[Criminal Justice News]
Eric Garner mother will travel to Capitol Hill, with Rev. Al Sharpton, to speak with lawmakers in the aftermath of the DOJ’s decision not to file charges against Officer Daniel Pantaleo…
Photo:Youtube GNN screenshot
Last night on his weekly MSNBC show “PoliticsNation,” Rev. Al Sharpton announced he would take Eric Garner’s mother Gwen Carr to Washington, D.C. Tuesday to meet with multiple members of Congress following last week’s announcement that the officer responsible for Garner’s death would not face federal charges.
The meetings come on the heels of renewed calls to investigate police misconduct cases in Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York City.
Rev. Al Sharpton and the family of Eric Garner are deeply concerned that the New York City Police Department has not yet fired Daniel Pantaleo, the officer who killed Eric Garner five years ago, while federal authorities announced last week that he would not face civil rights charges. Sharpton and the family will push for congressional hearings on police misconduct.
The Garner case is not isolated. The Philadelphia Police Department has pulled 72 officers off their regular duties as authorities investigate inflammatory social media posts revealed in a database that found thousands of offensive postings by current and former officers. And, the Chicago Police Board recently fired four police officers for allegedly covering up a White officer’s 2014 fatal shooting of Black teenager Laquan McDonald.
Garner’s family, who since 2014 has sought justice for Eric’s death, will meet with Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) to discuss the case and the best options for recourse moving forward.
“Last week’s decision by William Barr and the Justice Department was a severe miscarriage of justice. Eric’s family is justifiably outraged at the result – as am I,” said Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of National Action Network (NAN). “We will not stand by while countless other families are ripped apart by the deaths of innocent Black Americans at the hands of law enforcement. It’s our sincerest hope that these meetings provide our elected representatives with the courage and resolve to stand up for justice.”
The schedule for meeting with members of Congress are as follows:
11:30 a.m.
Meeting with Sen. Charles Schumer S-221, The Capitol
12:00 p.m.
Meeting with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand ST-36, The Capitol
12:30 p.m.
Meeting with Sen. Kamala Harris 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC, 20510
1:30 p.m.
Meeting with Sen. Cory Booker Hart Senate Office Building
2:00 p.m.
Meeting with Chairman Jerry Nadler 2132 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC
3:00 p.m.
Meeting with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries 2433 Rayburn Office Building
4:00 p.m.
Meeting with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez 229 Cannon House Office Building
5:45 p.m.
Meeting with Rep. Ayanna Pressley 1108 Longworth House Office Building
