A review by illyria1013
I Can't Breathe: A Killing on Bay Street by Matt Taibbi
5.0
The book is an investigative piece that centers around the death of Eric Garner. The first part goes into Garner's back story, how he ended up selling contraband cigarettes on the streets of Staten Island, and all the events that lead up to his death. For those who didn't already know, in order to fulfill campaign promises of not raising taxes elsewhere, cigarettes became the chosen vice to tax heavily to cover budget shortages for the state. The exorbitant price basically created a black market for cigarettes among the denizens of New York.
The second part covers all the key players (attorneys, judges, politicians, police officers etc.) that in some way contributed to the bureaucratic nightmare of bringing to light what happened and how subsequent deaths lead to the proliferation of the Black Lives Matter movement and the eventual countering All Lives Matter group.
Taibbi does an excellent job of covering the various angles and shedding light on some of the political moves that lead to certain laws and political outcomes. While I kept up with the news, there was a lot of stuff I learned that I didn't know before. For instance, the cop who used the illegal chokehold on Garner had a litany of complaints against him for use of excessive force and humiliating tactics like strip searches in clear view of the public.
The author also goes into length about "Broken Windows" and "Stop and Frisk" and how those policy came into being.
I know this book won't be everyone's cup of tea, but for those who want to better understand the events that lead up to Garner's death, all the race politics that surround it, and how those events still permeate current issues, this is a must read.
4.5 stars.
The second part covers all the key players (attorneys, judges, politicians, police officers etc.) that in some way contributed to the bureaucratic nightmare of bringing to light what happened and how subsequent deaths lead to the proliferation of the Black Lives Matter movement and the eventual countering All Lives Matter group.
Taibbi does an excellent job of covering the various angles and shedding light on some of the political moves that lead to certain laws and political outcomes. While I kept up with the news, there was a lot of stuff I learned that I didn't know before. For instance, the cop who used the illegal chokehold on Garner had a litany of complaints against him for use of excessive force and humiliating tactics like strip searches in clear view of the public.
The author also goes into length about "Broken Windows" and "Stop and Frisk" and how those policy came into being.
I know this book won't be everyone's cup of tea, but for those who want to better understand the events that lead up to Garner's death, all the race politics that surround it, and how those events still permeate current issues, this is a must read.
4.5 stars.