Episodes
Tuesday Aug 05, 2014
Leid Stories - 08/05/14
Tuesday Aug 05, 2014
Tuesday Aug 05, 2014
Medical Examiner Rules Homicide; Chokehold Case Takes Familiar Path
Israel, International Law and Impediments to Peace in Palestine
New York City’s chief medical examiner announced last Friday that Eric Garner, a 43-year-old father of six from Staten Island who died during a violent arrest by a group of police officers on July 17, was the victim of a homicide. Officer Daniel Pantaleo, 29, had placed Garner in a chokehold—a tactical maneuver banned by the NYPD since 1993.
The case has touched off yet another wave of community outrage over police brutality, with the Rev. Al Sharpton taking the lead in calling for justice and seeking federal intervention.
Leid Stories cites troubling signs that the case is already on the wrong course, and explains how it is following a predictable pattern that is unlikely to deliver the kind of justice the community is clamoring for.
Israel reportedly has withdrawn all troops from Gaza as a 72-hour truce goes into effect to deliver humanitarian aid to the bombarded area. Many are hoping it is the first step in a de-escalation of hostilities and a step toward brokered peace negotiations.
Richard Falk, professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University and a U.N.-appointed special rapporteur on Palestine, explains in a speech at the University of London how and why several attempts at negotiating peace deliberately were sabotaged.