I can't breathe

Last updated

I can't breathe
George Floyd protest in Grand Army Plaza June 7 (73297).jpg
George Floyd protest in 2020
Origin/etymology Killing of Eric Garner
MeaningRallying cry against police brutality
Context Police brutality and lack of police accountability

"I can't breathe" is a slogan of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. The phrase originates from the last words of Eric Garner, an unarmed man who was killed in 2014 after being put in a chokehold by a New York City Police Officer. A number of other Black Americans, such as Javier Ambler, Manuel Ellis, Elijah McClain, and George Floyd, have said the same phrase prior to dying during similar law-enforcement encounters. [1] [2] [3] According to a 2020 report by The New York Times , the phrase has been used by over 70 people who died in police custody. [4]

Contents

The phrase is now used in widespread protest against police brutality and racial inequality in the United States.

Eric Garner

Justice for All March/National March Against Police Violence, Washington, D.C., December 2014 Justice for All March - Dec. 13, 2014 (15397199274).jpg
Justice for All March/National March Against Police Violence, Washington, D.C., December 2014

The phrase originated on July 17, 2014, during the death of Eric Garner, who was put into a chokehold by Daniel Pantaleo, a New York City Police Department officer. A video of Garner restrained by multiple officers which showed him saying "I can't breathe" 11 times before losing consciousness and dying was widely circulated. [5] When it was announced on December 3 that after considering the case for two months the grand jury had decided not to indict Officer Pantaleo, protests erupted with Garner's last words, "I can't breathe" used as a slogan and as a chant. [6] Following the December 2014 acquittal of the officer who put Garner into a chokehold, the slogan experienced a dramatic increase in popularity amid widespread protests.

Fred Shapiro, editor of The Yale Book of Quotations , relates that he had already finished his 2014 list of most notable quotes and sent it out to the media on Dec 3, the same day that the grand jury decided to not indict Pantaleo for the death of Garner. Shapiro states that as he watched the news coverage with protesters turning Garner's final words into a rallying cry, within an hour he revised his list, making "I can't breathe" the top quote of the year. He expressed that it was not a slogan of only that moment, but "a phrase with real and lasting impact". Shapiro said that it was the first time he had ever revised a list. [7]

Expressions of solidarity

A protester in Berlin, Massachusetts, December 2014 -ICantBreathe (15947352856).jpg
A protester in Berlin, Massachusetts, December 2014

Aided by expressions of solidarity from amateur and professional athletes and others, the hashtag "#ICantBreathe" was tweeted over 1.3 million times during December 2014. [7]

Athletes

The first display from athletes was when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's basketball team wore T-shirts emblazoned with "I can't breathe" during a December 13 game warm-up. [8] Athletes from both the National Football League and National Basketball Association, notably LeBron James, wore clothing printed with "I can't breathe." [9] Following criticism of James, President Barack Obama came to his defense, stating "I think LeBron did the right thing... We forget the role that Muhammad Ali, Arthur Ashe and Bill Russell played in raising consciousness." [10] In late December, officials from the Fort Bragg Unified School District in Mendocino County, California banned athletes from wearing "I can't breathe" T-shirts before a three-day high school basketball tournament, before reversing the ban. [11] The American Civil Liberties Union wrote a letter in support of the students. [12]

Academics

Linguist Ben Zimmer compared it to similar slogans such as "Hands up, don't shoot," which originated in the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown, and the older "No justice, no peace." Zimmer called it "a peculiarly powerful rallying cry," and noted, "to intone the words 'I can't breathe,' surrounded by thousands of others doing the same, is an act of intense empathy and solidarity. The empathy comes from momentarily stepping into the persona of Eric Garner at that instant the life was being choked out of him." [13] Zimmer noted that, in the variant "We can't breathe," the phrase becomes directed towards social change and more metaphorical. Phrases seen on protests signs such as "Justice can't breathe" and "Our democracy can't breathe" extend the meaning beyond the physical circumstances of Garner's death. [13]

Joshua D. Rothman of the University of Alabama noted that fashion statements such as the "I can't breathe" T-shirts are "easily and often dismissed by opponents as a cheap gesture or a stunt." However, analyzing the fashion craze in the late 18th and early 19th century for the "Am I Not a Man and a Brother?" cameos made by Josiah Wedgwood for bracelets and hair ornaments, and subsequent incorporation of the kneeling slave image into many different types of products as the most widely used symbol of the American abolitionist movement, Rothman asserted that "we ought not underestimate fashion's value and significance for building momentum and visibility for a political cause." [14]

Others

Speakers at a December 2014 march in Washington, D.C. Justice for All March - Dec. 13, 2014 (16017433171).jpg
Speakers at a December 2014 march in Washington, D.C.

The cast of the movie Selma wore "I can't breathe" shirts to their December premiere. [15] Actor David Oyelowo recounts that members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences complained to movie producers and stated that in retaliation they would not vote for Selma to receive Oscars. Oyelowo states, "It's part of why that film didn't get everything that people think it should've got and it birthed #OscarsSoWhite." [16]

Professor Grace Ji-Sun Kim and Reverend Jesse Jackson wrote in a December 2014 opinion piece that the phrase "has become a slogan for the people who have taken to social media and the streets to protest the killing of unarmed African Americans, challenging a system that fails to indict and calling for greater equality." [17]

The phrase has been frequently invoked in protest songs and other music. Eric Garner's siblings released the song "I Can't Breathe" in 2016. [18] The first English song by Russian band Pussy Riot was entitled "I Can't Breathe". [19] Songwriter H.E.R. released a song by the same name in 2020. [20]

Counter-reaction

Supporters of the New York City Police Department marched on December 19, 2014, in black hoodies emblazoned with "I can breathe, thanks to the NYPD" and shouted "Don't resist arrest!" at counter-protesters. Separately, shirts produced and sold online by Jason Barthel, a police officer in Mishawaka, Indiana, that stated, "Breathe Easy: Don't break the law" drew criticism. [21] [22] Barthel stated, "When you break the law, unfortunately there's going to be consequences, and some of them aren't going to be pretty." [23] Members of the city council of South Bend, Indiana asked then-mayor and future-U.S. presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg for cooperation in banning the city from future contracts with Barthel's uniform business. Buttigieg's political opponent Henry Davis Jr. described the response: "He refused to touch it. And when he touched it, he agreed with both sides." [24]

Javier Ambler II

On March 28, 2019, Javier Ambler II died while being arrested in Austin, Texas. Ambler was arrested and tased after fleeing from deputies who sought to stop him for a traffic violation and leading them on a 22-minute car chase which ended in a crash. His final words were "I can't breathe." Ambler's death was ruled a homicide, caused by congestive heart failure and hypertensive cardiovascular disease in combination with forcible restraint.

Manuel Ellis

Manuel Ellis died on March 3, 2020, during an arrest by police officers in Tacoma, Washington. [25] Ellis pleaded "I can't breathe" with officers before dying in the minutes after his arrest. [25] A witness contradicted earlier police accounts of his arrest and death. The video showed police punching Ellis during the arrest. [26] The Pierce County medical examiner ruled that Ellis's death was a homicide, resulting from hypoxia due to physical restraint. [25] The medical examiner said other factors contributed to Ellis's death, including methamphetamine intoxication, heart disease and a mask officers had placed over his mouth meant to stop spitting or biting. [25]

George Floyd

A protester holds a sign saying "I Can't Breathe Momma," at a Black Lives Matter Rally in Dumfries, Virginia. "I Can't Breathe Mama," was one of the last words said by George Floyd while he was being murdered. I Can't Breathe Mama.jpg
A protester holds a sign saying "I Can't Breathe Momma," at a Black Lives Matter Rally in Dumfries, Virginia. "I Can't Breathe Mama," was one of the last words said by George Floyd while he was being murdered.
A protester in Minneapolis, May 28, 2020 Minneapolis 05-28-20 (49947863697).jpg
A protester in Minneapolis, May 28, 2020

On May 25, 2020, Minneapolis Police Department officer Derek Chauvin murdered [27] George Floyd by kneeling on the back of his neck for about ten minutes. Police body camera video showed that Floyd said that he couldn't breathe before he was on the ground and under Chauvin's knee. [28] [29] Spectator video of the incident showed Floyd saying "I can't breathe" multiple times while he was under Chauvin's knee. Despite his pleas, as well as a bystander exclaiming that the officer was preventing Floyd from breathing, Chauvin continued the restraint for 2 minutes and 53 seconds after Floyd became unresponsive, while three other officers watched. [30] All four officers were subsequently dismissed from the police force, with Chauvin being convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter, while the three others were charged with aiding and abetting murder. [31]

"I can't breathe" became a rallying cry for the subsequent nationwide protests. [32] Protesters have adopted it as a chant. [33] In his first public speech on George Floyd's murder and protests on June 2, presidential candidate Joe Biden began with, "I can't breathe. I can't breathe. George Floyd's last words. But they didn't die with him. They're still being heard. They're echoing across this nation." [34] That same day, ViacomCBS-owned networks paused their programming to show a black screen for 8 minutes and 46 seconds with the words "I can't breathe" displayed (For the case of Nickelodeon Networks, it was interrupted by an orange screen with a scrolling message about the Declaration of Kids' Rights). [35]

At the location of his death, artists painted a mural memorializing Floyd, but deliberately used the words, "I can breathe now," to promote community healing and reclaim a sense of power. [36] After Chauvin's conviction, the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League tweeted "I CAN BREATHE". Raiders owner Mark Davis, who said the post was his idea, stated that he "look the lead" from Floyd's brother, who after the verdict said: "Today, we are able to breathe again". Afterwards, Davis said that he would not have used the phrase if he had known it was used by police supporters after Eric Garner's death. [37]

Counter-reaction

On June 24, 2020, Councilman Guy Phillips of Scottsdale, Arizona City, said, "I can't breathe," as he took off his mask at a rally protesting the mandatory mask wearing announced by Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane during the COVID-19 pandemic in Arizona. [38] He was condemned by local and state officials. Arizona Senator Martha McSally stated, "Despicable. This is a serious moment in history and it's disgusting you are mocking the dying words of a murdered man." Governor Doug Ducey said, "Just flat out wrong. Despicable doesn't go far enough. The final words of George Floyd should never be invoked like this. Anyone who mocks the murder of a fellow human has no place in public office. Period." Phillips later issued an apology. [39]

Anti-mask protesters have reappropriated the phrase to signal their opposition to mask requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic. [40] During the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol, protesters attempting to enter into the Capitol through a police line chanted "I can't breathe". [41]

Others

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. ↑ Stelloh, Tim (June 11, 2020). "'I can't breathe,' Oklahoma man tells police before dying. 'I don't care,' officer responds". NBC News. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Flynn, Meagan (June 11, 2020). "Another black man who died in custody told officers, 'I can't breathe.' One responded, 'I don't care.'". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
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  25. 1 2 3 4 Baker, Mike (June 5, 2020). "Before the Death of Manuel Ellis, a Witness Told the Police: 'Stop Hitting Him'". The New York Times . Archived from the original on June 5, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
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  38. ↑ Longhi, Lorraine (June 24, 2020). "'I can't breathe': Scottsdale councilman uses words of George Floyd to protest masks". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  39. ↑ Longhi, Lorraine (June 24, 2020). "'No place in public office': Ducey condemns Scottsdale councilman's 'I can't breathe' comment". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  40. ↑ Sethi, Amisha. "The inherent privilege of using "I can't breathe" in protest of masks". Central Times. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  41. ↑ Hill, Evan; Ray, Arielle; Kozlowsky, Dahlia (January 16, 2021). "Videos Show How Rioter Was Trampled in Stampede at Capitol". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  42. ↑ Boyd, Deanna; Johnson, Kaley (January 16, 2019). "'I can't breathe.' New details in man's death, which resulted in 5 officers fired". Fort Worth Star-Telegram . Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  43. ↑ Stelloh, Tim (June 10, 2020). "'I can't breathe,' Oklahoma man tells police before dying. 'I don't care,' the officer responds". NBC News . Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  44. ↑ "VIDEO: Oklahoma City police release bodycam footage of Derrick Ollie Scott's arrest". KOCO-TV . June 9, 2020. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  45. 1 2 Hassan, Anita (June 18, 2020). "Byron Williams said 'I can't breathe' 17 times as police restrained him. Why did few protest his death?". NBC News . Archived from the original on June 18, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  46. ↑ Torres-Cortez, Ricardo (September 9, 2019). "Man who died in Metro custody repeatedly said he couldn't breathe". Las Vegas Sun . Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  47. 1 2 Sanderlin, Lee O.; Hewlett, Michael (July 9, 2020). "'Help me,' John Neville pleaded before he stopped breathing in the Forsyth jail. Autopsy details final conscious moments of Greensboro man's life". Winston-Salem Journal . Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  48. 1 2 Hewlett, Michael (December 4, 2020). "A somber anniversary: Vigil marks one year since the death of John Neville". Winston-Salem Journal. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  49. ↑ Hewlett, Michael (January 1, 2021). "John Neville case gives local focus, urgency to national call for racial justice". Winston-Salem Journal. Archived from the original on January 4, 2021. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  50. 1 2 Kane, Dan; Battaglia, Danielle (August 12, 2020). "NC jails have known this position is deadly. So why was it used again?". News & Observer . Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  51. ↑ Hewlett, Michael; Sanderlin, Lee O. (July 8, 2020). "'I can't breathe,' John Neville repeatedly told the officers and the nurse now charged in his death, sources say". Winston-Salem Journal. Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
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  54. ↑ "Settlement awards $3M to family of man who died in custody". Winston-Salem Journal. May 25, 2022. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2022– via Associated Press.
  55. ↑ Hinton, John (July 5, 2023). "Civil claims dismissed against nurse in death of John Neville". Winston-Salem Journal.
  56. ↑ Hinton, John (September 15, 2023). "Forsyth County District Attorney's Office dismisses involuntary manslaughter charge against nurse in the death of John Neville". Winston-Salem Journal.
  57. ↑ Levine, Mike. "After Chauvin's conviction for Floyd murder, DOJ weighs charging him for 2017 incident involving Black teen: Source". ABC News. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  58. ↑ Hall, Ben (May 20, 2021). "'You shouldn't be able to breathe,' officer tells man before he dies". WTVF . Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  59. ↑ Lonas, Lexi (May 20, 2021). "Video shows officer saying 'you shouldn't be able to breathe' moments before jailed man's death". The Hill . Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  60. ↑ "Tennessee cops mocked dying man's plea: 'I can't breathe'". BBC News . May 22, 2021. Archived from the original on May 22, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  61. ↑ California man died screaming ‘I can’t breathe’ as police restrained him, video shows Archived March 18, 2022, at the Wayback Machine The Guardian. 2022.
  62. ↑ Video shows chaotic arrest of Florida teen accused of killing TV reporter and 9-year-old girl Archived March 29, 2023, at the Wayback Machine New York Post. 2023.

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