Firing Pantaleo Won’t Erase Motive for Garner’s Death Because America Still Suffers from Severe Sickness
“You finally made the decision that should have been made five years ago,” said Emerald Snipes Garner, daughter of Eric Garner.
Former New York police officer Daniel Pantaleo finally lost his job five years after killing Eric Garner on July 17, 2014 with a chokehold because Garner had gotten caught selling untaxed cigarettes.
Pantaleo avoided jail time and a GoFundMe campaign set up for him earned nearly $100,000 in only a couple of days.
His annual salary with the New York Police Department was $97,000.
The GoFundMe organizer wrote, “Support NYC Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo and his family. Mayor de Blasio’s anti-police rhetoric contributed toward the decision to fire him. Let’s help an officer in need who was only doing his job! It’s the least we can do for a brother in blue with a newborn and bills to pay!”
Two things are wrong with the GoFundMe campaign.
First, cops who support the GoFundMe campaign have written racist messages to go with their donations.
The Plain View Project reported that one in five current cops and two in five retired cops have written racist messages on Facebook.
Having openly racist cops on the New York police force can lead to the killing of innocent and unarmed Black men.
Garner is a prime example of that.
Secondly, Pantaleo broke police rules when used the chokehold and continued the chokehold after Garner was subdued and had one hand behind his back.
If your job forbids using the chokehold and you use it anyway resulting in the death of an unarmed man, how is that just doing your job?
America is fighting for its soul and thanks to our leaders from politicians to police officers; we are selling our soul a little more each day.
How can America rid itself of police brutality and racism if said behavior goes unpunished and sometimes rewarded?
We saw the same thing happen when George Zimmerman faced a judge for killing Trayvon Martin in Florida.
Zimmerman killed Martin on Feb. 26, 2012 in Sanford, Fla.
The self-appointed neighborhood watch patrolman told 911 that he was tired of people getting away with crimes and he was going to put a stop to it.
Emergency dispatchers told him to stand down, but he followed the little boy and physically confronted him.
When Martin tried to defend himself from being attacked by a stranger and grown man, Zimmerman fatally shot Martin.
Some bigots labeled Zimmerman as a hero saying that the kid should not have fought back and Zimmerman was just defending himself from an overpowering skinny little teenager.
But what should Martin have done after being followed and harassed by a strange man stalking him?
If Martin had disobeyed a police officer then it is a different story.
But Martin disobeyed a creepy stalker.
He fought back from a stranger danger attack and people labeled him a thug and Zimmerman a hero.
More importantly, Martin’s only crime was walking back to his father’s house wearing a hoodie in the winter after visiting the local corner store.
As a result, idiots donated over $200,000 in days for Zimmerman’s legal defense fund.
Furthermore, people have even paid for Zimmerman’s autograph as a way of helping him raise money.
Obviously, not only do some Americans condone systemic racism, violence and police brutality against African-Americans, many seem willing to pay to maintain the status quo and the racial caste system that we have in America that tries to permanently keep African-Americans at the bottom of the totem pole.
There is something wrong with a person who will support anyone that kills another human being unless that killing is in self-defense or the defense of others.
While some might think Pantaleo deserves financial support because he works in a dangerous profession in which at any moment might cost him his life, what is the justification for those who financially supported Zimmerman back in the day?
What people are saying when they support people like Zimmerman is that young and old Black males deserve to die for walking home after buying an Arizona tea from the local convenient store or for selling loosies, untaxed cigarettes.
Those people are saying that our lives are not worth more than something that can be purchased at a corner store or bodega.
It is funny when some White guys kill innocent Black males; they get rewarded with money and support.
But when a Black man gets convicted of a crime, whether they are innocent or not, they become property of the state.
They lose their freedom and become legal slaves to the system.
And sometimes they lose their right to vote.
As a matter of fact, I used the word convicted for a reason.
A White assailant can kill a Black person on camera and that assailant often avoids jail time.
However, there are countless Black men in jail right now because of the system and the fact that they did not have the money to hire proper legal representation.
But the problem is not just in the system but also in the hearts of mankind.
Imagine if a child molester got money from a GoFundMe campaign from other child molesters.
Imagine if a rapist got money via GoFundMe from other rapists.
It would be hard to fathom and would be unacceptable and despicable.
Those same two adjectives, unacceptable and despicable, should be used to describe anyone who gives money to someone who killed another person for frivolous reasons like Pantaleo and Zimmerman.
With their donations, those donors have only cosigned homicide in my opinion.
Furthermore, those donors have cosigned and encouraged the same illness that is known as America’s original sin.
Therefore, firing Pantaleo will not solve America’s problem.
Instead of repenting for that sin, some Americans want to celebrate that sin.
But the wages of sin are still death and we can’t ask God to bless America if we never atone for our iniquities and our evil heart.
