A protester upset over Democratic presidential candidate Bill de Blasio’s handling of police brutality in New York City interrupted his do-or-die CNN town hall.
The New York mayor has been relying on the national exposure to boost his flagging fundraising effort and poll numbers before the deadline for the third round of debates. He was heckled by a studio audience member Sunday night after he was asked about his inaction following the choking death of Eric Garner by an arresting officer in 2014. Gardner had been suspected of selling single cigarettes.
“What about Lieutenant Bannon? What about Officer Ramos? What about other officers that contributed to Eric Garner’s death?” the demonstrator shouted as the candidate attempted to finish responding to the question.
CNN moderator Ana Cabrera asked the woman to “please be respectful,” but she continued to ask about “other officers” before getting cut off again.
“We have more audience questions to get to,” Cabrera said.
De Blasio had earlier argued that deescalation and implicit bias training, as well as the use of body cameras, should become “a federal imperative.”
The New York City Police Department officer involved, Daniel Pantaleo, was fired last week after an NYPD judge recommended he be removed from the force earlier this month. His ouster comes after a Staten Island-based grand jury declined to indict him in 2014 and the Justice Department decided against charging him earlier this year.
