President of the National Action Network Rev. Al Sharpton (NAN) issued the following statement Wednesday, July 17, on the 10th anniversary of the police killing of Eric Garner. The husband and father’s murder was caught on an alarming cellphone video in which the Staten Island resident told police several times “I can’t breathe” as he was put in a chokehold. Rev. Sharpton and NAN stood with the Garner family in the months and years that followed to deliver justice for his death. While the NYPD officer who put him in the fatal chokehold did not face criminal charges, the practice has since been banned by law due to their collective advocacy.
“Even a decade after the tragic and unnecessary killing of Eric Garner, his final words, ‘I can’t breathe,’ continue to remind us of the importance of the work against police brutality and systemic racism. Eric was a beloved father, and his life mattered. In a truly just society, he would still be with us today.
“Even a decade after the tragic and unnecessary killing of Eric Garner, his final words, ‘I can’t breathe,’ continue to remind us of the importance of the work against police brutality and systemic racism. Eric was a beloved father, and his life mattered. In a truly just society, he would still be with us today.
Yet, Eric’s death was not in vain. In the face of heartbreaking loss, his mother, Gwen Carr, emerged as a beacon of resilience for the loved ones of Black and Brown men and women killed by law enforcement. Rather than succumbing to her grief, Mother Carr transformed her sorrow into a determined pursuit for justice. Her fierce advocacy led directly to the passage of the Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold Act in 2020. Mother Carr has become an integral part of the NAN family, often joining them at the House of Justice in Harlem for our Saturday rallies and sharing her tragic yet profoundly valuable perspective to help guide the movement.
We remember Eric Garner not just for the injustice he suffered, but for the activism and change that his death inspired. And we celebrate his family’s extraordinary perseverance, which continues to help pave the way for a more just and equitable society.”
About National Action Network (NAN) is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation with chapters throughout the entire United States.