On the weekend marking one year since the police killing of Eric Garner, Rev. Al Sharpton and his coalition rallied and took a petition to the U.S. Justice Department on Saturday demanding expedited federal investigations.
Since the police chokehold death of Garner and three years after the police shooting of Ramarley Graham, no federal charges have been filed against the officers who killed them.
Earlier this week, the city settled the Garner case for nearly $6 million, however, Sharpton and the family said justice will not be served until the officer who killed him is brought to justice. They are calling for the federal government to step in.
Hundreds of people gathered at the U.S. Federal Courthouse Eastern District in Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn. Demonstrators voiced the need for justice system reform and police accountability.
Those in attendance at the rally included Gwen Carr, Garner’s mother, his children, his wife Esaw Garner and Constance Malcolm, mother of Graham. The mothers of national police-killing cases also attended including the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Sean Bell.
Several organizations and unions participated in the rally including 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, NYC Communities for Change, Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), Working Families (WF) and New York State Nurses Association.