Dec 12 6:03 PM

NYPD resisting-arrest charges more often filed against blacks

The plainclothes officer that placed Eric Garner in a deadly chokehold claimed Garner was resisting arrest.
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An analysis of some of the most common criminal complaints filed by the New York Police Department has found that African Americans are significantly more likely than whites to face the charge of resisting arrest.

According to WNYC Data News, court records show that, of those charged with misdemeanor drug possession, petty theft or disorderly conduct, black defendants were roughly twice as likely to also get cited for resisting arrest. Statistics were additionally segmented by borough, with Staten Island consistently showing the greatest disparities between black and white arrestees.

In Staten Island, which has drawn extra attention this year since the death of 43-year-old African American Eric Garner after he was placed in an illegal chokehold by an NYPD officer, a black man arrested for the crimes examined is nearly two-an-a-half times more likely to also face charges of resisting arrest.

Statements made by Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association president Pat Lynch last week after no indictments were delivered in Garner’s death seem to underscore the connection. “We believe Mr. Garner made a choice that day to resist arrest,” Lynch said. “Resisting arrest leads to confrontation; confrontation leads to tragedy.”

But those interviewed by WNYC saw it from a slightly different perspective: “Law enforcement experts say resisting arrest charges are a strong indicator that an arrest went bad and a cop had to use force.”

Questions of blaming the victim aside, given WNYC’s findings, the PBA chief’s equation does not bode well for the future of police relations with communities of color.

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