
fire an NYPD officer, he has
the immediate authority to
suspend an officer for up
to 30 days. We know this
because two years later, an
officer was suspended just
days after an encounter
in which he blamed his
decision to give a ticket on
the mayor. Even Mayor Rudy
Giuliani suspended officers
for misconduct. If an
offhand remark against the
mayor merits suspension,
surely Pantaleo’s use of
force meets that mark. Yet
no suspension was coming,
and none has come to this
day. We’re in a bad place if
we’re saying, “At least be
like Rudy.”
2. Two weeks after the
incident, the city’s medical
examiner ruled Eric
Garner’s death a homicide
and that the cause of death
was neck compression
from a choke hold. That
choke hold was caught on
camera-we knew then that
an officer could commit a
homicide and remain on
the force.
3. One month later,
an independent forensic
pathologist confirmed
those findings to the
grieving Garner family. In
this time, there have been
countless demonstrations
demanding that Pantaleo
be fired and be charged for
the homicide he was found
to have committed. Those
protests have resulted
in zero actions against
Pantaleo.
4. In December of 2014,
nearly six months after Eric
Garner was killed, a grand
jury found “no reasonable
cause” to indict Pantaleo.
This verdict ignited outrage
and demonstrations, even
led to Attorney General Eric
Holder supporting a federal
civil rights investigation,
but the leader who could
still take immediate
action, Mayor de Blasio,
declined and deferred to
Washington.
5. Near the first
anniversary of Eric
Garner’s death, his family
settled a lawsuit with
By Gerry Hopkin, JD
In order to send any amount
of money from New York City to
Grenada via Western Union, the
transfer fee is more than double
what it costs to send the same
amount of money to most other
countries. In light of this fact,
many contacted Grenadians
and reached friends of Grenada
– others who have reasons
(business and / or personal) to
wire money to the island – are
ready to petition and protest
this blatantly unfair, excessive,
burdensome and unreasonable,
discriminatory policy of
Western Union. Folks are also
ready to boycott Western Union
if the company refuses to lower
its fees for wire transfers to
Grenada.
The Disparity: for example,
in order to send US Brooklyn,
NY; July 16, 2019 —$200 to
Grenada, it is currently costing
US $22.00, whereas to send the
same amount of money to most
other countries in the same
Caribbean region or even way
beyond, it will cost much less,
as factually illustrated below:
AMOUNT | SENT TO
| FEE
US $200 Grenada
US.$22.00
US $200 Haiti
US.$11.99
US $200 St. Lucia
US.$11.99
US $200 T&Tobago
US.$8.00
US $200 Jamaica
US.$8.00
US $200 Guyana
US.$7.99
US $200 Panama
US.$8:00
US $200 D.R. US.$8.00
US $200 Nigeria
US.$8.00
In light of this gross
disparity, Grenadians and other
concerned friends of Grenada
are demanding an immediate
reduction of the fees for wire
transfers that are destined
for Grenada, so that the cost
would no longer be unfairly
burdensome and discriminatory
for Grenadians and others who
wire money to Grenada.
After noticing and further
researching the gross disparity
being meted out against those
who wire funds to Grenada,
Community Organizer, Gerry
Hopkin, JD, decided to do
something about the issue
by contacting other leaders
to properfully and effectively
organize to address the
matter. Additionally, steps are
being taken to fully inform
the Diaspora community of
this biased disparity, which is
OP-EDS
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Continued on Page 11
Continued on Page 11
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Eric Garner’s killer got a raise
and de Blasio did nothing
Western Union
unfairly targets
transfers to Grenada
with excessive fees
Public Advocate, Jumaane Williams.
/schnepsmedia.com