--- description: Results stand in contrast to poll findings from Ferguson, where Americans believe a grand jury decided properly title: Eric Garner: Poll Says Grand Jury Should Have Brought Charges image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte76aa640524d3211/69876d96a988ca9ff16ab437/eric-garner-protest1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Poll: 57% of Americans Say Grand Jury Wrong Not to Indict Cop in Garner Case ## Video: 'Am I next?' Ferguson's Protests Through the Eyes of a Teenager [Watch (HLS stream): 'Am I next?' Ferguson's Protests Through the Eyes of a Teenager](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/fStAJZ1s.m3u8) (5:27)  _Published 2014-08-16. TIME followed a teenager as residents of Ferguson, Mo. turned out to protest peacefully on Aug. 16_ by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 10:10 PM CUTPublished: Dec 9, 2014 12:51 PM CUT  Demonstrators stand with tape reading, " I Can't Breathe", as they march along Interstate 195 after police shut the road down on Dec. 7, 2014 in Miami. Demonstrators stand with tape reading, " I Can't Breathe", as they march along Interstate 195 after police shut the road down on Dec. 7, 2014 in Miami.Joe Raedle—Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 10:10 PM CUTPublished: Dec 9, 2014 12:51 PM CUT More than half of all Americans believe charges should have been brought against the white police officer involved in the “chokehold” death of unarmed black man Eric Garner, according to a new poll. A total of 57% say the New York City grand jury that decided not to indict Daniel Panteleo was wrong in their decision, the [USA Today/Pew Research Center poll](http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/12/08/usa-today-pew-poll-eric-garner-michael-brown/20098781/ "undefined") found. Just over one in five (22%) said the grand jury was right not to indict. The strong support for an indictment may be due to a video posted afterward showing Garner being held in what appeared to be an illegal chokehold during his arrest for selling loose cigarettes. In the video, Garner can be heard saying ‘I can’t breathe,” which has now become a rallying cry for those protesting the decision. Pantaleo has reportedly denied using an illegal maneuver to subdue Garner. ### Witness Protesters Taking Over the Streets After the Eric Garner Grand Jury Decision  A group of protesters rally against a grand jury's decision not to indict the police officer involved in the death of Eric Garner occupy the eastbound traffic lanes of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City in the early morning hours of Dec. 4, 2014. Jason DeCrow—AP  Protestors block 15th Street near Pennsylvania Avenue to protest the Staten Island grand jury's decision not to indict officer Daniel Pantaleo in the Eric Garner chokehold case in Washington on Dec. 3, 2014. Jim Lo Scalzo—EPA  Demonstrators march through the streets of New York City on Dec. 3, 2014. Andrew Burton—Getty Images  Regina Bates speaks during a demonstration in Oakland, Calif. on Dec. 3, 2014. Elijah Nouvelage—Getty Images  Police stand guard on the West Side highway as protesters block traffic in New York City on Dec. 3, 2014. Shannon Stapleton—Reuters  Anwar Thurston, 36, joined demonstrators who gathered to protest the Eric Garner grand jury decision during a Christmas Tree lighting ceremony at City Hall in Philadelphia on Dec. 3, 2014. Mark Makela—Getty Images  A demonstrator cries while gathering to protest the Eric Garner grand jury decision during a Christmas Tree lighting ceremony at City Hall in Philadelphia on Dec. 3, 2014. Mark Makela—Getty Images  Demonstrators block traffic on Highway I-395 in Washington on Dec. 3, 2014. T.J. Kirkpatrick—Getty Images  Protestors lay down in Grand Central Station during a protest in New York City on Dec. 3, 2014. Timothy A. Clary—AFP/Getty Images  People take part in a protest against the grand jury decision on the death of Eric Garner in midtown Manhattan in New York City on Dec. 3, 2014. Eric Thayer—Reuters  Protesters raise their arms and chant at police officers in Times Square in New York City on Dec. 3, 2014. Caitlin Ochs—Polaris  Demonstrators march in protest on the streets of St. Louis on Dec. 3, 2014. Michael B. Thomas—AFP/Getty Images  Police officers block protesters from marching up a highway entrance ramp near Times Square in New York City on Dec. 3, 2014. Seth Wenig—AP  A man holding a child walks with protesters as they march past Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Dec. 3, 2014. Adrees Latif—Reuters  Atlanta Police face off with protesters blocking Spring Street in Atlanta on Dec. 3, 2014. Erik S. Lesser—EPA  A demonstrator stands next to a makeshift memorial where Eric Garner died during an arrest in July in the Staten Island borough of New York City on Dec. 3, 2014. Shannon Stapleton—Reuters The poll’s findings stand in stark contrast to surveys regarding a similar grand jury decision in the Ferguson, Mo. killing of an unarmed black man, Michael Brown, by a white police officer. A [Washington _Post_ poll](http://time.com/3613454/ferguson-poll-racial-partisan/ "undefined") found that 48% of Americans approved of the grand jury decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson, while 45% said they disapproved. Both deaths—and a series of other killings of black men by police officers over the past several months— have galvanized protests in much of the country, including demonstrations in Berkeley, Calif., New York, and Washington, D.C. In an [interview ](http://time.com/3624627/president-obama-says-eric-garner-ferguson-protests-necessary/ "undefined")that aired Monday on BET, President Obama called the protests “necessary” to bring change. “Power concedes nothing without a fight, that’s true , but it’s also true that a country’s conscious has to be triggered by some inconvenience,” Obama said. “The value of peaceful protests, activism … is it reminds the society this is not yet done.” The results of the USA Today poll are based on surveys of 1,507 Americans conducted between Dec. 3 and Dec. 7\. The results from the total sample size has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points. \[[_USA Today_](http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/12/08/usa-today-pew-poll-eric-garner-michael-brown/20098781/ "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3624982/poll-americans-eric-garner-grand-jury/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3624982/poll-americans-eric-garner-grand-jury/"},"headline":"Poll: 57% of Americans Say Grand Jury Wrong Not to Indict Cop in Garner Case","datePublished":"2014-12-09T12:51:24.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T22:10:27.000Z","description":"The findings stand in stark contrast to surveys regarding a similar grand jury decision in Ferguson","url":"https://time.com/3624982/poll-americans-eric-garner-grand-jury/","keywords":["Crime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte76aa640524d3211/69876d96a988ca9ff16ab437/eric-garner-protest1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte76aa640524d3211/69876d96a988ca9ff16ab437/eric-garner-protest1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Protesters In Miami Hold A \"Hands Up Don't Shoot\" Demonstration In Wake Of Recent Grand Jury Verdicts","caption":"Protesters In Miami Hold A \"Hands Up Don't Shoot\" Demonstration In Wake Of Recent Grand Jury Verdicts","creditText":"Joe Raedle—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3624982/poll-americans-eric-garner-grand-jury/","name":"Poll: 57% of Americans Say Grand Jury Wrong Not to Indict Cop in Garner Case"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"'Am I next?' Ferguson's Protests Through the Eyes of a Teenager","description":"TIME followed a teenager as residents of Ferguson, Mo. turned out to protest peacefully on Aug. 16","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/fStAJZ1s/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-08-16T21:47:46.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/fStAJZ1s.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3624982/poll-americans-eric-garner-grand-jury/","duration":"PT5M27S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3624982/poll-americans-eric-garner-grand-jury/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```