Last week the brutal video, taken by a bystander, of Eric Garner’s death went viral. The video shows Garner, 43, being tackled by New York City Police officers and put into a chokehold as he cries for help.
Now, his widowed wife Esaw Garner is seriously urging federal prosecuters to set out a civil-rights investigation, following the incident. In an AP article, Garner tries to explain who her husband really was. She described him as being anything but a violent man, and that he wasn’t looking for trouble.
“He was a quiet man, but he’s making a lot of noise now,” said Garner. In her first statement to the public, she described how the last text she got from her him, received half an hour before his death, read: “I’m good.”
The Garner family met with federal prosecuters at the Harlem headquarters of the Rev. Al Sharpton on Friday. Eric Garner’s mother Gwen Carr spoke up about the tragedy she is facing and what she wants now. “We want justice for my son…I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.”
Sharpton followed in the family’s desire for further investigation, telling the audience of his intent to rally for support and reach out to activitists across the country. “We are not going to let this go,” said Sharpton. “If we can’t get justice here, we can’t get justice anywhere.”
Although the city is investigating the case, it is not clear whether the a federal case will be pursued. The officer responsible has been pulled off the street and put on desk duty.
The incident is currently being investigated by four authortities: the Staten Island district attorney, the police department’s internal affairs bureau, the city’s inspector general of police and the city’s Civilian Complaint Review Board.