Sparking protests in several cities, social media outrage and a U.S. civil rights probe, a New York City grand jury declined to indict a white police officer in the death of a black man put in a chokehold after selling untaxed cigarettes. The grand jury found "no reasonable cause" to indict officer Daniel Pantaleo, who was attempting to arrest Eric Garner, 43, on July 17. Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Manhattan and Staten Island, as well as places including Philadelphia; San Francisco; Clayton, Mo; and Atlanta on Wednesday night and early Thursday, in protest of the grand jury's decision. As angry crowds gathered to demonstrate in Manhattan on Wednesday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Justice Department is opening a federal civil rights inquiry. Holder, while urging calm in the aftermath of yet another controversial grand jury action, promised that the federal inquiry would be "independent, thorough and fair.' Read more http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/12/03/chokehold-grand-jury/19804577/
