Just outside a Staten Island storefront on Thursday night, Erica Garner laid down on the sidewalk where her father collapsed after being put in a chokehold by a New York police officer.
Garner led a group of protesters on a march to a memorial for her father, Eric Garner, who died shortly after the incident. The group staged a “die-in” next to the makeshift memorial, with people lying in the streets on a nearly freezing cold night in the New York City borough.
Garner said she will continue to lead protests in Staten Island twice a week in memory of her father, who died at age 43 after NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo put him in the chokehold. Garner’s last words – “I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe” – have become a rallying cry for protesters across the US since a grand jury decided not to indict Pantaleo last month.
If they're peaceful why is this barricades blocking the boat MLK said we have the freedom to protest ..#icantbreathe pic.twitter.com/aczE06PszQ
— officialERICA GARNER (@es_snipes) December 12, 2014
That decision came one week after a grand jury in Missouri decided not to indict white police officer Darren Wilson, who killed black, unarmed teenager Michael Brown. Protesters took over the streets of Ferguson, where Brown was killed in August. Those demonstrations were renewed after the grand jury announced its decision in November.
Demonstrations have showed no sign of slowing down. Last night, 76 people were arrested at a die-in in a London Westfield shopping center. This week, NBA players, including Derrick Rose and Lebron James, have worn shirts during pre-game warm ups that said: “I can’t breathe.”
More than 44,000 people have registered for the Millions March NYC, which is scheduled for Saturday. The demonstration is billed as a march to demand justice “for all those killed by racist killer cops”.
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