Eric Garner's family releases song for the struggle, "I Can't Breathe"
The song comes ahead of the two-year anniversary of Garner’s death.
Police killed Staten Island resident Eric Garner on July 17, one of several murders of unarmed black men that gave rise to the Black Lives Matter movement. This week news broke that Ramsey Orta, the citizen who filmed Garner’s death, was sentenced to four years in jail. And just last week, two more black men were killed by police.
Ahead of the two-year anniversary of Garner’s death, and in light of ongoing unlawful killings, his family released a song titled “I Can’t Breathe,” written by his brother and sister, Ellisha and Steven Flagg. “The song is dedicated to the struggle everyone is going through,” Garner’s family told Billboard.
On the track, Ellisha sings, “I can hear my brother crying, ‘I can’t breathe’ / Now I’m in this struggle and I can’t leave. / We all know the solution but they blame you and me/ We’re ain’t gonna stop, until all us free.”
It’s the second song the family released in Garner’s memory. The first, “This Ends Today,” came in 2015 shortly after it was announced that Daniel Pantaleo, the officer who put Garner in a fatal chokehold, would not face charges. It included audio of Garner’s dying words, “I can’t breathe,” which he said 11 times.
“I Can’t Breathe” is streaming via SoundCloud and can be purchased at iTunes and Apple Music. It will be available on all music outlets on July 16.