New York, NY, December 4, 2014 … In response to a Staten Island grand jury’s failure to issue an indictment in the Eric Garner case, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today said the decision “reminds us that the problems we face as a nation transcend Garner and Ferguson,” and that our nation “must all come together to address the persistence of racial bias.”

Evan R. Bernstein, ADL New York Regional Director, and Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement:

Recent events in Ferguson, Missouri and now here in New York are a wake-up call reminding us that the problems we face as a nation transcend these individual cases. We must all come together to address the persistence of racial bias.

Now more than ever, we must confront the prejudice and bigotry that still tarnish our society and ensure that we have a justice system that all Americans can trust.

We welcome the strong statements by Mayor Bill DeBlasio and the NYPD expressing their commitment to rebuild public trust and work together for justice in order to build the kind of city – and nation – we need to be. We are committed to that task and stand ready to work with our partners.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.  Follow us on Twitter: @ADL_NY