This news is just breaking, so more specifics will follow:
A law enforcement source confirms to NPR's @johnson_carrie that the Justice Dept has opened a federal probe into the death of Eric Garner.
— NPR Politics (@nprpolitics) December 3, 2014
#DOJ civil rights invest into death of #EricGarner will be led by AG nominee US Attorney #LorettaLynch, whose office oversees Staten Island.
— Sari Horwitz (@SariHorwitz) December 3, 2014
When the news broke this morning that NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo would not be indicted for the death of Eric Garner, protesters began talking about targeting the Rockefeller Center tree lighting ceremony scheduled for tonight in New York. In response, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's office announced that the mayor would not attend the ceremony.
NYC mayor cancels appearance at Rockefeller Center tree lighting following Garner grand jury decision - @grynbaum http://t.co/bJIGwbl7pf
— Breaking News (@BreakingNews) December 3, 2014
If events in Seattle are any indication of what's to come in New York, expect a whole lot of TV news outlets to focus on how some children were traumatized by protests at Rockefeller Center. If they get some juicy footage of kids dressed in Christmas sweaters weeping, I bet that footage, and not the lack of indictment, will lead the 11 o'clock news tonight around the country. They're more concerned with protests interfering with the Christmas spirit (which is a polite way to say obstructing the wheels of commerce) than they are with why people are protesting.
In other bad policing news, Gawker reports that the officer who shot 12 year-old Tamir Rice had previously been found unfit for duty at another police department in a smaller city, in part because ""He could not follow simple directions, could not communicate clear thoughts nor recollections, and his handgun performance was dismal."