Eric Garner, a 43-year-old African American man, died July 17, 2014, in Staten Island, New York soon after Daniel Pantaleo, a white police officer, put him in a chokehold for about 19 seconds while trying to arrest him on the suspicion of selling cigarettes unlawfully. In a video of the incident, Garner is seen lying face down on the sidewalk surrounded by four officers and heard repeating "I can't breathe" over and over again.

On December 3, 2014, a grand jury decided not to indict officer Pantaleo for the death of Eric Garner even though the New York City Police Department bans the use of the chokehold by officers as a tactic to subdue suspects. This outcome, following the Michael Brown grand jury decision in Missouri, ignited additional public protests and rallies across the country.

Related media stories and editorials:
» “What We See In The Eric Garner Video, And What We Don't” – NPR
» “Staten Island grand jury: A step-by-step look at how the Eric Garner decision came down” – silive.com
» “Will the Eric Garner case change things?” – CNN
» “The NYPD Cop Who Put Eric Garner In A Chokehold Has A History Of Allegedly Violating Black Men's Rights” – Business Insider