Eric Garner's Daughter Pays Tribute to Murdered NYPD Officers' Families; 'I Know Firsthand What You're Feeling'
The daughter of Eric Garner, who was killed by New York Police, showed her support for the NYPD and called for change after the assassinations of two policemen on Saturday.
Emerald Snipes-Garner, 22, visited a makeshift memorial in Brooklyn on Monday and told the crowd that she stood by the police and the families of the fallen officers.
"I just had to come out and let their family know that we stand with them, and I'm going to send my prayers and condolences to all the families who are suffering through this tragedy," she told ABC News. "I was never anti-police. Like I said before, I have family that's in the NYPD that I've grown up around, family reunions and everything, so my family you know, we're not anti-police."
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Garner's father, Eric, was put in a banned chokehold by a member of the NYPD and died from the ordeal. A grand jury decided not to indict anyone in the case, leading to protests throughout New York City and various boroughs. Many felt that the case was too similar to that of Michael Brown, a Missouri teen shot and killed by an officer. There has been growing resentment towards police since the two incidents, but Garner wanted to express her support for the NYPD and show that she bears no ill-will towards officials.
She also visited fallen officer Rafael Ramos' family after reading his 13-year-old son Jaden's Facebook post, which was a tribute to his father.
"It hit my heart because I know what it feels like with this upcoming season and you don't have your father around," the New York Post reported. "I know firsthand what you're feeling."
Officers Ramos and partner Wenjian Liu were sitting in their squad car when Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28, approached and fired. The two were shot point-blank in the head and died of their injuries; Brinsley walked away but as he was being pursued by police, turned the gun on himself.
Ramos was a devout Christian who was only hours away from fulfilling his life's goal of becoming a lay chaplain. Rev. Marcos Miranda, the president of the New York State Chaplain Task Force where Ramos was a student, said that he hopes to present Ramos' family with his chaplain credentials at his upcoming memorial service.
