Mayor, Faith Leaders Meet on Chokehold Arrest Death

Cardinal Timothy Dolan is bringing together the mayor and religious leaders for a roundtable meeting spawned by the death of Eric Garner, the 43-year-old father who died on Staten Island after being put into a chokehold during an arrest last month.

Mayor de Blasio asked Dolan to host Wednesday's meeting to help a city gripped by protests and distrust of the police in some predominantly black and Latino neighborhoods in the wake of Garner's death.

The medical examiner ruled Garner's death a homicide due to neck compression from a chokehold.

The meeting includes Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim leaders.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who has been a fiery critic of the NYPD in the wake of Garner's death, is also attending.

Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan announced Tuesday he's convening a special grand jury to consider criminal charges in the case.

In addition to running the National Action Network, Sharpton is a talk show host on MSNBC, which is owned by WNBC's parent company, NBCUniversal. 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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