OF ANOTHER SIMILAR CASE, HAD IT
>>> HOW COULD WE PUT OUR TRUST
IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM WHEN THEY
FALL US LIKE THIS?
>> IN A STATEMENT, THE OFFICER
ACCUSED OF APPLYING THE CHOKE
HOLD WRITES, I FEEL VERY BAD
ABOUT THE DEATH OF MR. GARNER.
>> THE TIME FOR REMORSE WOULD
HAVE BEEN WHEN MY HUSBAND WAS
YELLING TO BREATHE.
>> HE WAS MURDERED.
>> GRAND JURY HAS FOUND THE
EVIDENCE IS JUST NOT THERE.
>> NOT TO INDICT.
>> REFUSE TO INDICT.
>> NO INDICTMENT.
>> THANK YOU, MISS GARNER, FOR
COMING IN.
I APPRECIATE IT.
WANT TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO
GO OVER SOME OF THE CHARGES THAT
WE’RE PREPARED TO GO FORWARD ON.
>> AND WHAT WAS HE DOING?
>> OBJECTION.
>> YOU NEED SOME TIME?
>> THIS IS A LITTLE MUCH FOR ME.
THIS IS A LOT.
>> MR. PANTELEO, WILL YOU PLEASE
STAND?
HAS THE JURY REACH AID VERDICT? >> YES, WE HAVE, YOUR HONOR.
>> YES, WE HAVE, YOUR HONOR.
>> WHAT IS YOUR VERDICT?
>>> A LOOK AT THE NEW FILM
"AMERICAN TRIAL: THE ERIC GAR
NECHLT R" STORY, PART
DOCUMENTARY, PART UNSCRIPTED
HISTORY THAT IMAGINES WHAT COULD
HAVE HAPPENED IF THE NYPD
OFFICER WHO KILLED GARNER HAD
BEEN PUT ON TRIAL.
JOINING US NOW IS THE FILM’S
DIRECTOR, ALONG WITH ESOP SNIPES
GARNER, ERIC GARNER’S WIDOW.
I’LL START WITH YOU.
WHAT INSPIRED IT AND WHAT
QUESTIONS DOES IT ANSWER?
>> I WAS LIVING IN HARLEM AS A
FILM STUDENT WHEN ERIC GARNER
WAS KILLED BACK IN 2014, AND,
YOU KNOW, IT WAS EVERYWHERE.
YOU COULDN’T GET AWAY FROM IT.
THE RALLIES, PEOPLE IN THE
GROCERY STORE, ON THE STREET
WHEN I WAS WALKING MY DOG, AND
EVERYBODY SEEMS TO THINK THAT
THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A TRIAL.
AND I THINK IT WAS VERY
DIFFICULT FOR EVERYONE TO
UNDERSTAND HOW IS IT POSSIBLE
THAT A TRIAL DIDN’T FOLLOW SUCH
A BRUTAL INCIDENT.
AND IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT I WAS
LIVING IN NEW YORK THAT ALL THE
WITNESSES THAT WOULD HAVE
PARTICIPATED IN THE TRIAL ARE
PROBABLY JUST -- LIVE WITHIN A
15, 20-MILE RADIUS TO ME AND IT
WOULDN’T BE DIFFICULT TO TRACK
THEM DOWN AND SEE IF THEY WOULD
BE WILLING TO PARTICIPATE IN
THIS KIND OF PROJECT AND, YEAH,
THAT’S HOW THE IDEA CAME ABOUT,
TO BASICALLY TELL THE STORY OF
THE TRIAL THAT SHOULD HAVE
HAPPENED USING THE REAL
WITNESSES THAT WOULD HAVE
TESTIFIED, GIVING PEOPLE A
CHANCE TO TESTIFY IN THAT TRIAL,
AND USING REAL ATTORNEYS SO THAT
IT’S NOT ABOUT WHAT I THINK
SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED, RIGHT?
IT’S NOT ABOUT ME WRITING A
SCRIPT, SHOWING WHAT A TRIAL
SHOULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE IN MY
OPINION BUT RATHER HOW A TRIAL
COULD HAVE REALLY LOOKED LIKE IF
THE PEOPLE INVOLVED WERE TO BE
GIVEN A CHANCE TO DO IT.
>> WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING ON
WITH US THIS MORNING.
I DON’T HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT
TWO DAYS FROM NOW WILL BE THE
SIXTH ANNIVERSARY OF ERIC’S
DEATH.
I WONDER WHAT IT WAS LIKE FOR
YOU AS A WITNESS WHO
PARTICIPATED IN THIS FILM TO SIT
AND ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS, TO
RELIVE THAT DAY, TO RELIVE THE
AFTERMATH OF IT.
WAS IT FRUSTRATING FOR YOU?
WAS IT CATHARTIC FOR YOU?
HOW DID IT FEEL TO SIT AND
LISTEN TO THE EVIDENCE IN THIS
CASE?
>> WHO ARE YOU ASKING, ME OR
ROEE?
>> I THINK HE’S ASKING YOU,
ESOP.
>> WELL, IT WAS HARD FOR ME, OF
COURSE, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THIS
IS A FILM TO EVERYONE ELSE BUT
IT’S MY LIFE.
IT’S WHAT HAPPENED TO ME, YOU
KNOW.
MY HUSBAND WASN’T THE GREATEST,
BUT HE WAS MINE, YOU KNOW, AND
HE WAS BE HERE TO ENJOY THE LIFE
OF RAISING OUR GRANDCHILDREN AND
EVERYTHING, AND THAT WAS TAKEN
AWAY FROM HIM.
I JUST FELT LIKE MAYBE IF PEOPLE
SAW WHAT THIS FILM BRING ABOUT
THAT IT WOULD, YOU KNOW,
UNFORTUNATELY THE TRIAL CAME AND
WENT BEFORE THE FILM CAME OUT
BUT I WAS HOPING IN SOME SMALL
WAY THAT IT WOULD GET INTO
PEOPLE’S MINDS AND CHANGE THEIR
MINDS ABOUT THE VERDICT BUT,
UNFORTUNATELY, THAT DIDN’T
HAPPEN.
BUT IT WAS JUST WISHFUL
THINKING, I GUESS, ON MY PART.
IT WAS HARD FOR ME TO SIT THERE
AND LISTEN TO IT, EVEN THOUGH I
KNEW IT WAS FAKE, IT WAS REAL TO
ME.
AND IT’S STILL REAL TO ME.
AND BEING TWO DAYS AWAY, I STILL
CAN’T BELIEVE THAT IT’S BEEN SIX
YEARS THAT MY HUSBAND HAS BEEN
GONE.
AND I MISS HIM EVERY DAY.
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE SAY WHEN IT
COMES AROUND TO JULY 17th.
BUT, NO, I MISS HIM EVERY DAY,
EVERY HOLIDAY, EVERY BIRTHDAY.
MY GRANDCHILDREN’S MILESTONES,
WHEN HE SHOULD BE HERE, YOU
KNOW.
IT WAS REALLY HARD AND IT STILL
IS.
TALKING ABOUT IT, IT’S A LITTLE
EASIER NOW TO TALK ABOUT IT
WITHOUT BREAKING DOWN, BUT I
STILL BREAK DOWN SOMETIMES
BECAUSE IT WAS JUST HORRIBLE,
YOU KNOW.
AND TO SEE IT OVER AND OVER AND
OVER AGAIN IN VIDEO MADE IT EVEN
HARD ER
HARDER AND EVEN NOW, YOU KNOW,
THEY DON’T HAVE ANY COMPASSION
FOR HOW THE FAMILY FEELS.
AND EVERY TIME SOMETHING HAPPENS
WITH POLICE BRUTALITY, YOU KNOW,
HIS VIDEO IS LIKE A POINT OF
REFERENCE.
>> IN MANY WAYS, ESAW, THE WHOLE
MOVEMENT THAT YOU AND THE FAMILY
WERE THRUST INTO, AND I WAS
THERE FROM DAY ONE.
I CAN WITNESS IT.
YOU AND I BECAME FAMILY.
IN MANY WAYS, ERIC GARNER’S
MOVEMENT IS REALLY WHAT STARTED
THIS WHOLE WAVE, THIS NEW WAVE
OF POLICE QUESTIONING AND NOW
GEORGE FLOYD AND OTHERS HAVE
REPRESENTED BECAUSE BLACK LIVES
MATTER AS A HASH TAG STARTED
WITH TRAYVON MATTERRTIN, THAT WA
NOT A POLICEMAN.
THE POLICE CASE WAS ERIC GARNER.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS FILM
THAT YOU WORKED ON AND ALLOWED
YOURSELF TO GO THROUGH THE PAIN
OF THE ACTING IS SO SIGNIFICANT
AS WE LOOK AT GEORGE FLOYD,
BECAUSE I CAN’T BREATHE AND
QUESTIONING POLICING STARTED
WITH ERIC GARNER, BUT YOU AND
THE FAMILY HAVE HAD TO LIVE THAT
FOR SIX YEARS NOW EVERY DAY.
>> UH-HUH.
>> TO US, IT’S HISTORY AND IT’S
A SOCIAL ISSUE.
TO YOU, IT’S YOUR HUSBAND AND
IT’S THEIR FATHER AND
GRANDFATHER.
AND YOU LOST A DAUGHTER IN THIS.
SO, THE PERSONAL PAIN OF THIS, I
WAS ABLE TO WITNESS.
NO ONE COULD EVER EXPLAIN WHAT
THEY WENT THROUGH AS WE ALL TRY
TO FIGHT TO CHANGE THE SOCIAL
CLIMATE, THEY STILL HAVE TO LIVE
WITH THIS.
>> YES.
AND, YOU KNOW, REV, YOU’RE MY
BIG BROTHER, AND YOU’VE BEEN
THERE FOR ME SINCE DAY ONE.
AND YOU CONTINUE TO BE THERE FOR
ME.
I CAN CALL YOU AT ANY TIME FOR
ANYTHING, FOR ANY REASON, EVEN
IF IT’S JUST PRAYER, YOU KNOW.
ANYTHING.
I MISS YOU SO MUCH, REV.
LET ME JUST SAY THAT.
YOU KNOW, ROEE, HE HAS BECOME
PART OF THE FAMILY THROUGH THIS
PROCESS, YOU KNOW, OF MAKING THE
FILM, YOU KNOW.
ROEE HAS BEEN THERE SINCE, I
WOULD SAY, A YEAR AFTER ERIC
DIED, YOU KNOW, I MET ROEE.
I DON’T KNOW WHAT IT IS ABOUT
HIM, BUT HIS INGENUITY, HIS
SINCERITY JUST SHINED THROUGH
FROM DAY ONE AND I JUST KNEW WE
WERE A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN.
>> THE FILM STREAMING NOW IS
"AMERICAN TRIAL: THE ERIC GARNER
STORY."
WE REALLY APPRECIATE THIS FILM,
ROEE MESSINGER, ESAW
SNIPES-GARNER, THANK YOU BOTH.
ROEE, THANK YOU FOR PUTTING ON