Black Lives Matter Symbol Eric Garner's Daughter Dies at the Age of 27

Erica Garner was an outspoken activist for social justice and police reform, whose father, an African American, was killed in a chokehold by a white policeman. His death and court ruling sparked a wave of protests across the US.

Erica Garner passed away in a New York hospital Saturday morning after a heart attack. The 27-year-old was the oldest daughter of an icon of the Black Lives Matter movement, Eric Garner.

In Garner's Twitter account, her family and friends asked that she would be remembered as "mother, daughter, sister, aunt" with a heart "bigger than the world."

She passed away this morning. The reports are real. We didn't deserve her.

— officialERICA GARNER (@es_snipes) December 30, 2017

When you report this you remember she was human: mother, daughter, sister, aunt. Her heart was bigger than the world. It really really was. She cared when most people wouldn't have. She was good. She only pursued right, no matter what. No one gave her justice.

— officialERICA GARNER (@es_snipes) December 30, 2017

On social media, people expressed their deep distress at the news of Erica Garner's death and extended their condolences to her family and friends.

RIP Erica Garner, my friend. I will never forget those long conversations we would had in my office about your dreams to help young people. You will missed by all of us.

Your memory will always live in our hearts and our movement for justice. pic.twitter.com/PVBnRjYOUR

— Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) December 30, 2017

RIP #EricaGarner. So much sadness for one family… https://t.co/qpxgF88HET

— Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) December 30, 2017

Rest In Peace, Erica Garner.
A Warrior and Poltical Activist pic.twitter.com/kjSvn9BqyU

— luisa (@itsluisagibson) December 30, 2017

Rest in power, Erica Garner. You fearless force. 🖤

— h (@halsey) December 30, 2017

Some people hinted that Erica had not been able to overcome the blow of her father's death and her health condition began to deteriorate.

When you get the chance, listen to this interview by Erica Garner. Here she talks about the ways the trauma and stress of her father’s death were taking a toll on her health. She talks about the death of Venida Browder. She was hurting. There are so many more Black women like her https://t.co/1nYJOhKAUi

— Ida's Revenge (@profsassy) December 30, 2017

I firmly believe that Erica Garner is a victim of state violence and her death should be viewed in that vein. This is a societal tragedy. RIP

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) December 30, 2017

Police brutality kills families. It distresses entire communities. It has to stop. RIP Erica Garner.

— Akilah Hughes (@AkilahObviously) December 30, 2017

Eric Garner, Erica's father, died in 2014 as a result of New York police officer Daniel Pantaleo applying a chokehold on him. A court decided not to indict Pantaleo, who is white, despite the existence of video evidence which captured the incident in its entirety.

READ MORE: Three Years After Eric Garner's Death, NYPD Changes Nothing

In 2014 and early 2015, the unrelated killings of unarmed African-American men, most notably Eric Garner and Michael Brown, by white police officers, sparked international outcry and led to nationwide protests against racism and abuse of authority in law enforcement as the officers responsible for the killings were acquitted.

An international movement against police brutality and racial violence began with the use of the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter on social media, after the US saw waves of mass protests prompted by numerous killings of black unarmed individuals by police officers.