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Friday, December 12, 2014

Power corrupts, and sometimes an innocent man ends up dead

Eric Garner's death and the aftermath of it demonstrate two important lessons about the nature of power.

One lesson: When people have power over others, they are tempted to abuse it.

We don’t know why officer Daniel Pantaleo put Garner in a chokehold, pinned him to the sidewalk, kept the chokehold for 10 seconds and then pressed Garner’s head into the pavement. But here’s one very possible explanation: he did it because he could.

Physically, he could: Pantaleo is muscular, and clearly he had trained in takedowns. He had worked hard to acquire the strength and skills to take down a bigger man. Here was his chance to use that power.

But Garner's death demonstrates this danger of power in more general senses, too.

Police power is always and everywhere vulnerable to abuse — police are given a near-monopoly on the legal use of violence. This is why modern governments place so many restrictions on cops

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9 comments:

  1. We don’t know why officer Daniel Pantaleo put Garner in a chokehold, pinned him to the sidewalk, kept the chokehold for 10 seconds and then pressed Garner’s head into the pavement. But here’s one very possible explanation: he did it because he could

    19 seconds actually.

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  2. yes.. cops were just picking on him because of his color. Give me a break

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  3. Headlock, not chokehold and Garner was breath fine. You can not speak at all if you are not getting air. ME's report doesn't list choking/asphyxia as a cause of death. much to do about nothing

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  4. Garner resisted, and is to blame. End of story.

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  5. You commit a crime...resist arrest....death is chance you take....

    ReplyDelete
  6. Eric Garner is responsible for his own death, He didn't have to break the law he chose to.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous Anonymous said...
    Headlock, not chokehold and Garner was breath fine. You can not speak at all if you are not getting air. ME's report doesn't list choking/asphyxia as a cause of death. much to do about nothing

    December 12, 2014 at 10:30 PM

    cause of death was neck compression with asthma, heart contributing factors.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous Anonymous said...
    yes.. cops were just picking on him because of his color. Give me a break

    December 12, 2014 at 9:50 PM

    one break coming up.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous Anonymous said...
    Garner resisted, and is to blame. End of story.

    December 13, 2014 at 6:51 AM
    Anonymous Anonymous said...
    You commit a crime...resist arrest....death is chance you take....

    December 13, 2014 at 8:28 AM
    Anonymous Anonymous said...
    Eric Garner is responsible for his own death, He didn't have to break the law he chose to.

    December 13, 2014 at 9:37 AM

    You are at the top of the class of sheeple 101

    ReplyDelete

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