Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose sported an “I Can’t Breathe” shirt in pregame warmups before Saturday’s game against the Golden State Warriors. The shirt was in support of Eric Garner, a Staten Island man who died after being placed in a chokehold by police in July.
Protests across the country have collected steam after a grand jury on Wednesday declined to indict NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo in the death of Garner. Pantaleo placed Garner in the chokehold while arresting him for allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes. “I can’t breathe” were reportedly among Garner’s last words before his death, which was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner’s office.
Last week, a group of St. Louis Rams players made the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” gesture used by protestors in Ferguson, Mo., and across the country in the wake of the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown. St. Louis prosecutor Robert McCulloch announced last week that a grand jury declined to indict Darren Wilson, the Ferguson police officer who fatally shot Brown.
This article originally appeared on SI.com
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