The eldest daughter of the late Eric Garner, who died after being put in a chokehold by a New York City police officer, has endorsed Bernie Sanders for president.
“Who will address the criminalization of our people? Who understands that we’re experiencing an economic crisis made worse by structural barriers to jobs and education? Who will bring us closer to real safety, freedom and power? Who has clearly shown us where they stand?” Erica Garner wrote Friday in the Washington Post.
Garner said the answer is Sanders, “who started this work well before campaign season, who understands our deaths as tragedies — not political talking points — and someone who will speak out against the wars being waged against our communities. Not someone who only pays attention to our concerns when it’s time to collect our votes. Not someone who gives us bread crumbs and expects us to be full.
“Black Americans — all Americans — need a leader with a record that speaks for itself. And to me, it’s clear. Of all the presidential candidates, Sen. Bernie Sanders is our strongest all,” Garner said.
Garner’s father died in July 2014 in Staten Island after being put in a chokehold, something prohibited by the city’s police policy. He was being arrested for allegedly selling loose cigarettes and his death was ruled a homicide, but a grand jury declined to indict anyone involved in Garner’s death.
Citing a rally last summer in Seattle when Black Lives Matter protesters interrupted the Vermont senator, Garner believes that Sanders “heard us, and I believe he’ll continue to listen.”
“I remember another candidate who dared me to believe in hope and change. His opponents said he wasn’t ready for leadership. They said he couldn’t win. He said, ‘Yes, we can.’ And we did. I still believe we can. That’s why I endorse Bernie Sanders for president,” she concluded.
Earlier this month, Eric Garner’s mother, Gwenn Carr, endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.
“Hillary seems to be the only candidate right now who’s talking about how we can be strategic in trying to solve this problem. That’s why I’m endorsing her for president,” Carr said in a statement released by the Clinton campaign on Jan. 21.
