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11/22/2024 12:12:33 am

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New Yorkers Protests Death Of Eric Garner

Eric Garner Funeral

(Photo : REUTERS/James Keivom/Pool) Emerald Garner (R) mourns next to the coffin of her father Eric Garner during his funeral at Bethel Baptist Church in Brooklyn.

New Yorkers marched in Staten Island on Saturday to protest the death of Eric Garner who died in police chokehold.

The protest was led by Garner's family along with Reverend Al Sharpton to demand justice for Garner's death and condemn police brutality.

Sharpton told the New York Daily News that their protest is not necessarily anti-police, but an effort to denounce "bad apples" in the police force that taints the image of the department.

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The march started from New Jersey and Brooklyn to Staten Island, where Garner died.

The reverend added that his message will be the same as what he told the residents of Missouri, where an unarmed African-American teenager was shot by a cop: "Is it unreasonable to ask that unarmed people not be killed?"

About 3,000 to 15,000 people are expected to join the march as the police department gathered its forces for deployment to ensure the safety of the event.

Despite Sharpton's assurance of a peaceful rally, the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce gave out a security warning to caution businesses about the possible disturbance brought about by the march.

Karl's Klipper restaurant owner Karl Reina said he told his employees not to come to work on Saturday because "there was a lot of uncertainty" in the rally, in addition to the tension in Ferguson, "anything could spark it," he said.

In a letter released by the Chamber of Commerce, it stated that even with the promise of a peaceful march, the actions of people in attendance cannot be guaranteed, "general precautions be utilized."

Eric Garner was an unarmed African-American who died on July 17 after being assaulted by the police for selling untaxed cigarettes.

A video showing the 43-year-old Garner being held by a police in a chokehold have gone viral, which infuriated a lot of people especially the African-American population.

The video showed Garner saying that he couldn't breathe while being held by the police officer.

The medical examiner announced earlier this month that Garner's death was a homicide.

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