Eric Garner's mother to endorse Jamel Holley for Senate

Assemblyman Jamel Holley and activist Gwen Carr met at a march/rally in Elizabeth in wake of the murder of George Floyd, the social justice lawmaker was honored to be in the presence of the mother of Eric Garner, who was killed by police officers in New York City for selling loose cigarettes.

Carr was equally impressed with the charismatic lawmaker, especially after she learned Holley sponsored A4284, which is currently being held up in the Senate since the legislation’s introduction on June 18, 2020.

The bill makes it a crime in the first degree for anyone in law enforcement to utilize a strangulation chokehold as means of restraint, in addition, it is punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment and a fine of $200,000, or both.

“My opponent State Senator Joe Cryan has the ability to move this bill forward however, he has cowardly remained silent, therefore it came as no surprise that he chose NOT to attend any of the George Floyd memorial services this year and not even issue a statement acknowledging the monumental anniversary,” said Holley.

Holley’s opponent, a former sheriff who presented himself as a ‘tough on crime’ lawman even though more than 90 percent of criminal offenses reported in Elizabeth go unsolved each year, Cryan has been endorsed by New Jersey’s largest police union, the same group that supported Donald Trump last year.

Carr has been a staunch advocate against the use of excessive force ever since her son Eric Garner was killed on July 17th in 2014, after NYPD’s officer Daniel Pantaleo placed him in an illegal chokehold while arresting him in Staten Island.

“This is a major endorsement that our campaign is humbled and honored to accept” said Samuel Bishop campaign spokesperson for the Holley campaign.” Mrs. Gwen Carr is a warrior in the social justice movement and well known nationwide for her dedicated and passionate advocacy”.
The medical examiner ruled Garner’s death a homicide.
According to the medical examiner’s definition, a homicide is a death caused by the intentional actions of another person or persons. Specifically, an autopsy indicated that Garner’s death resulted from “[compression] of neck, compression of chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police.”
As a result of Garner’s death, Police Commissioner William Bratton ordered an extensive review of the NYPD’s training procedures, specifically focusing on the appropriate amount of force that can be used while detaining a suspect and national attention was focused once again on the issue of police brutality.