Bernie Sanders Debuts Campaign Ad Featuring Footage of Eric Garner's Death by Police 

By Anna Merlan  |  April 5, 2016 | 8:25pm
Politics

In advance of the April 19 primary vote in New York state, Bernie Sanders has debuted an ad that juxtaposes his history of civil rights activism with footage of Eric Garner being choked to death by a police officer.

The ad, called “Erica,” opens with footage of Erica Garner, the daughter of Eric Garner. She’s at home with her own daughter, Alyssa: “This is everything that I have, my family,” she says. We then see the footage of Eric Garner being cuffed and choked by Staten Island police officer Daniel Pantaleo as she says, “I got to see my dad die on national TV.”

The ad also shows footage of Sanders being arrested at a 1963 civil rights protest in Chicago; photos of Sanders being detained at rallies that year were also recently discovered in the Chicago Tribune’s archives.

The mothers of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis have both endorsed Hillary Clinton, as has Gwen Carr, Eric Garner’s mother. Erica Garner, though, has been a vocal supporter of Sanders; this is the campaign’s second ad featuring her. The first, “It’s Not Over,” aired in February:

 
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