Eric Garner’s Daughter Does Not Believe Her Father’s Death Was Racially Motivated

Eric Garner’s daughter appeared on CNN with Don Lemon to discuss her father’s death and the grand jury’s decision not to indict the NYPD officer who got him in a chokehold. Erica Garner said that she was happy to see people of all colors coming together to protest their outrage.

To Lemon’s surprise and perhaps to many of the viewers watching at home, when asked if she believed the police treated her father harshly because he was black, she responded by saying that she did not believe the case was a race issue. She believed it was a pride issue and the police officers reacted the way they did because they wanted to be the top cops that took down the big guy who was 6’4” and weighed over 300 pounds.

She believed that the country is facing a national crisis but that the crisis isn’t about black against whites. She pointed to the many Whites, Hispanics, and Asians who marched in solidarity with the black protesters in the streets of New York.

Eric Garner’s daughter went on to say that she will never forgive the police officer that got him in the chokehold and wishes that he would admit that he was wrong and just apologize to her family.

Much like the Michael Brown case, Eric Garner’s death is creating national debate about race relations. Some, though, feel that the latter’s case is more outrageous since video footage is available. Both cases have also created a divide along racial lines. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio made a public speech the other day, in which he stated that he had to tell his black son to be careful around police. The comments drew criticisms from conservatives, with many pointing out that statistically, other black men are much more of a danger to his son than white police officers.

As for Eric Garner’s daughter, many are praising her for her call to unity and not creating a greater racial divide by insisting that her father was racially targeted. The same sentiments were echoed by Garner’s stepfather, who urged for protesters to demonstrate peacefully. This is a stark contrast to Michael Brown’s stepfather, who tried to incite a riot by telling fellow demonstrators in Ferguson to “burn this b**** down.”

Eric Garner’s Daughter Does Not Believe Her Father’s Death Was Racially Motivated