Erica Garner, the 27-year-old daughter of Eric Garner — who died when a police officer put him in a chokehold over illegally selling cigarettes — died Saturday due to complications from a heart attack.
Garner’s Twitter confirmed news reports Saturday morning while issuing a challenge for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) to address her death without avoiding remarks about police conduct in the city.
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“She passed away this morning. The reports are real. We didn’t deserve her,” read messages from Garner’s Twitter, currently operated by friends and family. “When you report this you remember she was human: mother, daughter, sister, aunt. Her heart was bigger than the world. It really really was. She cared when most people wouldn’t have. She was good. She only pursued right, no matter what. No one gave her justice.”
“de Blasio … explain how she died with no justice,” a third tweet added.
Garner was placed into a medically induced coma on Dec. 23 after suffering a heart attack brought on by asthma. News of her hospitalization and Saturday passing prompted an outpouring of support from high profile progressive activists and politicians, including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I).
“My thoughts are with Erica Garner, her family and friends in hoping that she has a full recovery and rejoins the struggle for justice as soon as possible. I have had the privilege of joining with her at a number of events and was deeply impressed with her courage and insights,” Sanders tweeted on Dec. 26.
“We are just praying for a miracle,” added Rev. Al Sharpton at the time.
Garner became a civil rights activist after video of her father’s chokehold death at the hands of a New York police officer went viral and his final words “I can’t breathe” became a rallying cry for police reform activists.
“She was a warrior, she was a fighter and we didn’t pull the plug on her,” Esaw Snipes, Garner’s mother, told the New York Daily News. “She left on her own terms.”
Garner is survived by two children, including her three-month-old son Eric, named after her father.