John Minchillo, AP
Eric Garner was murdered on July 17, 2014. Garner became unresponsive after being placed in a prohibited chokehold by one of the many arresting officers. Though he repeatedly stated “I can’t breathe”, none of the officers around him attempted to check on his condition or administer aid. Paramedics arrived on the scene but did not administer oxygen or do anything to administer medical aid. Garner was pronounced dead an hour later. The official cause of death was listed as heart attack.
Though the entire incident was captured on video (courtesy of Ramsey Orta), there was no justice for Eric Garner. No criminal charges were ever filed against the officer that murdered him.
Fast forward to 2021 and today’s guilty verdicts in the trial of George Floyd’s murderer. I was relieved to hear the word “guilty” on all three counts, and certainly relieved to know that no city in America was going to burn with Black rage tonight. But please don’t this twisted. I’m not happy with this outcome, and this was not necessarily ‘justice’. George Floyd is still dead. His family misses him dearly. His daughter, Gianna, misses him dearly.
I’d like to believe that this is the moment of change I’ve been hoping for since I watched Eric Garner lose his life. I’d LOVE to believe that. But I’m wary of promises for change, and tired of hoping against hope. Without substantial change to policing in America, and real efforts to address and eliminate systemic racism in policing, we will continue to mourn even more Eric Garners, Sandra Blands, and George Floyds.
For now, this is simply a one-off. Nothing more.
[Note: There have been at least three more high profile police shootings of young Black and Brown women and men since the beginning of the Floyd murder trial. I’m sure there will be even more in the coming days, weeks and months… because this is America.]