It is a misdemeanor in New York to abandon animals or deprive them of food, water or “a sufficient supply of good and wholesome air,” and so far this year, more than 100 arrests have been made in the city for such neglect or worse. One couple was sentenced to community service and had to pay $2,000 in restitution after leaving their dog behind when they were evicted from an apartment on Staten Island.

No case has been brought in the death of Eric Garner, a Staten Island man with chronic illnesses who was struggling to breathe after he was brought to the ground during an arrest on suspicion of selling loose cigarettes. A videotape shows him unconscious on a sidewalk, propped to one side, still cuffed, during the wait for an ambulance. No one got around to giving him CPR or oxygen. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Physical force comes with the police job, and fallibility comes with the police officer. No reform this side of heaven will fix that. But what happens when a man saying he cannot breathe loses consciousness after his arrest?

At least on Staten Island, it appears neglect of a dog is taken more seriously under some circumstances than neglect of a human. And the perception that a black human does not rate the same deference as an animal, much less a white person, has brought thousands of people to the street across the country.