Eric Garner's Mom: Protests Are 'Just So Awesome'

Eric Garner's family has a message for protesters: We're pretty impressed. Two family members of the man who died in a police chokehold say they're touched by public demonstrations that began after the white police officer involved was not indicted in Garner's death, reports the AP. "It is just so awesome to see how the crowds are out there," says Gwen Carr, Garner's mother. "I was just so proud of that crowd." Esaw Garner, the man's widow, says she told her son, "Look at all the love that your father's getting." Protesters have demonstrated in cities around the country at so-called "die-ins," most of which were peaceful.

The exception: Demonstrators in Berkeley, Calif., threw bricks, pipes, smoke grenades, and other objects at officers overnight, leaving one with a dislocated shoulder, NBC News reports. Police blame "splinter groups" for inciting the violence, which included vandalism and looting. Six people were arrested. Police also say they feel betrayed by protesters and politicians: "Police officers feel like they are being thrown under the bus," a police official says. Yet four unarmed blacks have recently died at the hands of white police officers, the AP notes. Is it a tidal wave or statistical anomaly? Hard to say: "We don't have an accurate count of the number of people who die in police custody," a professor says. "That's outrageous."