Chokehold Ruling Touches Off New York Protests

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By Sky News US Team

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of New York after a grand jury cleared a police officer in the chokehold death of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man.

Many of the protesters chanted "I can't breathe" - the last words spoken by Mr Garner on July 17.

Protests throughout Manhattan were mostly peaceful but disrupted traffic into the early hours of Thursday.

About 30 people were arrested but police appeared to show restraint and avoided confrontation.

At Grand Central Terminal, about 40 people lay on the floor in a "die-in" protest as the evening rush hour got under way.

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Gallery: Protests After Chokehold Jury Decision

Activists demand justice for the death of Eric Garner, staging a 'die-in' during rush hour at Grand Central Terminal

About 40 people took part in the 'die-in' protest. The demonstrations began after a grand jury cleared a police officer in the chokehold death of Mr Garner

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Many chanted 'I can't breathe', the last words spoken by Mr Garner

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Protesters block traffic in New York after the verdict

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Some held signs recalling the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri

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In Times Square, a crowd of at least 200 people chanted: "No indictment is denial. We want a public trial."

Some 400 protesters marched through midtown Manhattan, tying up traffic and heading from Times Square to Rockefeller Center, where the annual tree-lighting ceremony was held on Wednesday night.

Police presence was heavy as hundreds of protesters stood behind rows of barricades, but the annual tradition was uninterrupted.

Officer Daniel Pantaleo was captured on video using the banned hold on Mr Garner, who was resisting arrest in Staten Island on suspicion of selling loose, untaxed cigarettes.

The grand jury decision follows a similar ruling in Missouri not to indict a white police officer for shooting dead unarmed black teenager Michael Brown. That ruling led to sometimes violent protests in Ferguson and across the country.

"We should hope for justice and be surprised every time it doesn't happen," said a protester in New York, Meredith Reitman, a 40-year-old white woman from Queens.

Mr Garner's mother, Gwen Carr, said the decision was "breaking my heart, just pulling me apart".

"I don't know what video they were looking at. Evidently it wasn't the same one that the rest of the world was looking at," she added.

"How can we put our trust in the justice system when they fail us like this?"

Officer Pantaleo, 29, said he did not intend to perform a chokehold - which was banned by the Police Department in 1993 - but was performing a takedown.

He said in a statement it was "never my intention to harm anyone and I feel very bad about the death of Mr Garner", sending his condolences to the family.

But Mr Garner's 43-year-old widow said she did not accept the apology.

"He's still working, he's still getting a paycheck, he's still feeding his kids and my husband is six feet under and I'm looking for a way to feed my kids now," said Esaw Garner.

"Who's going to play Santa Claus for my grandkids this year? Who's going to do that now?"

Barack Obama said the grand jury decision emphasised the need to strengthen trust and accountability between the community and law enforcement.

"When anybody in this country is not being treated equally under the law, that's a problem. And it's my job as president to help solve it," the US President said.

The US Justice Department will conduct a federal investigation into Mr Garner's death.

Rights campaigner Reverend Al Sharpton called on the federal government to intervene in police cases, and denounced what he said was "police brutality".

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