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Tompkins Circle

Grymes Hill, Staten IslandParks in Staten IslandRoundabouts and traffic circles in the United StatesStaten Island geography stubs

Tompkins Circle is a .131-acre green public space within a traffic circle in the Grymes Hill neighborhood of Staten Island, New York. The circle is located in a section of the neighborhood historically known as Pavilion Hill. At this traffic circle, the Tompkins Circle loop merges with Fiedler Avenue and Ward Avenue.Tompkins Circle is named in honor of prominent Staten Island resident Daniel D. Tompkins (1774-1825), who owned property in this neighborhood. A more recent resident of Ward Hill was Joe Marotta (1942-2008), a civic activist who served on several community planning boards and operated a pharmacy in Tompkinsville. Following his death in November 2008, a bench was dedicated at this park in his memory.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Tompkins Circle (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

Tompkins Circle
Fiedler Avenue, New York Staten Island

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N 40.635708 ° E -74.080491 °
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Fiedler Avenue 48
10301 New York, Staten Island
New York, United States
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Killing of Eric Garner

On July 17, 2014, Eric Garner was killed in the New York City borough of Staten Island after Daniel Pantaleo, a New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer, put him in a prohibited chokehold while arresting him. Video footage of the incident generated widespread national attention and raised questions about the use of force by law enforcement.NYPD officers approached Garner on July 17 on suspicion of selling single cigarettes from packs without tax stamps. After Garner told the police that he was tired of being harassed and that he was not selling cigarettes, the officers attempted to arrest Garner. When Pantaleo placed his hands on Garner, Garner pulled his arms away. Pantaleo then placed his arm around Garner's neck and wrestled him to the ground. With multiple officers pinning him down, Garner repeated the words "I can't breathe" 11 times while lying face down on the sidewalk. After Garner lost consciousness, he remained lying on the sidewalk for seven minutes while the officers waited for an ambulance to arrive. Garner was pronounced dead at an area hospital approximately one hour later. The medical examiner ruled Eric Garner's death a homicide. According to the medical examiner's definition, a homicide is a death caused by the intentional actions of another person or persons. Specifically, an autopsy indicated that Garner's death resulted from "[compression] of neck, compression of chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police". Asthma, heart disease, and obesity were cited as contributing factors.On December 4, 2014, a Richmond County grand jury decided not to indict Pantaleo. This decision stirred public protests and rallies, with charges of police brutality made by protesters. By December 28, 2014, at least 50 demonstrations had been held nationwide in response to the Garner case, while hundreds of demonstrations against general police brutality counted Garner as a focal point. On July 13, 2015, an out-of-court settlement was reached, under which the City of New York would pay the Garner family $5.9 million. In 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice declined to bring criminal charges against Pantaleo under federal civil rights laws. A New York Police Department disciplinary hearing regarding Pantaleo's treatment of Garner was held in the summer of 2019; on August 2, 2019, an administrative judge recommended that Pantaleo's employment be terminated. Pantaleo was fired on August 19, 2019, more than five years after Garner's death.