Fire destroyed a Staten Island memorial to Eric Garner on Monday night. The collection of candles, flowers, and other objects, located on the Bay Street sidewalk where Garner died after officer Daniel Pantaleo put him in a chokehold, has been the site of demonstrations since this summer. “Evil set my dads memoral on fire tonight .but cant erase his legacy. rebuild 2morrow,” tweeted Garner’s daughter, Erica, who believes that someone started the fire on purpose.
Meanwhile, an NYPD spokesperson told the Staten Island Advance that “the incident doesn’t appear to be suspicious.” Around 30 firefighters reportedly responded to a 10:24 p.m. call about the blaze, which was extinguished about 20 minutes later.
Garner’s stepfather, Benjamin Carr, told NBC New York that he also suspected arson. But, he added, “I’m going to rebuild it. Every damn time they tear it down, I’m gonna put it back.”
