The Boston Globe - 20.08.2019

A4 TheNation The Boston Globe TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2019

By Ashley Southall
NEW YORK TIMES
NEW YORK — The New
York City police officer whose
chokehold was partly blamed
for Eric Garner’s death in po-
lice custody in 2014 was fired
from the police department on
Monday, ending a bitter, five-
year legal battle that had shad-
owed the nation’s largest police
force and the city it protects.
Police Commissioner James
P. O’Neill dismissed the officer,
Daniel Pantaleo, just over two
weeks after a police adminis-
trative judge found him guilty
of violating a department ban
on chokeholds.
“The unintended conse-
quence of Mr. Garner’s death
must have a consequence of its
own,” O’Neill said. “Therefore I
agree with the deputy commis-
sioner of trial’s legal findings
and recommendations. It is
clear that Daniel Pantaleo can
no longer effectively serve as a
NewYorkCitypoliceofficer.”
The leader of the city’s larg-
est police union immediately
denounced the decision, saying
O’Neill had bowed to “antipo-
lice extremists” and that Panta-
leo’s dismissal sent a message
that the city did not stand be-
hind its officers when they
make arrests.
“We are urging all New York
City police officers to proceed
with the utmost caution in this
new reality, in which they may
be deemed ‘reckless’ just for
doing their job,” the Police Be-
nevolent Association presi-
dent, Patrick J. Lynch, said in a

statement. “We will uphold our

oath, but we cannot and will

not do so by needlessly jeopar-

dizing our careers or personal

safety.”

Garner’s family said it

would continue to press for

congressional hearings into his

death and for state legislation

making it a crime for a police

officer to use a chokehold.

They also continued to call for

other officers involved in Gar-

ner’s arrest to be punished for

their actions.

“For Commissioner O’Neill,

I thank you for doing the right

thing,” said Emerald Snipes

Garner, Eric Garner’s daughter,

at a news conference. “You fi-

nally made a decision that

should have been made five

years ago.”

Eric Garner died July 17,

2014, after Pantaleo tackled

him from behind, then, along

with other officers, pressed

him down on the pavement.

Captured on video, the arrest

and Garner’s last words — “I

can’t breathe” — galvanized

the Black Lives Matter move-

ment.

The case had defined the

police department’s relation-

ship with the public under

Mayor Bill de Blasio, who cam-

paigned for office on a promise

to reverse the aggressive polic-

ing of low-level crimes —

known as the “broken win-

dows” strategy — that his pre-

decessor had championed. The

mayor had come under intense

criticism for not pushing to

have Pantaleo fired sooner.

For many people across the

country, Pantaleo became a

symbol of long-standing prob-

lems with how the police treat

people, mostly black and Lati-

no, suspected of low-level

crimes. Garner died as he was

being arrested on charges of

selling untaxed cigarettes on

Staten Island.

After Garner’s death, the

police department scaled back

the heavy enforcement of low-

level crimes. But Pantaleo’s

continued employment on the

police force still infuriated Gar-

ner’s family and their support-

ers. They lobbied for the officer

to be fired and stripped of his

pension and put pressure on de

Blasio to make it happen.

Under the City Charter and

state law, however, the decision

to fire Pantaleo ultimately be-

longed to O’Neill, not the may-

or.

A Staten Island grand jury

and federal civil rights prose-

cutors declined to bring crimi-

nal charges against Pantaleo,

igniting protests.

Besides Pantaleo, Garner’s

family has pointed out that at

least 11 other officers should

be held accountable for their

actions leading up to Garner’s

death and the aftermath. Only

one — Sergeant Kizzy Adonis,

who was the first supervisor to

arrive on the scene — faces dis-

cipline.

Pantaleo’s lawyer, Stuart

London, was expected to chal-

lenge the decision in court.

London and the Police Benevo-

lent Association have long ac-

cused de Blasio of sacrificing

Pantaleo to satisfy public anger

that threatens the mayor’s po-

litical ambitions.

Pantaleo had been suspend-

ed without pay since Aug. 2,

when a department judge,

Deputy Commissioner Rose-

marie Maldonado, found him

guilty of reckless assault fol-

lowing an administrative trial

at police headquarters.

WASHINGTON — Several

senior White House officials

have begun discussing whether

to push for a

temporary

payroll tax cut

as a way to ar-

rest an economic slowdown,

three people familiar with the

discussions said, revealing the

growing concerns by President

Trump’s top economic aides.

The talks are still in their

early stages, and the officials

have not decided whether to

formally push Congress to ap-

prove the cut, these people

said, speaking on condition of

anonymity because they

weren’t authorized to disclose

internal discussions. But the

White House in recent days has

begun searching for proposals

that could improve a slowing

economy.

Millions of Americans pay a

‘‘payroll tax’’ on their earnings,

a 6.2 percent levy that is used

to finance Social Security pro-

grams. The payroll tax was last

cut during the Obama adminis-

tration to 4.2 percent, as a way

to encourage more consumer

spending during the recent eco-

nomic downturn. But the cut

was allowed to reset back up to

6.2 percent in 2013.

Americans pay payroll taxes

on income up to $132,900, so

cutting the payroll tax has re-

mained a popular idea for

many lawmakers seeking to de-

liver savings for middle-income

earners and not the wealthiest

Americans.

But payroll tax cuts can also

add dramatically to the deficit

and — depending on how they

are designed — pull billions of

dollars away from Social Secu-

rity.

The payroll tax cuts during

the Obama administration re-

duced taxes by more than $

billion each year, but the

Obama administration directed

the lost revenue to Social Secu-

rity programs, so those initia-

tives didn’t lose money. The

cuts added to the deficit.

The size of the cut could be

bigger for many families than

the 2017 tax law.

WASHINGTON POST

Omar,Tlaibdecryleaders,

urgelawmakersvisitIsrael

Democratic Representatives

Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib

sharply criticized Israel on

Monday for denying them en-

try to the Jewish state and

called on fellow members of

Congress to visit while they

cannot.

Omar, of Minnesota, sug-

gested President Trump and

Prime Minister Benjamin Ne-

tanyahu were suppressing the

lawmakers’ ability to carry out

their oversight role.

‘‘I would encourage my col-

leagues to visit, meet with the

people we were going to meet

with, see the things we were go-

ing to see, hear the stories we

were going to hear,’’ Omar said

at a news conference. ‘‘We can-

not let Trump and Netanyahu

succeed in hiding the cruel re-

ality of the occupation from us.’’

At Trump’s urging, Israel de-

nied entry to Congress’ first two

Muslim women over their sup-

port for the Palestinian-led boy-

cott movement. Tlaib and

Omar, who had planned to visit

Jerusalem and the Israeli-occu-

pied West Bank on a tour orga-

nized by a Palestinian group,

are outspoken critics of Israel’s

treatment of the Palestinians.

Tlaib, of Michigan, and

Omar were joined Monday by

Minnesota residents who said

they had been directly affected

by travel restrictions in the

past. They included Lana

Barkawi, a Palestinian Ameri-

can who’s executive and artistic

director of Mizna, a cultural

group that sponsors the annual

Twin Cities Arab Film Fest. The

US government denied visas to

several Mideast actors and di-

rectors who had been invited to

participate last year.

White House spokesman

Hogan Gidley kept up the ad-

ministration’s criticism of the

two lawmakers.

‘‘Congresswomen Rashida

Tlaib and Ilhan Omar have a

well-documented history of an-

ti-Semitic comments, anti-Se-

mitic social media posts and

anti-Semitic relationships,’’ he

said in a statement. ‘‘Israel has

the right to prevent people who

want to destroy it from enter-

ing the country.’’

ASSOCIATED PRESS

GillibrandsaysFranken

comeback‘notmydecision’

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand,

Democrat from New York, de-

clined to say Monday whether

she opposes a comeback by for-

mer senator Al Franken, sug-

gesting that the Minnesota

Democrat should make that de-

cision himself.

Gillibrand, who is running

for the 2020 Democratic presi-

dential nomination, also de-

fended her call for Franken to

resign in 2017 amid allegations

of sexual misconduct, saying

she would make the same deci-

sion today.

Gillibrand was the first of

the nearly three dozen senators

to demand Franken’s resigna-

tion. She was asked about Fran-

ken in a Washington Post Live

interview that comes several

weeks after the New Yorker

magazine published a piece in

which Franken said he ‘‘abso-

lutely’’ regrets stepping down

in 2017 before he was able to

take part in a hearing by the

Senate Ethics Committee.

‘‘We’re a country that be-

lieves in second chances,’’ Gilli-

brand said Monday. ‘‘We be-

lieve in someone who has hu-

mility, who comes forward to

say they’re sorry and they have

paid consequences and want to

reemerge — that’s always there

for everyone. And that’s a deci-

sion for someone to make

themselves. It’s not my deci-

sion. It’s certainly not my re-

sponsibility.’’

Gillibrand noted that Fran-

ken faced eight credible allega-

tions, including two instances

of alleged misconduct that took

place after his election to the

Senate in 2008. One of those al-

legations was made by a con-

gressional staffer.

WASHINGTON POST

Romneysaysclimatechange

isreal,humanscontribute

Senator Mitt Romney said

Monday he believes climate

change is happening and hu-

man activity is a significant

contributor.

During a speech at the con-

servative Sutherland Institute

in Salt Lake City, the senator

acknowledged that the position

is rare among his fellow Repub-

licans, but one that younger

people seem to respond to

more strongly than older con-

servatives.

‘‘In some respects, (by

speaking with newer conserva-

tives), I’ll be able to make in-

roads with some of the young

people coming along,’’ he said.

The former GOP presiden-

tial nominee has acknowledged

climate change before, and said

during his 2018 campaign for

US Senate in Utah that ‘‘climate

realities’’ will make wildfires

more destructive in the West.

His comments Monday took

that stance a step further.

Still, Romney said he’s op-

posed to the Green New Deal

economic package intended to

fight climate change, calling it

‘‘silliness’’ in part because much

of the growth in emissions is

coming from developing coun-

tries such as India and Brazil

rather than the United States.

The United States should in-

stead provide incentives for en-

trepreneurs to develop cleaner

energy sources, he added.

Romney discussed the bene-

fits of a carbon tax, a fee based

on each ton of carbon dioxide

emissions produced by fossil

fuels. He suggested a portion of

the tax revenue could go to coal

workers in communities that

would suffer financially from

the move to cleaner fuels.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

By Neil Vigdor
NEW YORK TIMES
As the curtains parted, the
frenzied car aficionados raced
to get out their smartphones to
capture the moment for poster-
ity.Severalofthemcheered.
They had come to see Lot
No. 362, the much-heralded
Porsche Type 64, a swooping
Nazi-era car that was built by
automaker Ferdinand Porsche
nine years before he founded
his car company.
The bidding on the avant-
garde coupe, referred to by
some car collectors as the
“first” Porsche, had been ex-
pected to open at $13 million
during an RM Sotheby’s Auc-
tion on Saturday night in
Monterey, Calif. But something
went awry, and the bidding
started much higher than
planned.
“When they mentioned $
million to start, I thought that’s
quite a strong starting price,”
David Lee, a car collector and
businessman from the Los An-
geles area who was in the audi-
ence, said Sunday. “The auc-
tioneer had a British accent
and didn’t say the teens well. Is
he really saying 30 or 13?”
It was not entirely clear if

the auctioneer’s accent, an er-

ror on the display screen or

some combination of the two

caused the confusion. The bid-

ders were supposed to be bid-

ding in increments of $1 mil-

lion or less, but the screen

showed them bidding in incre-

ments of $10 million.

In the frenzy, the high bid of

$30 million zoomed up to $

million. Then it hit $50 million

and $60 million, before landing

at $70 million. That would have

been substantially higher than

the record $48.4 million a 1962

Ferrari 250 GTO fetched last

year at another Sotheby’s auc-

tion.

That’s when the auctioneer

abruptly declared that the high

bid was actually $17 million,

not $70 million.

What should have been the

high point of the Monterey Car

Week devolved into chaos, with

car buffs gasping and groaning

over the blunder. The one-of-a-

kind Porsche, built for an unre-

alized road race on Germany’s

new autobahn, through the

Austrian Alps to Rome, failed

to sell.

“As bidding opened on the

Type 64, increments were mis-

takenly displayed on the

screen, causing unfortunate

confusion in the room,” RM So-

theby’s said in a statement Sun-

day. “We take pride in conduct-

ing our world-class auctions

with integrity, and we take our

responsibility to our clients

very seriously.” It did not name

the auctioneer.

The auction house, which

made news last year when a

painting by British street artist

Banksy sold for $1.4 million

and then self-destructed,

sought to tamp down any con-

jecture that this had been a

publicity stunt.

“This was in no way inten-

tional on behalf of anyone at

RM Sotheby’s, rather an unfor-

tunate misunderstanding am-

plified by excitement in the

room,” the auction house said.

Although the classic rally

car received a high bid of $

million, RM Sotheby’s said that

did not meet the “reserve,”

which is a minimum price set

by the seller.

“It is difficult to put a price

on such a unique and histori-

cally significant artifact and,

despite interest from discern-

ing collectors, we were unable

to reach common ground be-

tween seller and buyer on the

night,” RM Sotheby’s said.

Just three of the Porsche-de-

signed Type 64s were planned

for production and only one re-

mains. The car’s modified, air-

cooled Volkswagen four-cylin-

der engine puts out about 32

horsepower and can reach a

top speed of about 88 miles per

hour.

The car was supposed to be

part of a propaganda cam-

paign, marking the Nazis’ 1938

alliance with Italy and the ab-

sorption of Austria. Porsche al-

so designed the KdF-Wagen,

commissioned by Hitler as the

people’s car, which became fa-

mous after the war as the Volk-

swagen Beetle.

An Instagram video of the

auction posted by Lee, the col-

lector, received more than

212,000 views as of Sunday

night.

Lee said he had difficulty

understanding the Sotheby’s

auctioneer all weekend.

“I’ve never seen anything

like that,” he said. “It’s really an

amazing situation that we wit-

nessed.”

RM Sotheby’s was still ad-

vertising the car on its auction

website. Sotheby’s acquired an

ownership interest in RM Auc-

tions, which specializes in vin-

tage cars, in early 2015.

“We will continue making

every effort to sell the car,” the

auction house said, adding,

“This is the genesis and ante-

cedent of Porsche’s historical

evolution that would follow,

and the oldest car to wear the

Porsche name. Its design cues

continue to influence those of

modern Porsche models.”

Trump administration

reportedly considers

pushing new tax cuts

POLITICAL

NOTEBOOK

BEBETO MATTHEWS/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Emerald Garner, the daughter of chokehold victim Eric Garner, and the Rev. Al Sharpton held a news conference Monday
after it was announced NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo would be fired for Garner’s death in 2014.

Officer fired over Garner chokehold

Decision comes five years after

man’s death sparked movement

KATHY WILLENS/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Police Benevolent Association president Patrick Lynch

condemned the decision, saying it would cause officers to

hesitate to use force at all, for fear of being fired.

Rare car sale sputters after auction blunder

‘First’ Porsche

remains unsold

ALEX WONG/GETTY IMAGES

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

defended her 2017 call for

Al Franken to resign.