“Erica Garner: Death By Broken Heart.”
Her name rang with similarity: Erica, Erica Garner. One could not say her name without thinking about her fallen father, Eric Garner. Eric Garner, attacked by a cop for selling loosies, single cigarettes, on a New York street, put in a choke hold, which quickly became a death hold.
His daughter took up the struggle to demand justice for her father. Erica, whom her mother lovingly called a warrior, fought for her father’s memory, of a loving man who loved his family and was murdered by an armed agent of the state.
The videotape of Eric’s killing is this chilling as it is instructive. A tall black man asked cops, “Why are they bothering him?” Cops swarm like locusts. Tall, strong. He calmly steps back, repeating his question. A short cop comes from behind, leaps on him, locks his arms in a death choke. Eric falls. His voice, hoarse with effort, comes through: “I can’t breathe.”
Erica, fighting a system stingy with justice when it came to black life, suffering from asthma, could not breathe herself, a heart attack, then coma. Erica Gardner, 27 years old, joins her beloved father, Eric, in eternity. They say she died of a heart attack. Seems to me, she died of a broken heart.
From imprisoned nation, this is Mumia Abu-Jamal.
These commentaries are recorded by Noelle Hanrahan of Prison Radio.
![Prison Radio is sharing an abbreviated version of a press release covering recent racist incidents at SCI Rockview in PA and the organizing to demand accountability. We are reaching out to people incarcerated at Rockview as well as recently transferred folks, inviting them to call, in hopes of hearing commentaries from them.
Benner Township, PA.-
On November 24th, 2023, imprisoned people at SCI Rockview found two nooses hanging in the CO’s office, displayed visibly for many prisoners to see. When the prisoners asked the staff why the nooses were hung, they were told it was a joke.
By December 4th, prisoners filed a grievance to document what they saw, noting that the hanging of the nooses was “unethical, racially motivated, hateful, [a] deliberate debasement of black inmates" and “unsafe for inmates, staff, [and] the whole prison in general.” In the grievance, they demanded that Sgt. Mosser and CO Richard be fired and investigated for a hate crime, and for CO Kirchner to get therapy. Captain Andrews, the head of security, denied the grievance.
The sergeant and COs are still working in the prison to this day, with no repercussions...
As of March 10th, prisoners have reached out to Pennsylvania officials at the Dept. of Corrections in a letter campaign, sending 100 copies of the grievance. Copies of the letter also were mailed to Governor Shapiro, Senator Fetterman, Senator Street, and various advocacy groups. The demands for relief in the original grievance have now become the platform of demands for this campaign. About 20 of the 100 letters were withheld by the prison.
Activists on the outside are joining forces with prisoners to elevate their demands, flooding the phone lines of DOC offices, assisting with outreach to media, and circulating the stories of prisoners who have found unity in opposition to the facility's virulent institutional racism.
In any other workplace, hanging a noose would be grounds for immediate termination. However, Nicki Paul, the superintendent's assistant and "grievance coordinator" informed the public that they self-investigated their staff and found they did nothing wrong.
Read the full article at i
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