Man Who Filmed Eric Garner’s Death Will Go to Jail

Ramsey Orta, the man who filmed police officers when they brutally arrested and killed his friend Eric Garner, will begin a four-year prison sentence on Monday, the result of a plea deal on gun and drug charges stemming back to 2014.

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The 25-year-old man and his defense have argued that he has become the target of police retaliation since he exposed the infamous case of police violence against Black people when he filmed Daniel Pantaleo, a white officer, gripping his arms around Garner's neck in a chokehold. 

Orta has been praised for filming that video. Afterward he became an activist and even a speaker at some events and rallies of the Black Lives Matter movement. However, he has declared in several interviews that his life took a "dramatic turn for the worst" after the clip became viral on social media across the world.

In August 2014, soon after filming the death of his friend at the hands of police officers, he was arrested in New York on charges of possessing an illegal handgu. A year later, in 2015, police raided his house, arresting him, his mother and brother on charges of selling heroin, pills, cocaine and marijuana.

Orta's defense said he is suing New York City for US$10 million for "unwarranted arrests" by the New York Police Department that he says are a retaliation after releasing the video of Garner's death. 

Garner, a father of six children, was arrested and killed for selling loose cigarettes, and although his case was ruled as a homicide, his killer Daniel Pantaleo was not indicted. 

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U.S. police have faced increasing criticism and scrutiny over the last few years following the killings of unarmed civilians, primarily Black people. The issue has sparked nationwide protests, as well as a fierce debate over systemic racism in policing and the criminal justice system. 

According to human rights activists and organizations, Black people in the U.S. are far more likely to be shot at, arrested and imprisoned by police than any other demographic group.