Eric Garner's Widow's Reaction To The Verdict

Minutes after a Staten Island grand jury decided not to indict Daniel Pantaleo — the NYPD officer who put Eric Garner in the chokehold that precipitated Garner's death — Garner's widow, Esaw Garner, spoke to The New York Daily News. "Oh my God," she said. "Are you serious?"

Esaw's reaction echoes that of many, which in turn echoes the response to Darren Wilson being cleared of charges by a St. Louis grand jury last Monday. The NYPD is preparing for protests around the Staten Island courthouse that cleared Pantaleo, as well as protests in the greater New York City area.

“I’m very disappointed," Garner told The Daily News. "You can see in the video that [Pantaleo] was dead wrong ... The grand jury kept interviewing witnesses but you didn't need witnesses. You can be a witness for yourself. Oh my God, this shit is crazy.”

Garner's death has parallels to the death of Michael Brown in August in Ferguson, Missouri — but unlike Wilson's shooting of Brown, Garner's death was caught on camera in a harrowing video that has been made public.

It's now up to the Department of Justice to probe whether to bring civil rights charges against Darren Wilson, which Garner's widow told Daily News she hoped would also happen with her late husband's case. "I guess I have to go with the next step," she said, referring to a DOJ investigation.

Later Wednesday evening, Esaw is expected to appear with Al Sharpton to deliver an official statement.

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