Politics

Protesters Mark One Year Since Eric Garner’s Death

On Friday, July 17, 2015 about two dozen family, friends, and supporters gathered in Staten Island to mark the one-year anniversary of Eric Garner’s controversial death and to rally against police brutality.

Although Eric Garner was black, most of those who gathered at the scene of his death were not black and voiced support for all citizens.

Alan Goodman, a white man approximately in his 70s, hopes his involvement in the Black Lives Matter movement would encourage other white people to participate.

“I think there is probably a particular role that white people can play by challenging and saying ” hey stop listen. these black lives matter..What does this say about your own humanity? If you can walk on.” Goodman said.

The Black Lives Matter Movement was organized as a reaction to a rash of police involved deaths of black men last summer.

Eric Garner’s death stunned many. On July 17, 2014 Garner, 43, arrest was filmed. He was tackled to the ground by four officers and put in a chokehold by officer Daniel Pantaleo. Garner was accused of selling loose cigarettes, before his fatal encounter with Pantaleo. During his arrest Garner screamed “I can’t breathe” eleven times until officers realized he had suffocated. In December, a Staten Island grand jury declined to indict officer Pantaleo for Garner’s death.

Janet Yip is a Japanese American woman who participated in Friday’s protest against police brutality. Yip has been motivated by what she sees as genocide against people of color in America.

“It’s like you could murder people because of the color of the skin, or what you think they look like, maybe because their pants are hanging low or whatever. But what does that say about the rest of society if they don’t stand up and say something about it? Why should you live in an environment that lets that happens?” Yip said.

Yip and other protesters marched to the street in Staten Island where Garner was killed, carrying signs that read “I Can’t Breathe” and chanting, “These pigs, they choked, Eric Garner, to death.”

Noche Diaz, 27, who lives in the Bronx, traveled to Staten Island to also join in the march. Diaz identifies himself as Puerto Rican, but says that in America, he believes brown people are treated just as badly as blacks.

“Because of the history of this country, to put it in a provocative way, you actually become Black or White after being here for a few generations.” Noche Diaz said.

Carl Dix is the co-founder of The Stop Mass Incarceration Network,and he helped organize Friday’s protest. He believes the topic of police brutality and the death of Eric Garner should concern all New Yorkers.

“You cannot stand aside. This is happening right here, and whether its happening to you or not, you’re involved, because if you stand aside and say this ain’t my problem, you’re saying it’s okay that the police are unleashed to do this, it’s okay that the courts exonerate killer cops even when it is crystal clear that they committed a murder,” he said.

Not only did people of various races participate in Friday’s protest – so did people of all ages. Ana Vasquez, 13, came to the protest to express her view on the topic of police brutality and says it’s up to young people to push for change.

“I’ve never experienced this but like, we’re all one big family and we all need to help each other out.” Ana Vasquez said.

The protesters hope to stop what they believe are racially biased practices of the police and the United States legal system.