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| Eric Garner (police-related death) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Eric Garner |
| Birth date | 1970 |
| Birth place | Staten Island, New York City, New York, United States |
| Death date | July 17, 2014 |
| Death place | Staten Island, New York City, New York, United States |
| Cause of death | Compression of neck (chokehold) and prone positioning during physical restraint; asthma; heart disease; high blood pressure |
| Occupation | Street vendor |
| Known for | Death during arrest by New York City Police Department officers |
Eric Garner (police-related death)
Eric Garner was an African American man whose 2014 death during an arrest by officers of the New York City Police Department on Staten Island became a focal point in national debates about policing, racial bias, civil rights, and criminal justice reform. Garner's death, widely circulated via bystander video, intersected with high-profile incidents involving Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray, and movements such as Black Lives Matter and catalyzed policy discussions at municipal, state, and federal levels.
Garner was born and raised in Staten Island in New York City and was reported to have worked as a street vendor and day laborer while raising a family; his life was connected to local institutions including Richmond County, New York State Department of Health, and neighborhood community organizations. Reports described Garner's medical history as involving chronic conditions such as asthma and hypertension, conditions evaluated by clinicians associated with Staten Island University Hospital and referenced in subsequent coroner and medical examiner records compiled by the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner. His interactions with law enforcement prior to 2014 included arrests processed through the New York City Criminal Court and Manhattan Criminal Court systems.
On July 17, 2014, officers of the New York City Police Department confronted Garner on Bay Street near the Tompkinsville neighborhood on Staten Island after complaints about alleged illegal cigarette sales, an encounter involving members of the NYPD's Housing Bureau and street-level enforcement units. The confrontation, involving officers including Daniel Pantaleo and others assigned to the NYPD 120th Precinct and NYPD 121st Precinct areas, was recorded by bystanders and rapidly disseminated across platforms tied to YouTube, Twitter, and local television outlets such as WABC-TV and WCBS-TV. The recording showed officers applying a chokehold-like maneuver and restraining Garner in a prone position; the tactic referenced controversies over the NYPD patrol guide and prior policies dating to debates after the death of Amadou Diallo and inquiries by the Civilian Complaint Review Board (New York City). Bystander footage captured Garner repeatedly saying, "I can't breathe," words that became a rallying cry in demonstrations by activists connected to organizations such as ACLU New York, NAACP, and National Action Network.
After officers restrained Garner and he became unresponsive, emergency medical services responded through units operated by the New York City Fire Department and transported him to Richmond University Medical Center, where physicians documented cardiopulmonary arrest and respiratory failure. The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner ruled the manner of death as homicide and cited "compression of neck (chokehold), compression of chest and prone positioning during physical restraint" along with contributing factors including asthma, hypertension, and heart disease; this determination intersected with medical literature from institutions such as Columbia University Medical Center and clinical standards promoted by the American Heart Association and emergency medicine protocols. Autopsy findings and expert testimony were later debated in reports by forensic pathologists affiliated with academic centers, civil rights organizations, and legal teams.
Garner's death prompted multiple investigations, including an internal probe by the New York City Police Department Internal Affairs Bureau, a review by the Civilian Complaint Review Board (New York City), a federal inquiry by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), and a grand jury proceeding in the State of New York. The Richmond County grand jury declined to indict officer Daniel Pantaleo on state criminal charges, and the DOJ later announced it would not bring federal civil rights charges; those decisions implicated precedents from cases reviewed by the United States Attorney General and interpretations of federal statutes enforced by the Civil Rights Division (DOJ). Administrative actions included recommendations from the NYPD Discipline System, arbitration matters heard by the New York State Public Employment Relations Board, and, eventually, the termination of Pantaleo after an administrative trial before the Civilian Complaint Review Board (New York City) and the NYPD Commissioner.
Garner's death galvanized protests and marches in New York City and across the United States, with demonstrations organized by groups including Black Lives Matter, Campaign Zero, MoveOn.org, and the Rev. Al Sharpton-led National Action Network; notable rallies occurred at locations such as Times Square, City Hall (New York City), and federal sites including the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). Elected officials including Mayor Bill de Blasio, Governor Andrew Cuomo, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and U.S. Representative Hakeem Jeffries engaged in policy discussions about policing reforms, leading to changes in NYPD training, revisions to use-of-force guidelines overseen by the NYPD Commissioner and calls for body-worn cameras promoted by advocates and funded through municipal budgets and grants from entities like the Department of Homeland Security and local philanthropies. Garner's case influenced legislative proposals at the New York State Legislature and informed national debates in the United States Congress about criminal justice policy.
Media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, CNN, NBC News, and The New Yorker provided extensive coverage of the incident, legal outcomes, and protests, shaping public discourse alongside commentary by academics from institutions such as Columbia University and activists associated with Color of Change. The phrase "I can't breathe" entered cultural and artistic expressions spanning visual art displayed at galleries near SoHo (Manhattan), performances at venues like Lincoln Center, musical works by artists associated with Def Jam Recordings and benefit events organized by civil rights groups, and documentary films screened at festivals such as Sundance Film Festival. Garner's death remains a reference point in scholarship on police accountability examined in journals published by presses including Oxford University Press and debated in documentary and narrative forms across television series on networks like HBO and public broadcasting entities such as PBS.
Category:2014 deaths