The New York State Assembly passed a bill Monday that would criminalize the use of chokeholds that result in injury or death, CBS News reported. The legislation was named after Eric Garner, a black man killed in 2014 after being placed in a chokehold by an NYPD officer.
What We Know:
- The use of chokeholds has been banned by the NYPD since 1993 but it “was not enough to protect Eric Garner, and it is not enough today,” said Speaker Carl Heastie. This legislation “will put an end to the practice across the state,” he continued.
- Under the new bill, which passed in both houses of the state legislature, an officer who injures or kills someone through the use of a chokehold or “similar restraint” can be charged with a class C felony and up to 15 years in prison.
- “Almost six years ago, we heard Eric Garner tell police ‘I can’t breath’ as he was put into a chokehold by an NYPD officer. His words now speak from the grave as we deal with the police killing of George Floyd under nearly identical circumstances,” bill sponsor Walter T. Mosley stated Monday.
The New York State Assembly reported that since the death of Eric Garner, 996 people have been placed in chokeholds by NYPD officers. NY Governor Andrew Cuomo has indicated that he will sign the bill into law.
