Activist, Erica Garner, the eldest daughter of the man who died from a police choke hold in New York in 2014, died on Saturday morning days after suffering a heart attack, according to her mother, Esaw Snipes.
“She was a fighter, she was a warrior and she lost the battle,” Snipes said of her daughter. “She never recovered from when her father died. She is in a better place.”
Garner, 27, suffered from the effects of an enlarged heart after giving birth to her son three months ago, Snipes said.
Garner went into cardiac arrest earlier in the week and suffered major brain damage from a lack of oxygen, according to her Twitter account.
“Erica the world loves you. I love you. I am glad you came into our lives. May you find the peace in the next life that you deserved while you were here. I will always love you my sister. love you,” Garner’s Twitter account, which is run by her family, said.
“When you report this you remember she was human: mother, daughter, sister, aunt. Her heart was bigger than the world. It really really was,” her account said. “She cared when most people wouldn’t have. She was good. She only pursued right, no matter what. No one gave her justice.”
Erica Garner is the eldest daughter of Eric Garner. In July 2014, police attempted to arrest Eric Garner for allegedly selling cigarrettes illegally. Video shows New York Police officer Daniel Pantaleo tackling Garner from behind and taking him to the ground using a department-banned chokehold. He died that same day.
After her father’s death, Erica Garner became a prominent activist, pushing for political change and social justice.
She leaves behind a son who was born in August, Eric, named after her father and an 8-year-old daughter. Please continue to keep her family in your prayers.
“I’ve absolutely discovered what I want to do with my life. Before, I was just kind of aimless, not sure what I was going to be doing. Now I know.”
Erica Garner
Elle Magazine in 2016
