Protesters mark anniversary of Eric Garner’s chokehold death

Protest marches, rallies and vigils were planned Saturday to mark the one-year anniversary of the death of Eric Garner – the Staten Island man whose death after being placed in a chokehold by police spurred protests nationwide.

On the anniversary of the hero’s birthday – July 18, 1918 – thousands will rally at Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn at noon to demonstrate against the lack of prosecution against police officer Daniel Pantaleo who subdued Garner in a chokehold as the victim pleaded 11 times “I can’t breathe“. The federal government’s investigation into the actions of Pantaleo during the Garner arrest remains ongoing. Though the family arranged a .9 million settlement with the city, Erica says, “No amount of money is going to heal our pain, so we just search and search for justice”.

One year later, here’s an update on some of the principals affected by or involved with Garner’s case. De Blasio and police commissioner Bill Bratton have been mending relations ever since – a process complicated by the national furor over racism and the police killings of Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray, Walter Scott, and other black men. “But we have to remember that the struggle goes on”, said Gwen Carr, Garner’s mother.

Ed Cox, chairman of New York’s Republican party, said the state Senate GOP, which didn’t vote on Mr. Lippman’s proposal, was wary of passing laws hastily. “Whatever they get, they owe that and more but you still must give the justice”. When asked about the settlement, Miller said, “I really want the officer to be held accountable”. A civil jury holds a person responsible under what’s called a preponderance of the evidence standard – the lowest standard of proof necessary – where an aggrieved party must convince a jury it is simply more likely than not that they should prevail. The federal review is also reportedly looking into the chokehold used to determine if the maneuver to subdue the much larger suspect was “within the scope” of police department training.

“It certainly wasn’t something that he put out there as a calling card for himself”, said Alexander Burns, who reported on the race while working as a metro political reporter for the New York Times. One trainee who was on scene for Garner’s treatment previous year is no longer with the hospital, the spokesman said. Organizers also called for a federal probe into the death of Ramarley Graham, a black Bronx teenager fatally shot by a white police officer in 2012.

Garner died during a confrontation with New York police. No criminal charges have been brought in the case, but as NPR’s Joel Rose reports, Eric Garner’s family is still pushing to change that.

Elizabeth McCollin, who lives a few doors down, stopped to watch the gathering on her way to run errands. Garner is heard gasping “I can’t breathe!” Police soon arrived and confronted Garner for selling “loosies”, or unlicensed cigarettes.