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NYPD’s #WeHearYou Hashtag Promptly Backfires

NYPD’s #WeHearYou Hashtag Promptly Backfires

Today, a grand jury decided not to bring criminal charges against the police officer who put an illegal chokehold on Eric Garner until he died. In a video of the altercation, Garner can be heard telling police that he couldn’t breathe over and over, to no avail. The grand jury’s decision not to indict the officer—just two weeks after a grand jury decided not to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the death of Mike Brown—prompted swift outrage. NYPD Community Affairs Chief Joanne Jaffe took to Twitter to address the fury, saying “The #NYPD is committed to rebuilding public trust. #Wehearyou” All told, probably not a terribly well thought out tweet, as #WeHearYou exploded over Twitter in sad, angry mockery. “A good start would be proving that cops aren’t above the law,” tweeted Matthew Hunziker. “Wish you would have heard #ericgarner when he told you he couldn’t breathe over and over again,” tweeted Garret Koehler.

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