Myriad Views from the Pews on Garner Case
The Church of St. Clare is in Great Kills on Staten Island, the neighborhood that is home to police officer Daniel Pantaleo, whom a grand jury declined to indict in the chokehold death of Eric Garner.
It was only after his homily at Sunday mass, on the true meaning of Christmas, that the deacon offered a brief prayer for peace in Ferguson, Missouri, and here in New York.
After the service, some congregants said Garner's death must be weighed against his long record of arrests, and the fact that police officers like Pantaleo try to protect the people every day.
Father Andrew Mensah called Eric Garner's death "disturbing," and said if there's a lesson, it's that we should all seek to add value to one another's lives.
“Every human person whether you know them or not, irrespective of color,” Mensah said.
Father Mensah arrived at this church two years ago from Ghana. He said he was accepted right away, and he feels very safe here.
In the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, the predominantly Black parishioners at The Episcopal Church of St. Mark had divergent views on Sunday of the jury decision in the Garner case.
"I think the people who are honest about the whole situation would say that in every case, the people who got harmed — I'm not saying that what happened to them was a good thing — but in every case, they disobeyed the cops," said pastor Peter Bramble. He added that the congregation includes a good number of police officers and their families.
The pews at the late morning service were only about a third full just a few weeks ahead of Christmas.
Several congregants expressed outrage over the lack of an indictment against officer Pantaleo.
"This happens over and over and over again. The people they are incensed. There's something wrong with the police procedures and guidelines," said Carlos Prescod, a director of the church's enrichment programs.
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