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Eric Garner's Family, Rev. Sharpton Pledge to Keep Fighting for Justice

Family and civil rights activist talk to The Breakfast Club.

The Breakfast Club invited the family of Eric Garner and Rev. Al Sharpton to their morning radio show to discuss the current state of the late Staten Island man's case.

Recently, the city of New York settled with the Garner family for $5.9 million. But Mrs. Garner is insistent that the funds are simply not enough. While on the Power 105.1 program, she told listeners that “money is not justice” and that the family will be pushing for prosecution of the officer that was involved in the death of her husband. 

| SCENES FROM PROTESTS AFTER ERIC GARNER'S DEATH |

“The crazy thing is that my husband was a peacemaker,” said Garner's wife, Esaw. “That day, he just broke up a fight. He didn’t make a sale that day. They [didn’t] see any money transferred. They really didn’t have any probable cause to say anything to him.”

The Garner family has been working with the National Action Network to rally for justice. During the interview, Sharpton talked about his decision to handle the case personally after viewing the video of Garner’s arrest.

“Even if he was dead wrong, it is against police procedure to use a chokehold. The policeman used something illegal against him,” the civil rights leader said. “He said eleven times, ‘I can’t breathe.’”

Eric Garner’s daughter, Emerald, is now working with the National Action Network and has pledged to continue fighting for justice in her father's case as well as uplift her community. Emerald has started a foundation in her family’s name, which will be receiving its 501c3 accreditation in a few weeks. 

“The foundation focuses on scholarships for young people. My brother received a scholarship, but it didn’t cover food, clothes or transportation back home,” said Garner. “I just want to help the community because we are the next leaders of the free world.”

The National Action Network plans to continue rallying every weekend in order to emphasize that the officer involved in the death should be prosecuted. At the end of the interview, Sharpton expressed his confidence in the method and declared that this tactic “will get results.”
This month marks the anniversary of the death of the Staten Island father. While allegedly selling loose cigarettes, Garner was approached by authorities and placed into a chokehold by NYPD police officer Daniel Pantaleo. In the video recording of the arrest, Garner is heard telling the officer that he couldn't breathe. He was pronounced dead an hour later
“As I was riding to the hospital, the tears started to flow because after you are married to somebody for so long, it’s like a kindred spirit,” Mrs. Garner said.
Garner's death sparked an immediate public outcry for an outside investigation into the actions of the New York City Police Department while the phrase #ICantBreathe went viral on social media.

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(Photo: Power 1051 FM/The Breakfast Club)

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