The decision to seal the grand jury record of the trial for the death of Eric Garner, a 43-year-old black man who died while being subjected to a choke hold by a white NYPD officer, has come under intense scrutiny, prompting numerous groups and lawmakers to question the impartiality of the justice system.
New York Civil Liberties Union attorney Art Eisenberg stated that the sealing of the records simply adds to the suspicion that the trial was not as impartial as it should have been, according to Reuters.
"The secrecy only reinforces suspicion, and there is deep suspicion here in the communities of color and among others," he said.
On Tuesday, a number of groups, including the Legal Aid Society, requested that the court overturn the decision to bar the release of the records of the grand jury that declined to indict the police officer who put Garner in a choke hold after he was accused of selling loose, untaxed cigarettes, reported U.S. News.
The incident was caught on video, which eventually sparked nationwide outrage over the treatment minorities receive from police. Garner's infamous last words, "I can't breathe," has become a rallying cry for those who have taken up his cause, according to Reuters.
Garner left behind six children after being pronounced dead at a hospital.
NAACP attorney James Meyerson stated that the secrecy pertains to something unpleasant in the justice system. He said that allowing the secrecy "reinforces the perception, if not the reality, that the system is rigged."
