Some seven years after Eric Garner was killed after being targeted by police and put in a chokehold, a judicial inquiry into his death started on Monday. It is the very least officials can do after blocking several measures to hold the officers who targeted Garner accountable. Judge Erika Edwards has called for 13 witnesses, including New York City police officers and sergeants to testify in proceedings aimed at offering a transparent look at the use of force used against Garner, ABC News reported. Edwards is also looking to focus on allegations Garner did not receive adequate medical care and how Garner’s arrest history and medical past were allegedly leaked from his autopsy report.

“It’s trailblazing if you ask me,” Edwards said at the start of the inquiry. “Nobody will be charged or found liable. It’s about transparency. It’s about creating a record. It’s about letting the public better understand what happened and what did not happen seven years ago.”

Garner, 43, was accused of selling loose cigarettes outside a store on Staten Island when then-New York City police officer Daniel Pantaleo choked and killed him on July 17, 2014, according to Atlanta Black Star. A transcript CNN obtained in the months following Garner’s death revealed that in his final conversation with authorities, Garner said:

Viral video of Garner’s arrest shows four cops taking him down to the ground and wrestling him, at which point he added: “I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.”

The chilling plea was also George Floyd’s last words when former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for more than nine minutes, eventually murdering the Black father. But unlike what transpired in Chauvin’s case, a grand jury failed to indict Pantaleo or any other officer involved in Garner’s arrest.

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Human rights activist Monifa Bandele, who petitioned for the judicial review, told the Black News Channel she’s hoping to learn “why Eric Garner was stopped” and which officers were investigated for their misconduct. “We see, now that we have access to the police records, that there were so many lies told,” Bandele said. “One big thing that many people don’t know is that the lieutenant Christopher Bannon who was on the scene instructed officers to arrest Eric Garner even after they all knew that he was dead.” 

Bannon was also accused of telling Sgt. Dhanan Saminath the incident was “not a big deal” after learning Garner was likely dead, The Guardian reported of text messages between Bannon and Saminath. Bandele also mentioned Officer Justin Damico, who after riding in the ambulance with Garner was accused of inflating charges sought against him. Damico said in paperwork the Associated Press obtained that Garner sold 10,000 untaxed cigarettes, a tax felony.

“So we really want to get to the bottom of this,” Bandele said. “We’re hoping that if we can have a public record of all of the misconduct then we can take the next step forward to get some real accountability in this case and to show how the city and Mayor (Bill) de Blasio and the commissioner helped to cover up the fact that there were more than one police officers that killed Eric Garner.”

Pantaleo was not only spared from federal indictment, but he wasn’t fired until five years after the violent encounter, according to the former New York City police commissioner who announced the termination in 2019. When that happened, tens of thousands of dollars poured in to support Pantaleo and his family, according to a GoFundMe page created for the officer. It had racked up $178,703 as of publication of this piece.

Scott Hechinger, a Brooklyn public defender, tweeted last Thursday: “Of course no ones getting fired for abuse of power & assault on civilians. Suspended. Or otherwise reprimanded for misconduct. The NYPD fought for 5 years & then threatened a strike when Eric Garner’s killer was finally fired after a judge recommended it. This is why cops kill.”

New York state Sen. Julia Salazar tweeted on Saturday that injustices in the case are ongoing. “It’s been 7 years, and many of the NYPD officers & officials who ignored Eric Garner’s cries of ‘I can’t breathe’, lied on police reports, leaked sealed records, refused to bring disciplinary charges, and attempted a cover-up are still on city payroll,” she said in the tweet.

She added in a thread on Twitter:

”In 2019, Gwen Carr (mother of Eric Garner), Eric’s sister and @changethenypd members filed legal action to demand a judicial inquiry into the city’s handling (or mishandling) of the killing of Eric Garner. This Monday, 10/25, that judicial inquiry will proceed in court.

“This is an historic moment. For the first time in over 100 years, a judicial inquiry is scheduled to move forward in New York City courts.The Carr v. de Blasio proceedings will be remote, but accessible to the public. As ever, I’m amazed by the courage of Eric Garner’s family.”

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