Black and Latino law enforcement officers and former officers held a press conference outside the New York Police Department headquarters on Wednesday to give Police Commissioner and Mayor de Blasio a vote of no confidence over the handling of the death of Eric Garner, a 43-year-old Arican-American man who died after being placed in a chokehold by a New York City police officer.

"We came here this morning to voice our outrage. We came here this morning to demand accountability of our fellow officers that crossed the line. We came here this morning because we see too many incidents of police criminality, not police brutality, to communities of color, communities that are disadvantaged economically. When you use a theory of 'broken windows,' we see that the theory of 'broken windows' is broken," Damon K. Jones, New York representative of Blacks In Law Enforcement of America. "It has not increased the quality of life to the communities that it is applied to -- only thing it is doing now is making a strained relationship between the community and the police department. All these organizations that you see here today, we work tirelessly in our own time to build that bridge, to try and reinforce the relationship between law enforcement and the community. But when we see police management that do not hold police officers accountable of violating policies and procedures, it makes the good cops, the good law enforcement jobs even worse."

Joining Jones was Charles Billups, Chair of the Grand Council of Guardians; Darren Green, Blacks in Law Enforcement of America - Long Island chapter; Corey Pegues, co-founder, Law Enforcement Alliance; and Noel Leader, co-founder, 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care.

Organizers say they are outraged over the language being adopted by New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and Mayor Bill de Blasio.

"We support law enforcement, but when law enforcement acts criminally, they need to be dealt with. We are outraged not only at the unauthorized use of the chokehold, but we're outraged that the Police Commissioner Bratton has stated this is a so-called chokehold. Why is the Commissioner now calling it a so-called chokehold?  Where's the accountability?" said Leader.  "The EMS worker was suspended by his department for failing to do his job, why are these two police officers only on modified duty -- they should be suspended. Where is the accountability? The mayor, the other day in a press conference, indicated that sometimes there are instances where a chokehold is appropriate. Police Commissioner Bratton didn't get it 20 years ago, and he doesn't get it today."

Organizers told reporters they haven't been included in discussions with the mayor's office or the commissioner, despite trying to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community. They said the repeated harassment of black and Latino youth with unnecessary arrests is ruining young people's lives. With an arrest record they cannot apply for civil service jobs, setting them up for economic disadvantage.

The landmark stop-and-frisk class action lawsuit against New York City found the NYPD's policy practices to be racially discriminatory. The terms of the lawsuit included a court-appointed monitor, Peter Zimroth, a former corporation counsel, and who until recently was on the Moreland Commission, plus an independent NYPD inspector general for public safety. Neither have been heard from since Garner was killed. 

"This incident that Garner was killed over, a couple of loosie cigarettes, is now going to cost taxpayers millions of dollars. It is up to the taxpayers and the voters to say enough is enough. It's not coming out of Bratton's pocket, it's not coming out City Hall, it is coming out the budget of the City which the taxpayers pay," said Leader. "We are calling for the governor to appoint a special prosecutor because of the incestuous relationship with the Staten Island District Attorney and police officers."