A new music video features members of Eric Garner's family expressing what they describe as a lack of justice in his case. NY1's Elizabeth Keatinge filed the following report.
It's a highly produced video, something you might see on MTV.
These rappers and singers have been in the news a lot, but not for their music.
Erica Garner is the daughter of Eric Garner, the Staten Island man who died after being placed in a chokehold by police. She joined other members of the Garner family in creating a video titled "This Ends Today," protesting Eric Garner's death and the failure of a grand jury to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo in the case. They use Garner's own last words, "I Can't Breathe," to make their point.
They recorded the song earlier this year and shot the video at a studio in New Jersey. The video was a family affair.
"Not just in honor of my dad, but just to get our message across through the music," Erica Garner said.
Family and friends volunteered their skills, as they say they had a small budget. Garner children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews appear in the video, but some have more prominent roles, like Garner's older brother, Steven Flagg.
"As a family, we all call in to each other to kind of talk to each other and communicate," Flagg said.
Garner's mother, Gwen Carr, consulted on the project.
"They are speaking out to the world, because the world have seen the video, and letting them know the family was angry that my son didn't get justice," Carr said.
While the song includes heartfelt lyrics that honor Eric Garner's memory, it also uses profanity to express how the family feels about the decision not to indict the NYPD officer in Garner's case.
"That's directed at the NYPD. That's directed at, you know, the mayor, everyone who's involved," Erica Garner said.
The family said they will continue to protest and push for justice, and music, they say, is the best way to reach a young generation and share Eric Garner's story.