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Erica Garner

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Erica Garner
Garner at a protest in 2016
Born(1990-05-29)May 29, 1990
Brooklyn, New York,U.S.
DiedDecember 30, 2017(2017-12-30)(aged 27)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Cause of deathCardiac arrest
OccupationActivist
Years active2014–2017
Children2
FatherEric Garner
RelativesGwen Carr(grandmother)

Erica Garner-Snipes[1](May 29, 1990 – December 30, 2017) was an American activist who advocated forpolice reform,particularly in the use of force during arrests. Garner became involved in activism followingthe 2014 murder of her father,Eric Garner, after aNew York City police officerplaced him in a lethalchokeholdduring an arrest.[2]

Early life

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Erica Garner, born on May 29, 1990, atWoodhull Hospital,[citation needed]was the daughter of Esaw Garner Snipes and Eric Garner, and grew up inBrooklyn,New York.[3][1]She was the oldest of four children born to Eric and Esaw.[1]Esaw had two older children from a previous relationship.[1]As Eric's asthma and other health problems made it difficult for him to work, he played a large role at home in raising the children.[1]When Garner was fourteen, her turbulent relationship with her mother deteriorated to the point that Esaw voluntarily placed her intofoster care.[4]Garner was placed with the Goode family inFar Rockaway, Queens.[4][5]The family offered to adopt Garner; the adoption fell through, but Garner stayed with the family and they maintained a close relationship even after she became an adult.[6]

Activism

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Garner became involved in activism in 2014 afterher father diedduring the NYPD's attempt to arrest him for allegedly sellinguntaxed cigarettes,[1]and she remained a critic of the NYPD up to her death.[7][8]Beginning a month after his death and for the following year, Garner led twice-weekly marches visiting the scene of her father's death,[9]visits which the media labeled a "die-in".[10]She also marched inBlack Lives Matterdemonstrations and other protest events, and set up a foundation in her father's name.[2]The aim of the foundation, named the Garner Way Foundation, is to "engage communities all over the world in social justice issues through political awareness, music, arts and activism."[11]In addition, Garner campaigned to have the transcripts of the grand jury into her father's death made public.[1]

Garner stated that she believed her father's death had more to do with police misconduct than race, and in 2017, she rejected a meeting with theUnited States Justice Departmentto discuss the circumstances surrounding her father's death.[12]During the2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries,Garner supportedBernie Sanders,and appeared in an advertisement for him as well as on the campaign trail.[12][13][7]

Personal life and death

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Garner had two children.[8][14]Shortly after the birth of her son Eric, named after her father, in August 2017, she suffered a heart attack.[14][15]Doctors subsequently found that her heart was enlarged.[15]On December 23, 2017, she suffered a second heart attack, after which she fell into a coma. She was left with "major brain damage", leading to her death on December 30, 2017.[8][14][16]She died at Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn surrounded by her family and foster family.[17]

On the news of her death, New York MayorBill de Blasiosaid the city would "miss her unshakable sense of justice and passion for humanity", despite the fact that Garner had been a frequent critic of de Blasio during her lifetime.[2]TheNew York Civil Liberties Unionissued a statement saying that Garner "showed incredible courage and remarkable resolve" and "bravely transformed her unspeakable personal pain in[to] political power as she became a leader in the fight for police reform".[18]TheNational Association for the Advancement of Colored People(NAACP) also issued a statement acknowledging her leadership and strength.[18]Fellow activistDeRay Mckessonsaid, “Erica took the truth with her everywhere she went, even if that truth made people uncomfortable".[19]Tweets were subsequently posted from Garner's officialTwitteraccount demanding that de Blasio "explain how she died with no justice" and requesting that "out of respect to Erica please do not request comment if the journalist is not Black". These tweets were later found to have been posted by Garner's publicist.[2][20][18]

References

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  1. ^abcdefgDay, Elizabeth (January 25, 2015)."Erica Garner-Snipes: 'I believe in justice. It will take a long time but it's gonna come'".The Observer.RetrievedDecember 29,2017.
  2. ^abcd"Erica Garner, activist daughter of Eric Garner, dies at 27".NBC News.RetrievedDecember 30,2017.
  3. ^Garner, Erica (May 29, 2016)."Today is my birthday!!!".Twitter.RetrievedDecember 30,2017.
  4. ^abTaibbi, Matt (2017).I Can't Breathe: A Killing on Bay Street(1st ed.). New York: Spiegel & Grau. p. 133.ISBN978-0812988840.OCLC961006277.
  5. ^Ekpo, Ime (December 25, 2017)."Erica Garner, Daughter of Eric Garner, In Critical Condition After Heart Attack".The Source.RetrievedDecember 19,2018.
  6. ^Taibbi 2017,p. 133-134.
  7. ^abLaBouvier, Chaédria (March 21, 2016)."Police Brutality, Bernie, and Me: Erica Garner tells her story".Elle.RetrievedDecember 29,2017.
  8. ^abcLartey, Jamiles (December 28, 2017)."Erica Garner suffering from 'major brain damage' after going into cardiac arrest".The Guardian.RetrievedDecember 29,2017.
  9. ^Sutton, Davina (March 30, 2016)."Erica Garner Will Not Stop Marching".NBC News.RetrievedDecember 31,2017.
  10. ^Makarechi, Kia (December 12, 2014)."Erica Garner Stages Die-In at Scene of Her Father's Arrest".The Hive.RetrievedDecember 30,2017.
  11. ^"EXCLUSIVE: Erica Garner Slams" Fraudulent Claims "In O'Keefe Video, Announces Foundation".News One.February 24, 2015.RetrievedDecember 30,2017.
  12. ^abLevenson, Eric (December 28, 2017)."Eric Garner's activist daughter in coma after heart attack".CNN.RetrievedDecember 29,2017.
  13. ^Rosenberg, Eli (December 28, 2017)."Activist Erica Garner, daughter of police chokehold victim, is in a coma after heart attack".The Washington Post.RetrievedDecember 29,2017.
  14. ^abc"Eric Garner's daughter Erica declared brain dead after heart attack".Los Angeles Times.December 28, 2017.RetrievedDecember 29,2017.
  15. ^abAssociated Press (December 26, 2017)."Erica Garner, activist daughter of Eric Garner, in critical condition".SILive.com.RetrievedDecember 29,2017.
  16. ^Sampathkumar, Mythili (December 30, 2017)."Erica Garner dead: 'I can't breathe' police brutality campaigner and daughter of Eric Garner dies aged 27".The Independent.RetrievedDecember 29,2017.
  17. ^Ortiz, Erik (December 30, 2017)."Erica Garner, activist daughter of Eric Garner, dies at 27 after coma".NBC News.
  18. ^abcPengelly, Martin (December 30, 2017)."Erica Garner, Black Lives Matter activist, dies aged 27".The Guardian.RetrievedDecember 29,2017.
  19. ^Wang, Vivian (December 30, 2017),"Erica Garner, Activist and Daughter of Eric Garner, Dies at 27",New York Times
  20. ^"Erica Garner rep requests only black reporters contact family".NY Daily News.RetrievedDecember 29,2017.
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