This is Philip Banks. Until recently he was the Chief of Department in the NYPD, the highest ranking black police office in the NYPD.
Philip Banks set into motion the events that led to Garner’s death:
An order to crack down on the illegal sale of 75-cent cigarettes in Staten Island came directly from Police Headquarters, setting off a chain of events that ended in Eric Garner’s death, the Daily News has learned.
Chief of Department Philip Banks — the highest-ranking uniformed cop in the city — sent a sergeant from his office at 1 Police Plaza in July to investigate complaints of untaxed cigarettes being sold in the Tompkinsville neighborhood, a source close to the investigation told The News.
“(Banks) set the whole thing in motion,” the source said.
The sale of loosies had been on Banks’ radar since at least March, when it was discussed at a meeting at Police Headquarters about quality-of-life issues, a police source said.
Banks’ office also conducted surveillance on Bay St. and took pictures, one of which shows three men believed to be involved in an illegal cigarette sale. The News reviewed the photograph and Garner is not in it.
At around the same time, on March 27, a caller to the city’s 311 hotline complained about the issue, saying a group of men had been selling untaxed cigarettes, and sometimes marijuana, on Bay St. every day for the past three years, a second source said.
The caller identified one of the sellers as “a man named Eric.”
Police focusing on low-level offenses was nothing out of the ordinary:
“That particular area of the 120th Precinct has been the subject of numerous quality-of-life complaints and enforcement actions for months,” Davis said. “Among the specific public complaints of illegal activity in that area included the sale of untaxed cigarettes as well as open (alcohol) container and marijuana use and sale offenses.”
A high-ranking police official agreed.
Garner had been arrested repeatedly for same offense, and pay close attention here:
But the 311 tip made its way to Banks’ office where “the untaxed cigarette problem on Bay St.” was discussed, a source said. A day after the 311 call was made, cops arrested Garner for selling cigarettes without proper tax stamps.
Cops found him in possession of 23 sealed packs of untaxed cigarettes and one open pack, officials said. He was arrested with untaxed cigarettes again on May 7, officials said.
Then, a week before his death, Garner was “warned and admonished” about selling untaxed cigarettes, a police source said.
After Garner’s death Banks remained silent:
Banks sent a sergeant from his office in July to investigate complaints about the sale of illegal cigarettes in Staten Island. A tipster had complained about a group of men, one named Eric, selling untaxed cigarettes. Cops eventually confronted Eric Garner. Banks has yet to speak about the confrontation.
Then on October 31, one week before he was to receive a major promotion, Philip Banks resigned:
Philip Banks III, the highest-ranking black member of the NYPD, quit his job Friday as chief of department just days before a major promotion was to take effect.
Banks, a 28-year veteran of the NYPD, told Commissioner William Bratton about his decision just minutes before they were slated to have a regularly scheduled 9 a.m. weekly meeting at City Hall with Mayor Bill de Blasio, Bratton told reporters.
“It is with great regret that I’m going to accept that resignation,” Bratton said at City Hall. “I think the world of Chief Banks. He’s been a very able, capable and loyal partner to me over these last 10 months.”
In December a grand jury declined to bring charges against the police officer who apprehended Eric Garner.
And let us also remember whose initiative this was originally- Andrew Cuomo, the democrat Governor of New York.
“It has been our consistent position that cigarettes should be taxed under the law and the courts have repeatedly agreed,” Governor Cuomo said. “The law is the law and we will enforce it. Everyone must pay their fair share, and that includes those who sell cigarettes.”
A black man ordered the Staten Island police to crack down on Garner. A black police Sergeant observed the takedown of Garner and was unfazed by the event. Anyone claiming there are racial overtones to this story is a liar. Anyone making this into a race crusade is doing severe harm to race relations. The idiots disrupting life in New York City live in a fanciful rapture of imagined racism.
If you don’t violate the law you don’t put yourself in jeopardy of being hassled by a cop. When do we have that conversation?
DrJohn has been a health care professional for more than 30 years. In addition to clinical practice he has done extensive research and has published widely with over 70 original articles and abstracts in the peer-reviewed literature. DrJohn is well known in his field and has lectured on every continent except for Antarctica. He has been married to the same wonderful lady for over 30 years and has three kids- two sons, both of whom are attorneys and one daughter on her way into the field of education.
DrJohn was brought up with the concept that one can do well if one is prepared to work hard but nothing in life is guaranteed.
Except for liberals being foolish.
Excellent fact-based reporting. Which is exactly why the LSM won’t touch it. Well, that and the fact the facts don’t fit the Team Leftie political narrative.
The idea that we are a nation of laws is over many people’s heads.
I saw printed signs during last night’s illegal march in NY City on 5th Avenue that read:
Seems some people think their neighborhoods would be ”better” if criminals are allowed carry on their ”bidness” unmolested by police.
The vast majority of people in those same neighborhoods would probably disagree, but they have not hit the streets with printed signs.
So, it seems, we are probably in for a ”social experiment,” in which some poor neighborhoods become controlled by their strongest criminal elements.
Oh, goody!
Recall that, when this happened in Ferguson, we immediately saw ad hoc checkpoints pop up.
People who were the wrong color were delayed, even had their vehicles damaged, some were car-jacked, some were pulled out and beaten.
So, this is way better than being one nation under law with liberty and justice for all.
DJ actually contradicts his very own argument that Banks is “the man who set into motion the events that led to Eric Garner’s death” by invoking Andrew Cuomo as the “original initiator”.
How or why Banks set this in motion when obviously he was way down the chain of command from the original initiators and/or the true drivers of enforcing this law isn’t established.
Such specious arguments from amateur bigoted flame fanners like Dr, John has actually become more of a liability to your cause rather than an asset.
@Ronald+J.+Ward: If your argument is that Cuomo is the ultimate guilty party in this scenario, you are probably correct. However, Dr. John is pointing out that there are several African-Americans in this chain of command, and it is ultimately NOT a racial issue. “Your cause” is dishonest, violent, and has resulted in the premeditated murders of police officers. There is no defense for that. It is just pure evil.
@Angel Artiste: I’m sure that Dr. John, being a big boy and all, can speak for himself. Or, perhaps he just did?
It was painfully obvious except for those who can’t or won’t see it.
@drjohn:
As RJW lectures others on their hate and bigotry, let’s not forget that he cannot put his own hatred and bigotry down for just one night, nor can those who I’m sure he supports.
In St. Louis last night, as Catholics were gathering for Midnight Mass to honor the birth of Christ, swat teams lined the perimeter of the St. Louis Cathedral to protect the faithful from the protest that had gathered at the Cathedral. What kind of Godless people protest Midnight Mass?
Merry Christmas, to all here. May your Christmas be the best ever, and may you never forget the reason for the Season.
@Ronald+J.+Ward:
Sigh.
Let’s try to explain this so even those who refuse to understand anything can grasp it. Cuomo initiated the policy to crack down on those who refuse to feed the welfare beast with taxes. Banks identified Garner breaking the law and deployed officers to deal with the illegal activity.
Anything getting through that thick, liberal skull yet?
I see… you only recognize the PROFESSIONAL race baiters… like Sharpton, Jackson, Farrakhan, MSNBC, CNN, Media Matters, Kos, Huffington, DeBlasio, Holder and Obama.
@Bill:
I believe that to be an impossibility
Aside from the DJ gibberish and the expected incoherent kibitzing of the sockpuppets, there’s something striking about this nonsensical blame game.
Last Sunday, ex-Mayor and disastrously failed presidential runner Rudy Giuliana openly blamed Obama for the deaths of 2 NY police officers. Fact checkers in numbers promptly debunked Rudy hands down. Right leaning outlets of relative decency denounced him. Low end bigoted outlets such as here pretty much remained silent as if unaware that Rudy made such claims.
Yet while running from the actual statement from Rudy, many have simply turned around and sold his same nonsense. You lack the balls to stand with Rudy yet sell his same dishonest snake oil.
Likewise when Rand Paul blamed the law on selling loose cigarettes,, many on the low level right picked up on that same strategy, albeit an aside from the real issue. Dr John takes this a step further by finding a middle management black officer who happens to be the enforcer of the law, doing his job as obviously mandated from higher level administration officials.
Your insistence to exploit this only exposes how dishonest you are. People of reasonable intellect and/or an iota of knowledge of the issues don’t believe you. Obviously the targets of your snake oil are the ignorant, the very extreme, and the prejudice.
@Ronald+J.+Ward: What exactly are you whining about, Ronald? What do you or any other liberal care about the responsibility for the deaths of two innocent cops? For, if you or Obama or Holder or any other liberal cared, you would not have perpetuated the lies about the Ferguson shooting or made the Garner death into a racial matter.
So, what do you care about who says what about the absolute responsibility for those deaths? Were you not aware that innocent deaths could result from irresponsible lies intended to incite social unrest? Probably, you never gave it a thought because you were too interested in using an opportunity to lie to its utmost effect.
Get over it, Ronald. You and the rest who supported the lies and continue to defend the reprehensible action that led to the deaths of Lui and Ramos bear the responsibility and there is nothing you can do about it; the deed is done. All the rest of us can hope for is that you will see the grieving children, wives, friends and loved ones and resolve not to use lies to incite violence for a political end again.
@Ronald+J.+Ward: Stay tuned. I’m just warming up.
@drjohn: I have no doubt. Staying tuned would somewhat conflict with my argument of your preferred audience as well as any decent human which would consist of black, white, or otherwise.