A GoFundMe account that was created in support of Officer Daniel Pantaleo, the officer who killed Eric Garner, has currently raised over $160,000.
What We Know:
- The GoFundMe account was created by a supporter just days after Pantaleo’s firing by the NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill for the use of an illegal chokehold, reports the New York Times.
- The account, which is run by Rich Blue Line and Daniel S, says that the account is in “Support of NYC Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo and his family. Mayor de Blasio’s anti-police rhetoric contributed toward the decision to fire him. Let’s help an officer in need who was only doing his job! It’s the least we can do for a brother in blue with a newborn and bills to pay!”
- New York Public Defender Rebecca J. Kavanagh raised awareness of the GoFundMe on her Twitter account.
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“When black and brown people … learn that a large number of police officers not only support the cop who killed [Eric Garner], but subscribe to overtly racist views, then whatever trust there is left is potentially totally destroyed.” https://t.co/v9AWnFeQTs
— Rebecca J. Kavanagh (@DrRJKavanagh) August 21, 2019
- Pantaleo’s firing comes five years after Garner’s death and sparked support from Garner’s family, including his mother Gwen Carr, who joined supporters during Pantaleo’s termination by holding “FIRED” signs with Pantaleo’s face on them.
The GoFundMe account’s amount is increasing daily with support for the officer, as it has already surpassed Pantaleo’s $97,000 salary from the NYPD.
