On Wednesday, Dec. 3, a Staten Island grand jury cleared Daniel Pantaleo, the NYPD cop who killed Eric Garner after using a prohibited chokehold during his arrest, of all possible charges. The panel voted a “no-bill,” meaning that they decided there was not sufficient evidence to send the case to District Court for prosecution. They dismissed the potential charges against Officer Pantaleo even though the death was declared a homicide by a NYC Medical Examiner. Garner suffered a heart attack induced by the chokehold during his arrest on July 17.

This decision ended weeks of investigation by the special grand jury, the members of which were chosen in September specifically to review the evidence surrounding Garner’s death. This decision has led to an extreme backlash, considering the circumstances of the Michael Brown case and the video that later surfaced showing Garner’s lack of resistance before the chokehold. Garner said “I can’t breathe” 11 times, but police continued to hold him down.

Protests have broken out across the U.S., powered by the outcomes of both the Eric Garner and Michael Brown cases. Signs, graffiti, and chants of the words “I can’t breathe” can be recognized scattered around major cities, as protesters fill the streets to make their voices heard. So far, the massive protests in New York have remained mostly peaceful, but despite this, over 200 arrests have been made by NYPD officers at the rallies.

“I became a police officer to help people and to protect those who can’t protect themselves. It is never my intention to harm anyone and I feel very bad about the death of Mr. Garner,” Pantaleo said in a press release. “My family and I include him and his family in our prayers and I hope that they will accept my personal condolences for their loss.”

Garner’s wife, Esaw Garner, revealed in a news conference on Wednesday that she will not accept Pantaleo’s apology. The family plans to take legal action and has already filed a notice of claim against the city, the Police Department and various officers, seeking $75 million in damages.

“I could care less about his condolences,” Esaw Garner said. “[Pantaleo is] still working, he’s still getting a paycheck, he’s still feeding his kids. And my husband is six feet under, and I’m looking for a way to feed my kids now.”

Garner, a mother of six, believes that the time for Pantaleo to show remorse would have been when her husband was lying on the floor unable to breathe.

According to the New York Post, Garner had a past as a petty criminal who had experienced dozens of arrests in his life. On July 17, the day of his fatal arrest, he was selling untaxed cigarettes- which is considered a crime in New York. Many feel that regardless of his actions, the video clearly showed that he was not physically resisting arrest, and that Pantaleo’s actions were both unnecessary and somewhat racially fueled.

“I think it was [partially] racial, as in they didn’t want to indict [Pantaleo] because [of him being white], but I also think they don’t want to admit that their cops are in the wrong because it makes their whole system look bad,” said WJ senior Dana Baer.

To the surprise of many, Esaw Garner opposes the idea that her husband’s murder was due to race.

“I feel that he was [killed] unjustly. I don’t even feel like it’s a black and white thing, honestly,” she said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Regardless of personal opinions, protests continue to rock the streets of cities around the nation.

“This fight ain’t over. It’s just begun. As long as I have a breath in my body, I will fight the fight to the end,” Garner’s wife said.