Eric Garner's Widow Demands 'Civil Unrest' if Cop at Center of Controversy Isn't Fired
After five years, the controversial 2014 death of Eric Garner at the hands of New York Police Department officers has largely disappeared from the national dialogue as the officer deemed responsible, Daniel Pantaleo, faced administrative review.
The case was, however, dragged back into the spotlight this week when hecklers at the second round of Democratic presidential primary debates called out New York Mayor Bill de Blasio for the city’s handling of the case.
“Fire Pantaleo!” hecklers yelled from the audience as de Blasio commented on a supposed record of supporting the African-American community against racially motivated police violence and injustice by repealing “stop and frisk” policies in the city.
Prompted by the chants, moderators would later question the mayor on the Pantaleo case. And the mayor would promise justice in the case soon, with a decision coming down the NYPD pipeline in August.
With the case effectively back in the national spotlight, Garner’s widow Esaw Garner Snipes spoke out on CNN this week saying, “the Garner family is not going away until we get what we want.”
“And that’s justice, in one form or another,” she added, alleging that “civil unrest” was on the table should “justice” not be served.
Garner’s 2014 death — which occurred when officers attempted to arrest him for selling illegal cigarettes — received immense establishment media coverage.
As officers attempted to force Garner to comply, Pantaleo employed a banned chokehold maneuver, suffocating him.
Already suffering from obesity, heart disease and asthma, Garner would die from the trauma within an hour.
Video of Garner’s death, which included 11 pleas of “I can’t breathe” before his collapse, sparked national outrage and generated several Black Lives Matter demonstrations across the city.
Earlier this week, Garner’s widow said that if the justice his family seeks is not served by the police commissioner and administration, “It’s not gonna be pretty.”
“We’re not gonna stop,” Garner Snipes said on CNN. “I don’t know what the next step would be legally, I don’t know what the next step would be civilly.
“I just know that there’s gonna be a next step. We’re gonna figure out something.”
Coincidentally, Pantaleo’s lengthy disciplinary trial came to a close Friday, with NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Trials Rosemarie Maldonado recommending the officer be fired, according to Politico.
According to the outlet, the recommendation is non-binding, and a final determination will be made by NYPD Police Commissioner James O’Neill in the coming days.
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