by shadylady » Sat Dec 13, 2014 8:02 am
surfsteve: I agree that the Gardner case is somewhat different from the Brown case, but I don't think they're all that different. While I doubt the Brown family will receive a penny as the result of the death of their son, I'd say there's a 50/50 chance that Gardner's family may receive some form of compensation. As for the assertions made in MrGreen's post, I agree completely. The slogan "Everybody could be Eric Garne" is completely wrong. In order for it to be true EVERYBODY would have to have a long list of criminal convictions, EVERYBODY would have to be belligerent and uncooperative when confronted by the police,EVERYBODY would then have to resist arrest, and EVERYBODY would have to weigh 300 pounds. Arresting a large man who is resisting arrest requires the use of physical force and the outcome in a situation like that is not likely to be pleasant. I understand that Gardner had asthma and the officers don't have time to check medical records in these situations. So, if I were on a jury, it would be difficult to persuade me that Gardner's family deserves even a penny in compensation.