Ramsey Orta, the man who filmed the police murder of Eric Garner in July 2014, has been transferred to the medical wing of the Midstate Correctional Facility prison in Marcy, New York. The group , “the barbaric measures against Orta have gone on for years, but now with the onset of Covid-19 at his facility, the targeted abuse has intensified.” He has, like many others inside America’s prison system, been denied basic cleaning supplies and soap throughout the outbreak. “Ramsey risked everything when he filmed the death of his friend Eric Garner at the hands of the NYPD and now six years later, his own life is at risk,”
Orta shot to national attention in 2014 when he filmed NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo dragging Garner to the ground in a chokehold, suffocating him to death on the streets of Staten Island. Garner’s last words, “I can’t breathe,” became a rallying cry for African-Americans and opponents of a racist law enforcement system and sparked protest marches throughout the United States. Despite the coroner ruling Garner’s death a homicide, a grand jury decided later that year not to indict Pantaleo, fueling further demonstrations.
Read More: Man Who Filmed Police Murder of Eric Garner Says Prison Guards Threatened to Give Him COVID-19
