The widow of Eric Garner, who was killed unarmed in 2014 during a scuffle with a New York City police officer, expressed doubt Friday that Mayor Bill de Blasio will follow through with his presidential debate promise to get justice for her late husband.
During the Democratic primary debate Wednesday, Eric Garner’s death wasa hot topic of conversation. Protesters temporarily stopped the debate by shouting “Fire Pantaleo,” referring to Officer Daniel Pantaleo. Mr. de Blasio promised there would “finally be justice in the next 30 days” for the Garner family.
When CNN’s “New Day” asked Garner’s widow, Esaw Garner Snipes, whether she believed Mr. de Blasio’s promise, she said, “He’s full of malarky.”
“He should have been fired right on the spot. I think he should have been fired until the investigation was done. I think he should have been fired while the investigation was going on,” she said. “Mayor de Blasio, I’ve met with him several times, and he just kept saying, ’Oh, you know, it’s this person’s responsibility. It’s that person’s responsibility.’ They just keep passing the buck, and it’s really annoying.”
A de Blasio surrogate told the New York Post earlier Wednesday that the mayor would have fired Mr. Pantaleo, but he likely couldn’t take action because of due process rules.
Federal prosecutors decided this month that they would not pursue charges against Mr. Pantaleo for the fatal scuffle that began when police tried to arrest Garner for selling loose cigarettes.
When asked what would happen if Mr. Pantaleo doesn’t lose his job, Ms. Garner Snipes promised civil unrest and advised people to “stay tuned.”
“We’re not going to stop. I don’t know what the next step would be legally. … I just know there’s a next step,” she said. “The Garner family is not going away until we get what we want, which is justice.”
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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