Eric Garner may not have received justice in the court of law in real life, but a new film is planning to change the outcome.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, American Trial, and is directed by Roee Messinger, plans to re-examine what happened that fateful day when Garner was killed on the street by an illegal chokehold, by utilizing a mock trial. The film is set to have the testimonies of real-life witnesses and the examination of evidence from cell phone videos and the autopsy report as viewers examine evidence in a courtroom setting, complete with lawyers, a judge and Garner’s wife and mother will also be making an appearance as well.
In a recent interview Executive Producer of American Trial, Ralph Richardson, said, “The film is about Eric Garner, but it is also about the systematic issue of the police brutality of men of color.” It is undoubtedly accurate that men of color in America are more likely to be racially profiled by the police and are less likely to get indictments for their deaths or attacks. Although the acts of police violence towards African Americans stems back to slavery, America got a glimpse of it first hand during primetime in 1992 when Rodney King was racially profiled and viciously beaten by the Los Angeles Police. The acquittal of the officers involved in his case led directly to the infamous LA Riots.
Eric Garner’s death gained national attention in 2014 after he was murdered by being held down by several officers as one administered the chokehold after being approached by NYPD officers on suspicion of selling single cigarettes out of a pack with a tax stamp. The incident was recorded by onlookers which captured Garner screaming “I can’t breathe” over 11 times.
With each acquittal or non-indictments for the officers who violate blacks lives, it fuels movements like the “I can’t breathe” and Black Lives Matter movements, which was started in response to Garner’s death. Both movements are dedicated to the end to police brutality of all people. Maybe with the help of “American Trial”, the advancement of these movements will see process towards change.
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