The New York Police Department's community affairs office posted a message saying "We hear you" around the time that word came down that a Staten Island grand jury had decided not to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo in the July 17 death of Eric Garner.
If the goal here was to foster goodwill, the poster's aim missed the mark by miles. Here's just a small sample of the outraged responses the message evoked.
A video shot by an onlooker and widely viewed online showed the 43-year-old Garner telling a group of police officers to leave him alone as they tried to arrest him, the Associated Press reported.
"Pantaleo responded by wrapping his arm around Garner's neck in an apparent chokehold, which is banned under NYPD policy," the AP reported. "The heavyset Garner, who had asthma, was heard repeatedly gasping, "I can't breathe!" A second video surfaced that showed police and paramedics appearing to make no effort to revive Garner while he lay motionless on the ground. He later died at a hospital."
Today's grand-jury decision was released hours before the planned lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. The NYPD's community affairs office may have sought to strike a harmonious chord amid the announcement and tonight's planned event. Instead, they have provided a lesson in how not to do Twitter in crises-communications situations.
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