Eric Garner’s mother is the latest activist to voice her support for 2016 presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton.
In an email to Clinton supporters, Gwen Carr penned a letter endorsing Clinton and lauding her proposals to combat police brutality, reports CNN.
“Along with too many others, Eric’s death has forced our country to confront the effects of police brutality,” Carr wrote. “We’ve got to do something about the violence in our communities—especially gun violence—and the racial and economic injustice that’s connected to it. Hillary seems to be the only candidate right now who’s talking about how we can be strategic in trying to solve this problem. That’s why I’m endorsing her for president.”
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Garner died on July 17, 2014 in Staten Island after he was approached by NYPD officers for allegedly selling illegal cigarettes. Officer Daniel Pantaleo placed him in an illegal chokehold, despite Garner’s cries that he couldn’t breathe. He fell unconscious, and died at a nearby hospital. A New York grand jury declined to indict Pantaleo or any of the other officers involved.
In her endorsement, Carr said that she wanted to honor Garner’s life by supporting Clinton. Carr joins Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, and Lucia McBath, the mother of Jordan Davis, in supporting Clinton.
“I think all of us need to make the time to be involved in this election,” she wrote. “With all the violence and injustice that’s upon us today, we need a candidate who can move us forward—that’s Hillary.”