The Daily News reports that Reps. Hakeem Jeffries, Gregory Meeks and Yvette Clark called Thursday for the U.S. Department of Justice to open investigations into both the controversial tactic of aggressively enforcing low-level offenses to prevent more serious ones — a cornerstone of NYPD policing — and the July 17 death of the Staten Island man after being placed in a chokehold by a police officer.
“The family of Eric Garner deserves an independent and impartial investigation,” said Jeffries. “The only way for that to happen is for the Department of Justice to step in and get involved.”
The trio joined three New York congressional colleagues — Charles Rangel, Nydia Velazquez and Jose Serrano — in sending a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder about the case.
The nation’s top prosecutor has said his office is “closely monitoring” the city probe into Garner’s death.
