Esaw Snipes-Garner, Activist And Widow Of Eric Garner, Dies

Esaw Snipes-Garner, activist and widow of Eric Garner, has sadly died at age 58. 

The New York Amsterdam Times reports that she passed early Monday morning due to undisclosed health complications. Esaw Snipes-Garner’s death was announced on Monday by Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network (NAN). Dominique Sharpton, NAN’s national director of membership and producer of special events, released a statement celebrating Snipes-Garner’s life and activism, as well as highlighting the unfortunate amount of tragedy she had endured over the last decade. 

“Tragedy can beget tragedy in life, and she weathered more than any single person ever should have to — especially the loss of a child,” Sharpton’s statement read. “Yet Esaw found the resolve to keep going, keep fighting, and protect her family. She showed the nation the emotional impact unjust police killings of Black and Brown Americans can have on those left to pick up the pieces.”

Esaw Snipes-Garner worked frequently with Rev. Al Sharpton in the years following her husband Eric Garner’s death. On July 17, 2014, Eric Garner was allegedly selling loose cigarettes in Staten Island when confronted by former New York Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo. Video of the confrontation showed Pantaleo placing Garner in a prohibited chokehold and holding it despite Garner saying “I can’t breathe” 11 times. Garner died as a result of the confrontation. 

Despite there being video evidence, despite a prohibited chokehold being used, and despite the medical examiner ruling Eric Garner’s death a homicide, a grand jury declined to indict Pantaleo on charges related to Garner’s death. 

When Pantaleo offered condolences to the family, Snipes-Garner understandably refused to accept them. “Hell, no! The time for remorse would have been when my husband was yelling to breathe.” Snipes-Garner told reporters. “No, I don’t accept his apology. No, I could care less about his condolences … He’s still working. He’s still getting a paycheck. He’s still feeding his kids, when my husband is six feet under and I’m looking for a way to feed my kids now.”

Pantaleo wouldn’t face any real consequences for his actions until five years after Eric Garner’s death, when he was fired by the NYPD. In 2021, Pantaleo tried, and failed, to appeal his firing. That same year, a judicial inquiry was opened into the case to create a public record of the decisions made that led to the confrontation and ultimately Garner’s death. While they never received true justice for Eric Garner’s death, the city did reach a $5.9 million settlement with the Garner family in 2015.

In 2022, the street where Garner tragically died was renamed Eric Garner Way in honor of his memory, and a march was held in Staten Island last year to mark the 10-year anniversary of Garner’s death. 

Esaw Snipes-Garner, along with her daughter Erica and mother-in-law Gwen Carr, became outspoken activists against police violence in the years following Eric Garner’s death. Erica led several protests against police violence in the years following her father’s death, including several “die-ins” on the street where her father died. Sadly, Erica Garner died in 2017 after suffering a heart attack when she was only 27. 

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Snipes-Garner family, who have had to endure far too much tragedy over the last decade. 

SEE ALSO:

Eric Garner’s Family To Receive $4 Million Settlement

As Cop Involved In Eric Garner’s Death Asks For Job Back, Family Plans For 1-Year Anniversary