Taken from the third album by Smiley's Friends. Not exactly the easiest theme to write a song about so a big thumbs up to Smiley and Graham Turner. Below you can read their statement about how and why they wrote the song.
Oh Lord ( A Tribute to Eric Garner)
Smiley's Friends on Sunshine Corner
"Last year someone showed us a video of US citizen Eric Garner being choked to death in New York by police officers attempting to arrest him for illegally selling cigarettes in the street.
Prior to his arrest he wasn’t being violent or abusive, in fact, he was unarmed and his only action was to complain to police officer Daniel Pantaleo about what he considered to be a campaign of continual harassment against him by New York law enforcement officers.
In an effort to subdue Mr Garner, the NYPD officer put him in a chokehold and dragged him to the floor. As Officer Pantaleo continued to choke the life out of him, Mr Garner was heard to say eleven times: “I can’t breathe”.
He lost consciousness and remained motionless, handcuffed and unresponsive on the sidewalk for seven minutes while an ambulance was called. Attending paramedics did not perform CPR on Eric Garner at the scene because they claimed he was still breathing. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital approximately one hour later.
When we saw this video, we were physically moved to tears. We did some research and discovered that police brutality is a common theme in America today, with over 1000 deaths in 2015 alone. We were shocked, horrified and wanted to do something to expose the crimes the police are perpetrating allegedly for American’s safety.
Eric Garner’s death was eventually ruled a homicide, yet in as of April 2016 no charges have been brought on the officers who killed him. There have been a number of protests in New York City and across America by the people who believe this is wrong.
We (Smiley and Graham Turner) wrote this song to show our support for those people, and for all victims of police brutality.
RIP Eric Garner."
Prior to his arrest he wasn’t being violent or abusive, in fact, he was unarmed and his only action was to complain to police officer Daniel Pantaleo about what he considered to be a campaign of continual harassment against him by New York law enforcement officers.
In an effort to subdue Mr Garner, the NYPD officer put him in a chokehold and dragged him to the floor. As Officer Pantaleo continued to choke the life out of him, Mr Garner was heard to say eleven times: “I can’t breathe”.
He lost consciousness and remained motionless, handcuffed and unresponsive on the sidewalk for seven minutes while an ambulance was called. Attending paramedics did not perform CPR on Eric Garner at the scene because they claimed he was still breathing. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital approximately one hour later.
When we saw this video, we were physically moved to tears. We did some research and discovered that police brutality is a common theme in America today, with over 1000 deaths in 2015 alone. We were shocked, horrified and wanted to do something to expose the crimes the police are perpetrating allegedly for American’s safety.
Eric Garner’s death was eventually ruled a homicide, yet in as of April 2016 no charges have been brought on the officers who killed him. There have been a number of protests in New York City and across America by the people who believe this is wrong.
We (Smiley and Graham Turner) wrote this song to show our support for those people, and for all victims of police brutality.
RIP Eric Garner."
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