Rosie O’Donnell is known for her sass and toughness, but on Thursday she revealed her emotional response to learning officer Daniel Pantaleo was not going to be indicted in the chokehold death of Eric Garner.
“There was a grave injustice,” O’Donnell said. “As I was sitting on the couch with my godson and my daughter, I just started to cry.”
As TheWrap previously reported, Wednesday’s Staten Island grand jury decision — coming down less than two weeks after a St. Louis grand jury voted not to indict Darren Wilson, the cop who shot and killed unarmed teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri — has sparked outrage and protests across New York City and social media.
“We have had to watch this man die on a loop on television, and every time it breaks my soul just a little bit more,” O’Donnell added. “And my 12-year-old asked me, ‘Mommy why are people racist,’ and I didn’t really have an answer for her.”
O’Donnell’s “The View” co-hosts agreed with her. Nicolle Wallace pointed to police training needing to be changed, Rosie Perez indignantly screamed, “It was on camera!” While Whoopi Goldberg called out Congressman Peter King for citing Garner’s obesity.
“Yes he was overweight — Mr. King — yes, he was an overweight gentleman, but he could have lived if he was just standing there, Peter King. The coroner said he died because he couldn’t breathe, which he said 11 times.”
Rosie chimed in slighting King as well, calling it sad that he represents Long Island. “I’m embarrassed to say he’s from Long Island.”
Cable news networks have been wall-to-wall on the Garner non-indictment Thursday morning.
Watch video from “The View” here.
Ryan O’Connell contributed to this report.