Eric Garner's Daughter Reflects On The Success Of #BlackLivesMatter

Erica Garner likens #BlackLivesMatter to the civil rights struggle of the '50s and '60s.

The #BlackLivesMatter movement kicked into high gear in New York after Eric Garner, an unarmed 43-year-old man, was killed by police officer Daniel Pantaleo last year. His last words, "I can't breathe," became a rallying cry for the movement and spawned a moving response.

Although a grand jury declined to indict Pantaleo, Garner's daughter Erica Garner told HuffPost Live on Thursday that the movement has played an effective role in bringing attention to her father's death.

"I believe Black Lives Matter really highlighted these issues and put it at the forefront. It's showing that we're organized and we're serious about our business," she said. "And it shows that a lot of women and young children have been involved. I believe that this is the modern-day civil rights movement."

Reggie Harris, the political director of the Garner Way Foundation, also applauded the grassroots nature of the movement.

"The last thing that's really encouraging is it's not centralized power," Harris told host Marc Lamont Hill. "What you saw with this [Samuel] DuBose incident that took place in Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Black Lives Matter [chapter] popped up. The Black Lives Matter movement is everywhere. They're unafraid, and they're not asking nicely anymore."

Watch the full HuffPost Live conversation with Eric Garner's daughter here.

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