The NYPD was accused of making a violent arrest Monday night at a demonstration following the funeral of activist Erica Garner.
In a short video posted on Twitter soon after, a number of NYPD officers are seen attempting to clear a screaming crowd. Additional officers can be seen holding a man down on the street. Amid the chaos, an unknown man is heard scolding the police for their actions, asking, “You’re really gonna do this today?” While the man being held down by officers screams out, “I can’t breathe!”
The demonstration, called the “People’s Monday for #EricaGarner” was a march and vigil beginning at First Corinthian Baptist in Harlem, where Garner’s funeral was held last night.
Erica Garner was the eldest daughter of the late Eric Garner, a black man who was stopped by police in Staten Island for selling loose cigarettes in July of 2014. Garner was restrained and later killed by an NYPD officer who put him in an illegal chokehold. Garner’s death at the hands of the NYPD was filmed and put online, quickly becoming prominently featured by the Black Lives Matter movement, represented by his final words before he lost consciousness, “I can’t breathe.”
A grand jury did not indict the officer that killed Garner, and a $6 million civil settlement was paid to the Garner family.
Erica began much of her activism after her father’s death, through social media organization, writing online, and organizing and participating in peaceful protests throughout Staten Island. She also campaigned for Bernie Sanders during his 2016 presidential campaign.
Erica suffered a heart attack that put her in a coma in December 2017, after about a week in the hospital. She died on Dec. 30, 2017, leaving behind a 4-month-old child.
[Image via CNN screengrab]