In New York City, a police sergeant has been hit with departmental disciplinary charges over the death of Eric Garner in 2014. Garner died after Officer Daniel Pantaleo pulled him to the ground in a chokehold. Officers then piled on top of Garner as he said “I can’t breathe” 11 times. Garner was accused of selling loose cigarettes. While a grand jury failed to indict Officer Pantaleo for the fatal chokehold, Sergeant Kizzy Adonis, who is African-American, has been stripped of her gun and badge for failing to supervise the officers involved in Garner’s death. Garner’s oldest daughter, Erica, responded to the news in a video posted online.
Erica Garner: “A year and a half later, the only people indicted in my dad’s case are people of color. A year and a half later, this is the only answer that New York has to offer the Garner family. Not one of the eight killer cops that was on my dad’s back was charged for anything. This underscores the fundamental problem in this country. This is why we can’t reform our way out of this. This is why we can’t train our way out of this. It doesn’t matter about more black police officers. It doesn’t matter about more black district attorneys. It doesn’t matter about black police chiefs. All the way up to the president, it still doesn’t matter.”
Erica Garner is joining a rally today to coincide with a court date for Ramsey Orta, who filmed the fatal chokehold of Eric Garner. Orta has been arrested multiple times after he says police targeted him and his family for releasing the video. Erica Garner refers to Ramsey Orta as “the only man charged in my dad’s death.”