To some, Eric Garner is just another name on the long list of unarmed black men killed by police. His cry of “I can’t breathe” to the officers who choked him to death echoed throughout America, and now it’s resurfacing.
Garner’s daughter, Erica, is supporting presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in a new video advertisement by Sanders’ campaign. She describes the struggle of having to explain racial tensions between police and the black community to her young daughter and how she’s grieving and trying to make a change in honor of her father.
One of the recurring themes in Sanders’ campaign and political career is racial equality. Sanders has fought for civil rights since he was a student and is continuing to support racial minorities on his journey to become president.
Sanders delves into the matter more thoroughly on his website, saying that “a growing number of communities do not trust the police.” He believes that our police forces must mirror the diversity of the communities that they are serving and become demilitarized in both their looks and actions.
The senator also points out on his website that “African-Americans are twice as likely to be arrested and almost four times as likely to experience the use of force during encounters with the police.” This is a frightening statistic, and despite the color of your skin, this should concern you.
Erica Garner is wearing a black hoodie with the words "I can't breathe" in white letters across her chest throughout the video. Her father, who was just 43 years old, cried those very words to police just before he died, which she had to watch play out on national television.
"No one gets to see their parent's last moments. I was able to see my dad die on national TV," Garner said. “People are dying. This is real. We need a president that will talk about it […] I believe Bernie Sanders is a protester. He's not scared to go up against the criminal justice system. He is not scared."
Out of all the presidential candidates, both republican and democratic, Sanders has the most trusted record of fighting for racial equality and civil rights from day one. He explained to journalist Rachel Maddow during the Democratic Candidates Forum that when he was younger he was involved in several civil rights demonstrations.
“I was there with Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. King, in the march on Washington,” Sanders said.
Eric Garner is just one of many unarmed black Americans who have been killed due to unnecessary police force and brutality. The Black Lives Matter movement is clearly something that deeply resonates with Senator Sanders. He wants to make a change for the people who our government is mistreating.
This new advertisement is not only a tear-jerker, but it’s a wake-up call to all Americans that Bernie Sanders will never forget those who have lost their lives to police brutality and will make the necessary changes to unite our melting pot of a country once again.
