With the recent news that the police officer who put Eric Garner in a chokehold would not be indicted in his death, there have been many reactions on social media to the news of what happened.
The decision not to indict officer Daniel Pantaleo in Garner’s death came just after another controversial ruling was made in a case that has brought racial tensions further coverage in the media.
There has been plenty of controversy and upset because of what many see as an injustice to Garner, especially in light of the recent decision by the grand jury in Michael Brown’s case not to indict that cop, Darren Wilson, as well.
On Twitter, the hashtag #crimingwhilewhite has been trending as users tweet about how people who are white have done crimes and have not served time the way black individuals have to show the disparity between the justice system. CNN reported that other hash tags have been increasingly trending, such as #ICantBreathe, which were the last words Garner said.
Many of the tweets included white individuals talking about how they were simply let go when they tried to commit a crime. One woman at one of the recent protests tweeted about crossing a barricade with a black protestor and while he was stopped, she was simply told to “get in the pen.” Here are just some of the tweets that have appeared in the hashtag.