Eric Gardner, NYPD and their "medics"

Having just watched the seven minutes of video, which I received via twitter, of Mr. Eric Garner's last few minutes on Earth, was very difficult.

While I am no stranger to death, I found myself fast forwarding through certain parts of this video. Why? I can only explain it this way.

I did work in the medical field, in various positions, for over fifteen years. My conscious attitude during those years was that, no matter what, I would treat each and every patient as I would want my family member or friend treated.

Why? Why would I approach my job in this manner? Because of two reasons: 1) Being a Catholic with plenty of Catholic guilt, and being rather young (18 when I started), I felt it was a Karma thing. If I treated others as I would want my family and friends treated, then others would treat MY family and friends similarly. 2) I felt as a "professional" it was my duty to do my best for those in pain, who were afraid and who came to "us" for help.

Watching the policeman who was responsible for Mr. Gardner's predicament, more or less acting like he was responsible for injuring a player on the softball field; or in other words, like they both were on the field of competition and they both had equal power to perhaps, injure each other in the "field of competition", struck me as not only ludicrous but...immature...in the extreme. The impression I was left with was that either the officer was coming down from an extreme adrenaline high (which he probably was) or he is immature in the extreme.

Another glaring aspect of this video is the laissez faire attitude of the EMT's when they approached Mr. Gardner. IF a patient repeatedly says, "I can't breath" again and again...AND if that is reported to the medical professionals who, should be, on their way to the scene Code 3, they should roll up with a gurney, respirator and prepared to start CPR, immediately! The fact that they did not makes me wonder what, exactly, was communicated to the EMT's? Certainly not that there was a main in extreme distress.

Last thing I am going to say right now. Are the Police of New York City trained in CPR or are they not? If they are not, then what is the point of their being called "First Responders"? If they are, what the Hell was going on in this situation? Did they think he was "faking it"? Did they think Mr. Garner "deserved it"? Why is it that any one of is has to "guess" what the NYPD was doing, killing a man over...cigarette tax?