As Memphis officials released police video from the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols, the mother of Eric Garner was speaking in Pittsburgh at the closing of an exhibit at the August Wilson Cultural Center.
Garner died after being placed in a chokehold by a New York City police officer in 2014.
Nichols died days after what his family and authorities described as a brutal encounter that stemmed from a traffic stop.
A moment doesn't go by when Gwen Carr doesn't think about her son.
This July will mark nine years since Garner's death when he cried, "I can't breathe" as a New York City police officer put him in a chokehold.
“You relive it over and over again. It never goes away,” said Carr.
To this day, when another Black man dies at the hands of police, she avoids watching any of the videos, “I don’t have to watch them. I’ve seen the pictures, I’ve heard the story.”
This includes Nichols. Video of Nichols' encounter with Memphis police earlier this month was released late Friday.
“For them to jump on an innocent man and just beat him to a pulp, what was the reason for that?” laments Carr.
The violent arrest led to second-degree murder charges against five officers, who were fired over the incident.
Carr said it's a step in the right direction, but only a step. “It’s not over, it’s not a slam dunk. I know it from my case, I know it from George Floyd’s case. It’s not a cut and dry thing. It’s not the training it’s the agenda that some of these police officers are on, their own agenda.”
When Nichols' mother is ready to reach out, Carr said she will be there to listen. “Try to be strong, I know looking at your son like that is just so heartbreaking, but I pray for you and all the other mothers pray for you.”
Officials fired the officer in Garner's case five years after the incident. He never faced charges, but the family reached a settlement with New York.
Mayor Ed Gainey also released a statement today after the release of the video footage of the arrest.
Gainey said “My heart and my prayers go out to his family, friends, and the entire city of Memphis. Tyre should be alive today and his murder at the hands of law enforcement makes it clear that our work to change the culture of policing is critical for our city and our country."
He said black and brown people shouldn't fear for their lives during a traffic stop.
Senator Bob Casey also issued a statement and said the death of Nichols shows the need to pass a police reform bill named after George Floyd.
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