A statewide prosecutors group is urging a Staten Island court to keep secret the grand jury proceedings in the Eric Garner case, saying that any other course could permanently damage the system.

“The witnesses in this case, and those in other cases where members of the public express views contrary to the evidence the witness can provide, are entitled to the full protection of the law for their service,” the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York wrote in an amicus curiae brief.

The brief backs Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan Jr.'s opposition to unsealing motions from the Legal Aid Society, the New York Civil Liberties Union, the New York Post and New York City Public Advocate Letitia James.