Choke holds have been the subject of discussion among police departments across the country. Throughout the nation, many are showing support for police reform after Minneapolis resident George Floyd was pronounced dead in police custody.
After video of the indecent was released online, major public outcry has moved through all 50 states. The video shows Floyd, laying on the ground, while Derek Chauvin pressed his knee against the back of his head. You can hear Floyd gasping for air and trying to say “I can’t breath”.
The discussion of whether choke holds are lawful has been a talking point for many years as many bring up Eric Garner, another POC who was held in choke hold after allegedly selling cigarettes. Garner was pronounced dead in police custody. The phrase “I Can’t Breath” was born from the movement.
The prospect comes in order to keep the public safe. These methods of limiting air to a person in custody has been deemed unlawful in cities like Raleigh and across the country.
The list expands the curriculum for police to create a safer environment. Along with the choke hold, police have created a new set of restrictive moves.
“Our policy speaks to chokeholds and lateral vascular neck restraint as significant use of force and could be considered as a use of deadly force. Referenced in our policy, is to avoid it but it does not ban it,” said Chief Deck-Brown. “Today, we will begin recrafting this policy to ban chokeholds and strangleholds.”
Banning Choke Holds Promotes Effective Restructuring
The ban on these methods has been used as a method to garner public support for policy reformation. Many are still in the streets peacefully protesting. These actions have pushed a more effective thought as to how the police handle citizens of the country.
While many still believe that these actions are necessary, the public finds themselves on the other side of the coin.