A grand jury has decided not to indict an NYPD officer in the fatal choke hold case of Eric Garner. This comes amidst ongoing reaction over the crisis in Ferguson. INSIDE EDITION reports.
A New York City grand jury has decided not to indict a cop in the choke hold death that shocked the nation.
Cops say Eric Garner, father of six, was illegally selling cigarettes on the street in Staten Island when the confrontation with police began, and one of the cops put him in a fatal choke hold.
The Grand Jury decision comes on the heels of the Ferguson riots and New York officials are reportedly worried that Wednesday night's tree lighting at Rockefeller Center could be disrupted by protestors.
And sportscaster Charles Barkley isn't backing down from the comment he made about the looting in Ferguson.
A CNN interviewer said to Barkley, "The scumbag comment, respond to that."
Barkley responded, "When you are looting people's property that's what you are. That's against the law. You wouldn't want people to do that to your house."
Barkley also expressed support for police as the national debate over Ferguson continues.
Barkley said, "Cops are actually awesome. They're the only thing in the ghetto and between this place being the wild, wild west."
Barkley also had this to say about racial profiling: "There's a reason they racially profile us at times. Sometimes it's wrong, but sometimes it's right."
Another high profile commentator, Bill O'Reilly, is coming under fire for what he said about the hands up, don't shoot demonstration made by St. Louis Rams players at Sunday's NFL game.
O'Reilly said, "Quite frankly, I don't think they're smart enough to know what they're doing. I don't. I absolutely don't think they're smart enough to know what they're doing."
Juan Williams was dismayed, and O'Reilly's other guest, Mary Katharine Ham, just shook her head.
The Ferguson crisis took another turn today as Michael Brown's stepfather issued a public apology for his outburst the night the grand jury decided not to indict officer Darren Wilson.
Brown's stepfather said, "My emotions admittedly got the best of me. This is my family. I was so angry and full of raw emotion as so many others were, and, granted, I screamed out words that I shouldn't have. It was wrong and I humbly apologize."
