Rapper Common, city officials attend Erica Garner's funeral
NEW YORK -- The daughter of Eric Garner, whose death became a rallying cry for police reform, was remembered at her memorial in New York as a warrior. The funeral for 27-year-old Erica Garner was held Monday evening at a Harlem church and was attended by hundreds, including city officials and the rapper and actor Common.
The Rev. Al Sharpton delivered the eulogy. He said Garner's lasting impact was that she turned her pain into power, becoming an activist for police reform.
Eric Garner died on Staten Island in 2014. He had been arrested on suspicion of selling loose untaxed cigarettes and officers took him to the ground. He cried out: "I can't breathe!" and then became unconscious. The medical examiner's office says the chokehold contributed to his death.
Erica Garner died in late December after being hospitalized in critical condition earlier after suffering a heart attack. Her mother, Esaw Snipes-Garner, had said her daughter's cardiac arrest was triggered by an asthma attack. Snipes-Garner said her daughter suffered her first heart attack not long after giving birth to a baby boy in August. Doctors said the pregnancy had put a strain on her heart, which was later found to be enlarged.
"She stood up for justice for her father," the Rev. Al Sharpton said, in announcing Garner's death. "The media will say she died of a heart attack but that's only partially true because her heart was already broken when she couldn't get justice for her father."
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called Garner's death a "horrible tragedy."