In the midst of the storm of denunciations directed at cops for their handling of a Staten Island man who died while being arrested, we hope people keep in mind one fact: Eric Garner would be alive today if he hadn’t resisted arrest.
The 6-foot-5, 350-pound father of six was approached by plainclothes cops who, responding to complaints from local merchants, tried to arrest him for selling loose, untaxed cigarettes.
He denied the accusation, accused cops of harassing him and defiantly declared: “I’m tired of it. It stops today.” In other words, Garner made clear that he was not going peacefully.
As NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said: “I do not expect my officers to walk away” from such situations.
That doesn’t make his death any less a tragedy. But just as criminals are entitled to a presumption of innocence, so too are police. We await the results of the investigation, and we are confident Commissioner Bratton will do the right thing.
What worries us is how this case is being used by those who have an interest in painting the NYPD as enemies of the people. So instead of focusing on what happened between the cops and Garner, some are claiming this is part of a long pattern of police abuse.
And thanks to the City Council, they can now sue.
Eric Garner’s death is a terrible loss for his family and friends. And if cops are found to have behaved wrongly, we’ll support strong disciplinary action.
What The Post will not support is the hijacking of a tragic incident to advance an ideological campaign aimed at smearing a police force that’s made New York America’s safest big city.
