Early life
Erica Garner, born on May 29, 1990 at Woodhull Hospital, was the daughter of Esaw Garner Snipes and Eric Garner, and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. She was the oldest of four children born to Eric and Esaw. Esaw had two older children from a previous relationship. As Eric's asthma and other health problems made it difficult for him to work, he played a large role at home in raising the children. When Garner was fourteen, her turbulent relationship with her mother deteriorated to the point that Esaw voluntarily placed her into foster care. Garner was placed with the Goode family in Far Rockaway, Queens. The family offered to adopt Garner; the adoption fell through, but Garner stayed with the family and they maintained a close relationship even after she became an adult.Activism
Garner became involved in activism in 2014 after her father died during the NYPD's attempt to arrest him for allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes, and she remained a critic of the NYPD up to her death. Beginning a month after his death and for the following year, Garner led twice-weekly marches visiting the scene of her father's death, visits which the media labeled a "die-in". She also marched in Black Lives Matter demonstrations and other protest events, and set up a foundation in her father's name. The aim of the foundation, named the Garner Way Foundation, is to "engage communities all over the world in social justice issues through political awareness, music, arts and activism." In addition, Garner campaigned to have the transcripts of the grand jury into her father's death made public. Garner stated that she believed her father's death had more to do with police misconduct than race, and in 2017, she rejected a meeting with the United States Justice Department to discuss the circumstances surrounding her father's death. During thePersonal life and death
Garner had two children. Shortly after the birth of her son Eric, named after her father, in August 2017, she suffered a heart attack. Doctors subsequently found that her heart was enlarged. On December 23, 2017, she suffered a second heart attack, after which she fell into a coma. She was left with "major brain damage," leading to her death on December 30, 2017. She died at Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn surrounded by her family and foster family. On the news of her death, New York MayorReferences
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Garner, Erica 1990 births 2017 deaths African-American activists 21st-century American women Activists from New York City Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign Black Lives Matter people Criticism of police brutality People from Brooklyn People from Far Rockaway, Queens Shorty Award winners 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people