This is a pretty good example of why I stopped training Gracie University combatitives. In my view, Rener and his brother are siding with the police because they make money training law enforcement. I suspect their vision is for a nation-wide mandatory GRACIE POLICE TRAINING PROGRAM!™
Excessive force was used here, plain and simple, way more force than was neccesary. As a result a man died.
This did not require a fucking breakdown.
Breakdown seems a tad inappropriate and it doesn’t matter if they are 100% correct which I am not convinced they are. Something just seems “cringe worthy” about this.
According to witnesses at the scene of his death, he wasn't selling cigarettes, but rather was trying to break up a fight.
MrZipplokk -
Unfortunetly most people are not aware that , by law, they have to comply with police demands. Argue ur point later. But many people think they do not have to comply.
That's actually a fallacy. While it is true a citizen is obligated to comply with police if they are being arrested, you have the right to refuse to identify yourself and/or leave if you are not. This suspect was clearly agitated but I can't help feeling the police could have avoided the violent takedown if his options were more calmy and rationally explained to him.
Right or wrong, LEO are being held accountable for these seemingly frequent incidences. Choke holds, shooting dogs in cars, flash banging babies in cribs etc. Our culture is too violent, police, military, civilian, everyone needs to practice more patience in using force. Its obvious we live in a police state, the real question is, is it really worth it? 
Come on now, both sides were at fault here for different reasons.
Here is the statute for resisting arrest in Nebraska. I would have searched New York but I am unfamiliar with their resources and this sort of thing is generally going to be worded the same.
28-904. Resisting arrest; penalty; affirmative defense.
(1) A person commits the offense of resisting arrest if, while intentionally preventing or attempting to prevent a peace officer, acting under color of his or her official authority, from effecting an arrest of the actor or another, he or she:
(a) Uses or threatens to use physical force or violence against the peace officer or another; or
(b) Uses any other means which creates a substantial risk of causing physical injury to the peace officer or another; or
(c) Employs means requiring substantial force to overcome resistance to effecting the arrest.
(2) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this section if the peace officer involved was out of uniform and did not identify himself or herself as a peace officer by showing his or her credentials to the person whose arrest is attempted.
(3) Resisting arrest is (a) a Class I misdemeanor for the first such offense and (b) a Class IIIA felony for any second or subsequent such offense.
(4) Resisting arrest through the use of a deadly or dangerous weapon is a Class IIIA felony.
http://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=28-904
The gentleman clearly resisted arrest by requiring force to overcome resistance to effecting the arrest. When the officer attempted to handcuff Mr. Garner he pulled his hands away and generally made it difficult for the cops to do their job. True they suspected him of selling “loosies”, but the guy with camera was talking about Mr. Garner breaking up a fight. To me that means the Mr. Garner isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. From the cop’s perspective Mr. Garner is a very large and intimidating guy suspected of a minor offense and when he resists arrest he needs to be handled accordingly before the situation escalates into a brawl. Mr. Garner may have been innocent of the crime, but resisting arrest in New York City is really stupid when you are an African American, obese, asthmatic guy with a heart condition. Repeat, that is a recipe for disaster. Mr. Garner put himself into harm’s way plain and simple.
On Mr. Garner’s side, I completely believe him when he complained about getting harassed constantly by the cops. If I had to live under “stop and frisk” I’d be pissed! The guy had an irrational reaction to the situation. If I were one of those cops I wouldn’t go right for the kill, I’d talk him down. I’m not nor have I ever been a police officer but I was a bouncer in downtown Lincoln, NE for about 6 years. I never started a fight. If I can talk a group of drunken rowdy brothers out of a bar without getting into fight then those 2 cops can handle that situation differently.
One more thing, to say that he was killed for selling loosies is really f’n stupid. If the cops walked up and said “we here you’ve been selling loose cigarettes”, pulled out a gun, and shot him; that statement holds water. The officers aggressively restrained Mr. Garner because he resisted arrest, then he died I the ambulance of a heart attack. Words have meaning, stop being so reactionary.
A bit surprised by all the people calling this video in poor taste. I haven't watched it yet, so was it how they talked about it? Maybe they were disrespectful in some way. Because, imo, just making this video is not in poor taste. The Gracies have a long history of involvement with LE including developing control tactics programs for LE. Also, this story and what happened has important implications for every martial artist (particularly grapplers) that might one day have to use their techniques to defend themselves.
Maybe it's that putting it in the context of a "Gracie Breakdown" video which is usually reserved for less serious sport matches for fun and entertainment is the issue. I guess I could see that. But I think it's okay for anyone with an interest in Martial Arts, LE or Self Defense to be talking about this.
Dude, it looked to me like the cops were being as cool with the situation as they could up until he freaked out. They were smiling, using non-threatening body language, and as far as I can see were trying to make the best out of the situation. It’s not a police officer’s fault that selling loose cigarette’s is illegal. It’s not their fault that if a 300+ pound man decides not to play by the rules today that they can’t just walk away from the situation and try again later like a civilian. Cops are just people man, some of them are real assholes, but that’s not the vibe I got from the cops in this video.
Shouldn’t have had to resist arrest? If he had just talked to them like a reasonable person he probably would have walked out of there with a ticket instead of died in an ambulance.
This is a breakdown of how something like killing a citizen in public would have gone down in Asia:
http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/thread/2347360/China-cops-beat-women-onlookers-kill-cops/?&page=1
If that dude was a chick then he had one hell of a sex change operation.
NebraskaBeef - Dude, it looked to me like the cops were being as cool with the situation as they could up until he freaked out. They were smiling, using non-threatening body language, and as far as I can see were trying to make the best out of the situation. It’s not a police officer’s fault that selling loose cigarette’s is illegal. It’s not their fault that if a 300+ pound man decides not to play by the rules today that they can’t just walk away from the situation and try again later like a civilian. Cops are just people man, some of them are real assholes, but that’s not the vibe I got from the cops in this video.
Shouldn’t have had to resist arrest? If he had just talked to them like a reasonable person he probably would have walked out of there with a ticket instead of died in an ambulance.
Yeah man, they totally needed to waste him.
I mean, he was selling individual cigarrettes! Those are bad for your health and everything!
Awesome!
The more posters here try to rationalize police killing someone selling smokes, the more I lose faith in humanity.
You poor, brainwashed bastards.
You already quoted the part where I said I’d be pissed if I had to live under stop and frisk, that’s a bad situation and I don’t know how I would react. Neither do you, unless of course you do live under stop and frisk in which case I wish you luck.
I just think it’s important to realize that those cops were just doing their job. Even if those guys are as “power hungry” as you say, if they were to be fired today and replaced with 2 really cool not power hungry new cops they would still have to do the same job and enforce the exact same laws.
Those “power hungry” cops never got the chance to find out if Mr. Garner really was selling loose cigarettes (which is a really freaking stupid thing to be illegal) because he didn’t want to play by the rules. That sucks, but he’s the one that freaked out. Don’t start none won’t be none.
thatonedude - Kill the cops.....all of them. These assholes need to be put back in their places and maybe people wouldn't be so god damn confrontational with them.
Have you forgotten 9/11? Or are you too young to remember? Our cops and firemen ran IN, again and again, where everybody else was running OUT. They saved thousands of lives that day. They didn't do it for the money; nobody becomes a cop or a fireman to get rich. To this day when I see a cop on the street I give him a smile. And this is from a man who was harassed by two bad cops, just for running on the street. That was before my reality check.
Cooperate, get the cop's name and shield number, remember the location, date and time of day. and have your day in court later.
http://www.mediafire.com/view/6en3kcqxpuj2hyr/Remember_9-11.pdf
6ULDV8 -
The more posters here try to rationalize police killing someone selling smokes, the more I lose faith in humanity.
You poor, brainwashed bastards.
6ULDV8 -NebraskaBeef - Dude, it looked to me like the cops were being as cool with the situation as they could up until he freaked out. They were smiling, using non-threatening body language, and as far as I can see were trying to make the best out of the situation. It’s not a police officer’s fault that selling loose cigarette’s is illegal. It’s not their fault that if a 300+ pound man decides not to play by the rules today that they can’t just walk away from the situation and try again later like a civilian. Cops are just people man, some of them are real assholes, but that’s not the vibe I got from the cops in this video.
Shouldn’t have had to resist arrest? If he had just talked to them like a reasonable person he probably would have walked out of there with a ticket instead of died in an ambulance.
Yeah man, they totally needed to waste him.
I mean, he was selling individual cigarrettes! Those are bad for your health and everything!
Awesome!
ramaham -hooha - He wasn't a threat, he wasn't unruly.They'd have done the same to a big white or Latino too...
This was manslaughter because of racist, irresponsible cops working in a racist, irresponsible system.
Read up on the story folks and if you have a heart, you'll feel for this man and his family that just lost a husband and dad for NOTHING.
Really don't see the race card here, just over abuse of power
Now I realize that the police should kill people, and I had it all wrong that we should be on the same side.
If you've got a uniform, you should kill people, until they're dead.
I mean come on, you didn't really kill them, they just happened to die because of other reasons when you think about it.
RIP
hooha -ramaham -hooha - He wasn't a threat, he wasn't unruly.They'd have done the same to a big white or Latino too...
This was manslaughter because of racist, irresponsible cops working in a racist, irresponsible system.
Read up on the story folks and if you have a heart, you'll feel for this man and his family that just lost a husband and dad for NOTHING.
Really don't see the race card here, just over abuse of power
You don't see the race issue here? Do they have "stop and frisk" in white communities? Do you have a constant police presence in most white communities? Do white people regularly get stopped by police, questioned, pulled over in their cars?
You don't see the race issue because you're obviously not a visible minority and that's not your daily reality. Whether it's a story like this, the Trayvon Martin case or Katrina, there's ample evidence of racist behaviour/policies and the abuse of power by police towards black/hispanic communities.
But at least you're right that they would have done it to a Latino person too!
The police killed Trayvon Martin?