Brooklyn dad who claims NYPD put him in a chokehold receives settlement

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More than a year before Eric Garner’s last words were, “I can’t breathe,” a Brooklyn father of two uttered those same words in another police chokehold situation. He has now settled with the city for $75,000.

“It makes you realize how truly blessed you are to get out of that situation,” Kevin Dennis-Palmer Sr. said of the two similar situations, according to the NY Daily News.

In February 2013, the then 28-year-old was parallel parking near his home when Sgt. Burt Antoine and Officer Ryan Monteleone pulled him over.

The married, father of two said he pulled out his cellphone to begin recording the event because he knew he had done nothing wrong.

“Why am I being stopped?” Dennis-Palmer said he asked.

“You give me your license and registration, and I’ll tell you why you’re being stopped,” said one of the officers.

“I knew it was going to take a bad turn,” he said of the incident. “My phone is slapped out of my hand. I’m Maced and then they’re trying to drag me out of the car, and I’m telling them, ‘I’m stuck, I can’t get out of the car.'”

After that, eight more officers arrived and tried to pull him out of the window. “I’m grabbed, basically by the back of my sweater, turned around and slammed down on the right side of my face. That’s when the melee ensues and everyone jumps on me,” he said.

When one officer tried to pick him up by the neck, he said, “I’m yelling, ‘I can’t breathe — you’re choking me! Just put the handcuffs on! I can’t breathe! I can’t breathe!”

He was charged for obstructing government administration, disorderly conduct, and windows that were too dark. All those charges were dismissed.

His lawyer, Jeffrey Rotham, believes the suit is a step in the right direction but that more change is needed. “No one suit is what forces change. It’s the accumulation of them that fosters public awareness … and the public’s demand for accountability.”