A month after a grand jury chose not to indict New York City Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo on charges related to Eric Garner’s death, the city was still reeling. Protests took place nearly every day after the decision not to indict Pantaleo for killing Garner, an unarmed black man from Staten Island who died after the officer used a “take-down” procedure while arresting him for selling untaxed cigarettes.


For supporting the protesters who sought justice after Garner’s death, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio became mired in conflict with local law enforcement officials. A suicidal man named Ismaaiyl Brinsley only complicated matters when he shot his girlfriend and fatally wounded two New York City police officers to exact revenge for the police killings of Garner and Michael Brown. Brinsley then took his own life. His actions only widened the divide between the protesters, de Blasio and the police.

It’s uncertain when, or if, New York City, Ferguson, Mo., and other cities affected by police killings will bounce back from these traumatic incidents. But this roundup of  activism, controversies and tragedies that have taken place in New York following Garner’s death examines why the Big Apple entered the year 2015 as a city divided.

Thousands of Protesters

Thousands of protesters marched in New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, California and other states after a Staten Island grand jury opted not to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo on charges connected to Eric Garner’s death.

In New York, they organized die-ins at Macy’s, Grand Central Terminal and throughout Manhattan. Protesters in New York blocked major thoroughfares such as FDR Drive in Lower Manhattan, while protesters in Oakland, Calif., blocked Interstate 880 in Demonstrations broke out in academic institutions as well, such as Yale University in New Haven, Conn., Rutgers University in New Brunswick. And in Colorado, students staged a walkout in protest of the grand jury decision in New York and Ferguson, Mo.

Bill de Blasio Weighs In

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said that he empathized with Ben Garner, Eric’s father, as well as with the protesters. “I couldn't help but immediately think what it would mean to me to lose Dante,” said de Blasio, referring to his biracial, teenage son. “Things would never be the same again.” De Blasio went on to say that he and his wife, Chirlane McCray, have told their son to take “special care” when interacting with police.

Law enforcement officials said they found the mayor’s remarks offensive and began a public rift with him. Hundreds of officers turned their backs when de Blasio delivered remarks at the funeral of Rafael Ramos, one of two police officers killed by Brinsley.

After the Dec. 20 killings of Ramos and Wenjian Liu, de Blasio requested that demonstrators halt their protests until funerals for the slain officers took place. It’s time to “put aside political debates, put aside protests, put aside everything we will talk about in due time while two families try to piece their lives back together,” he said. But the activists continued to rally.

The Murders of Wenjian Liu And Rafael Ramos

A 28-year-old African-American man named Ismaaiyl Brinsley shot officers Liu, 32, and Ramos, 40, as they sat in their patrol car. Brinsley killed the police officers with no warning. He’d posted on his Facebook page that he shot the officers as payback for the killings of Garner and Brown.

"I'm Putting Wings On Pigs Today," he wrote in a Facebook post before the killings. "They Take 1 Of Ours...... Let's Take 2 Of Theirs."

Before killing the officers, Brinsley shot his girlfriend in the stomach. After he killed Liu and Ramos, he shot himself in the head in the subway. Brinsley had a police record and a history of mental instability, according to news reports. He’d tried to kill himself previously and said that he’d spent time under psychiatric care.

Brown’s family condemned the killings, as did the Rev. Al Sharpton.

"We have stressed at every rally and march that anyone engaged in any violence is an enemy to the pursuit of justice for Eric Garner and Michael Brown," Sharpton told the Associated Press.