This Stops Today

Eric Garner's Mother Seeks Justice after Losing Her Son

Gwen Carr - With Dave Smitherman - Foreword by Hillary Rodham Clinton

After the death of her son, Eric Garner, at the hands of New York City police officers on Staten Island went viral, Gwen Carr’s life changed forever. The illegal chokehold that took Garner’s life has been seared into the public consciousness forever as the large black man struggled to breathe while a white policeman held him down on a hot concrete sidewalk. His death set the tone for a new normal where young black men and women now automatically document police interactions with their cell phones for fear of brutality and even death. As one of the Mothers of the Movement, Gwen Carr, a retired transit train operator, now dedicates her time to fighting for racial equality, especially the way law enforcement treats blacks in the United States.

In This Stops Today, Carr shares the tragedies she’s faced, recalls her son’s life and death, and recounts her newfound role as an activist in the fight for racial equality. More than the story of a single moment, her book recounts a life of family, community, and of a woman who now speaks for those who no longer can. She has to do it for her firstborn. She has to do it for Eric.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 232 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9¼

978-1-5381-0980-9 • Hardback • October 2018 • $24.95 • (£18.99)

978-1-5381-0981-6 • eBook • October 2018 • $23.99 • (£17.99)

Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs, Political Science / Civil Rights, Political Science / Law Enforcement, Political Science / Public Policy / Social Policy, Social Science / Discrimination & Race Relations

This Stops Today

Eric Garner's Mother Seeks Justice after Losing Her Son

Hardback

eBook

Summary

After the death of her son, Eric Garner, at the hands of New York City police officers on Staten Island went viral, Gwen Carr’s life changed forever. The illegal chokehold that took Garner’s life has been seared into the public consciousness forever as the large black man struggled to breathe while a white policeman held him down on a hot concrete sidewalk. His death set the tone for a new normal where young black men and women now automatically document police interactions with their cell phones for fear of brutality and even death. As one of the Mothers of the Movement, Gwen Carr, a retired transit train operator, now dedicates her time to fighting for racial equality, especially the way law enforcement treats blacks in the United States.

In This Stops Today, Carr shares the tragedies she’s faced, recalls her son’s life and death, and recounts her newfound role as an activist in the fight for racial equality. More than the story of a single moment, her book recounts a life of family, community, and of a woman who now speaks for those who no longer can. She has to do it for her firstborn. She has to do it for Eric.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 232 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9¼

978-1-5381-0980-9 • Hardback • October 2018 • $24.95 • (£18.99)

978-1-5381-0981-6 • eBook • October 2018 • $23.99 • (£17.99)

Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs, Political Science / Civil Rights, Political Science / Law Enforcement, Political Science / Public Policy / Social Policy, Social Science / Discrimination & Race Relations

Author

Gwen Carr is the matriarch of one of the largest African-American families on Staten Island. Since the death of her son, Eric Garner, she has been a civil rights activist. Her numerous public appearances include the 2016 Democratic Convention and appearing with Beyonce at the 2016 Video Music Awards. In March 2019, she was honored at The Selma 50th anniversary Freedom Flame Awards with the “Passion of the Flame” award. She resides in Staten Island, NY.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Hillary Rodham Clinton
Chapter 1: South Brooklyn
Chapter 2: Finding Strength
Chapter 3: My Son Can’t Breathe
Chapter 4: The Chokehold
Chapter 5: Rallying Cry
Chapter 6: The Mothers of the Movement
Chapter 7: The Royal Treatment
Chapter 8: Putting Hope in Hillary
Chapter 9: Mother to Mother
Chapter 10: The Unplanned Activist
A Letter to My Son
In Deepest and Loving Memories of My Mom and Dad
Acknowledgments
Index
About the Author

Reviews

In this heartfelt narrative, Carr, whose son Eric Garner was killed by a New York Police Department officer in 2014, traces her unplanned path to becoming a civil rights activist....This is a sincere and passionate account.
— Publishers Weekly

What does it feel like to be one of those grieving mothers whose sons “died at the hands of ‘law enforcement’ in one way or another,” deadly encounters that led to lengthy, often-controversial trials? One grieving mother, Carr, whose son, Eric, died after his July 2014 videotaped arrest in a chokehold by NYPD officers as he struggled and said, “I can’t breathe,” tells us.... Carr provides an inside look at a life forever changed by police violence and sorrow turned into a force for social good.
— Booklist

"From the title to the final page, Gwen’s book is a powerful call to action for our country. It’s also a deeply personal story any parent can relate to – the story of a proud and loving mother determined to fight for her son. It can be a daunting challenge to pour your heart onto the page, to write candidly and courageously about things you may never even have spoken out loud.
Knowing Gwen is a gift, and so is reading this book."
— Hillary Rodham Clinton

“Mrs. Carr's incredible strength in the face of tragedy is monumental and awe inspiring. Though there are dark days, she continues to fight for the rights of victims everywhere. She was thrust into action because she had to. She did it for Eric. The fight for justice continues.”
— Viola Davis, actress and producer, first black woman to be nominated for 3 Academy Awards; and Julius Tennon, actor & producer, husband of Viola Davis

[Carr] recounts how her son’s death led her to become an activist in her quest for justice. . . [this book] will interest anyone concerned with social justice and racial disparities in our legal system.
— Library Journal

Features

2/2/19: ‘Mothers of the Movement’ fight for racial justice article on The College of New Jersey Black Student Union/African American Studies department event that invited Gwen Carr and Samaria Rice from the Mothers of the Movement organization. Link: http://www.tcnjsignal.net/2019/02/12/mothers-of-the-movement-fight-for-racial-justice/

2/19/19: Gwen Carr interviewed by R. Gallyot Link: https://archive.org/details/GwenCarrEricGarner

March 2019 award: Gwen Carr, as part of the lma Bridge 50^th anniversary events, was honored at the Freedom Flame Awards with the “Passion of the Flame” award. Link: https://www.selmatimesjournal.com/2019/03/03/movers-and-shakers-recognized-at-flame-awards/

5/14/19, Anderson Cooper Full Circle: Gwen Carr joined Full Circle to discuss the disciplinary trial starting in May 2019 and her fight for justice. Watch the video: https://www.facebook.com/AndersonCooperFullCircle/videos/622793568199129/

6/11/19: Author wrote an article for NBC News; “Gwen Carr: Daniel Pantaleo killed my son Eric Garner nearly five years ago. And we’re still waiting for any justice.”

Link: https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/daniel-pantaleo-killed-my-son-eric-garner-nearly-five-years-ncna1016246

7/17/19: Read Gwen Carr's op-ed in the New York Daily News: "They just killed my son again: Eric Garner’s mother Gwen Carr says the Department of Justice has failed her family"

Link: https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-they-just-killed-my-son-again-20190717-vmjrnmhzdncefpffyy3xeau3wq-story.html

4/4/2021: Gwen Carr sat down with the chief political correspondent of CBC News to discuss the George Floyd trial and if it can be a turning point in America.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vPJP420teQ