It was a sad day in Brooklyn, New York, as another black man killed by the police was laid to rest. Eric Garner, a father of six and grandfather of two, was laid to rest in a service at Bethel Baptist Church in Boerum Hill. The church was packed as family members, politicians and the community bore witness to the end result of police abuse.
All of this was because NYPD Police suspected Garner of selling loose cigarettes on a street corner. Cellphone video footage taken by witnesses show Garner being placed in a chokehold prohibited by the NYPD and Garner pleading “I can’t breathe.” Among those in attendance was the Rev. Al Sharpton who told the mourners “This is how we get action. We can’t live in a city where they can choke us out and it’s not a big thing …You don’t need retraining, you don’t need sensitizing … There is a difference this time, this time there’s a video. You can’t tell no lies this time.”
Sharpton announced to the mourners that he and Garner’s family will be meeting with the U.S. Justice Department this Friday. The investigation into Garner’s death is ongoing with the medical examiner’s office of New York stating that it has not determined a cause of death for Garner. In addition, the medical examiner’s office has stated that a preliminary investigation found no clear signs of asphyxiation.
