NY Grand Jury Decision on Chokehold Death Ignites Social Media Criticisms
By Melony Roy
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Conversation about Eric Garner dominated social media Wednesday night following a grand jury's decision not to indict an NYPD officer in the man's chokehold death.
"Eric Garner" and "I Can't Breathe" remained the top trending topics in the United States on Twitter this morning.
Another trend gaining traction is was the hashtag "#CrimingWhileWhite."
Pro-Garner tweeters -- many of whom are white -- began posting about alleged past encounters with police that did not result in violent arrests, pointing out what they see as a double standard in policing based on race.
The New York Police Department came under fire after its community affairs account sent a tweet moments after the grand jury's decision. The tweet was sent from the account of Joanne Jaffe, chief of the NYPD's community affairs bureau.
The hashtag #WeHearYou exploded with tweets critical of NYPD policies following Jaffe's message.
That hashtag was quickly trending across the US.