On August 19, 2019, over FIVE YEARS after the tragic and avoidable death of Eric Garner, the officer who used the illegal chokehold, Daniel Pantaleo, was finally fired from the NYPD.

This long-overdue disciplinary action is a small step towards justice for the family of Eric Garner, but it is not over. There are four additional officers whose actions not only merit their firing, but show an underlying culture at the NYPD which must change.  

• Officer Justin D’Amico filed false charges against Eric after his death. D’Amico lied to his commanding officers, and to the Grand Jury, about what transpired that day.

• When Lieutenant Christopher Bannon was informed that Eric Garner might be dead on arrival, he texted back “not a big deal.” 

• Officers Craig Furlani and Mark Ramos stood by while Eric died, and did nothing to provide emergency attention, admitting under oath that they heard Eric’s repeated cries of “I can’t breathe”, yet chose not to act. 

These actions show a systemic disregard for the lives of Black people and a lack of accountability for officers who break the law and violate NYPD policy. As we continue to call for justice for Eric Garner, we also want to see the end to “Broken Windows” policing and the racist quota system brought to light by the brave whistleblowers of the NYPD12, that made him a target in the first place. We call for the repeal of “50a”, an archaic law which keeps records of officer misconduct hidden from the public. 

We need accountability and we will not stop until we get it. The Garner family deserves it. New Yorkers deserve it.Join us in calling on Mayor de Blasio to #FireAll4 and take real action to address systemic racism within the NYPD.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS:

July 17, 2014 - Eric Garner is killed by illegal chokehold by Officer Daniel Pantaleo.

August 1, 2014 - The New York City Medical Examiner's Office rules Garner's death a homicide.

August 19, 2014 - Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan announces a grand jury will decide if charges should be filed against Officer Pantaleo. He uses New York law to keep the grand jury proceedings secret.

December 3, 2014 - The Staten Island grand jury decides not to indict Officer Pantaleo. Shortly after the announcement, the U.S. Department of Justice announces it will open a federal civil rights investigation. 

December 6, 2014 - Justice League NYC releases 10 Demands for Redress + Accountability in the death of Eric Garner

December 8, 2014 - Justice League NYC organizes the #RoyalShutdown outside of Barclay’s Center while Britain’s Royal Family attends a Brooklyn Nets game. Justice League NYC works with Jay Z to get t-shirts with the words “I Can’t Breathe” into the locker room so that Nets players can show their solidarity.

December 14, 2014 - Justice League NYC and other grassroots groups organize a mass mobilization that includes a civil disruption inside the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue, in which hundreds of protesters stage a “die-in”.

January 19, 2015 - Justice League NYC organizes the #Dream4Justice march from Harlem to the United Nations in midtown Manhattan.

April 13-21, 2015 - Justice League NYC organizes the #March2Justice, a 250-mile march from Staten Island, NY to Washington, DC, calling on Congress to pass three pieces of justice reform legislation to end racial profiling, demilitarize our police forces, and invest in our communities. Two of the bills we marched for are subsequently introduced and one is reauthorized. 

October 24, 2016 - Attorney General Lynch removes the local FBI agents and federal prosecutors from the case, replacing them with agents from outside New York.

March 21, 2017 - Media outlets publish Pantaleo's police department disciplinary records, showing that he had "seven disciplinary complaints and 14 individual allegations lodged against him. Four of those allegations were substantiated by an independent review board." 

July 16, 2018 - The NYC Mayor's office sends a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) alerting them that, while the DOJ's investigation was continuing, the NYPD would begin its own internal investigation in the fall of 2018. By using the DOJ as an excuse for not holding Pantaleo accountable, the Mayor’s office delayed justice for the Garner family and caused pain and harm to people of color and impacted communities around our city.  

May 11, 2019 - The Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) begins its disciplinary trial for Officer Pantaleo. During the trial, Pantaleo's partner, Officer Justin D'Amico, admits that he falsely charged Eric Garner with a felony, claiming Garner had been selling 10,000 untaxed cigarettes, when it’s unlikely that officers were able to observe him selling even one. 

July 16, 2019 - The U.S. DOJ announces that no federal civil rights charges will be filed against the officers involved in the death of Eric Garner. Inside reports indicate U.S. Attorney General William Barr made this decision unilaterally. 

July 31, 2019 - Members of Justice League NYC disrupt the first national Democratic Presidential Debate to call for Mayor de Blasio to #FirePantaleo. The disruption successfully results in the question being asked of Candidate de Blasio, who promises some action “within the next 30 days.” 

August 18, 2019 - Two months after the conclusion of the CCRB trial, New York Police Department Administrative Judge Rosemarie Maldonado recommends the firing of Daniel Pantaleo.

August 19, 2019 - NYPD Police Commissioner James O’Neill fires Daniel Pantaleo.

August 25, 2019 - Justice League NYC organizes #FireDamico protest and disrupts CNN’s Democratic Presidential Town Hall, this time asking Mayor de Blasio why he hasn’t taken action against any of the remaining officers responsible for the death of Eric Garner.