Official Site for Ramsey Orta
In July of 2014, Ramsey Orta could have never imagined the events that were about to unfold and change his life forever. Although he had just recently filmed Staten Island police harassing some of his friends, Ramsey could not have predicted he would soon be filming the murder of an unarmed citizen by police nor could he have imagined the extent to which he would become the subject of targeting and harassment in the aftermath of his friend Eric Garner's tragic, violent death.
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As quickly as the targeting and harassment began, likewise, the video captured by Ramsey of Eric being choked to death by NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo while repeating the desperate words, "I can't breathe!" and seen by millions of people around the world who came to represent the culpability of the police and the entire, racist system.
The video has also come to represent that way in which those people who film and otherwise document police abuses of power and violence are persecuted while the police themselves are rarely held accountable. Ramsey's predicament as a whistle-blower is not new. While Pantaleo was placed on administrative leave, Ramsey and his family have been the targets of ongoing harassment and persecution.
The video has also come to represent that way in which those people who film and otherwise document police abuses of power and violence are persecuted while the police themselves are rarely held accountable. Ramsey's predicament as a whistle-blower is not new. While Pantaleo was placed on administrative leave, Ramsey and his family have been the targets of ongoing harassment and persecution.
On October 3, 2016 Ramsey surrendered himself to Staten Island Court to serve a term that was ordered not to exceed four years. While he is charged with the possession of a weapon as well as sale of a controlled substance, Pantaleo has not been charged with a single crime, whether neglect, excessive force, or murder despite his action (placing Eric Garner in an illegal choke-hold, which killed him) being captured on film and the death of Eric Garner being deemed a homicide by a judge. By taking this action, the New York Justice System has upheld what amounts to state-sanctioned violence while simultaneously punishing those who have, as the saying goes, "seen something and said something" about it.
This site serves as the official site for updates concerning Ramsey and his well being while in the custody of the New York Penitentiary System. Here you can receive updates regarding his specific needs, fundraising efforts, and any ongoing legal proceedings from appeals to lawsuits.
This site serves as the official site for updates concerning Ramsey and his well being while in the custody of the New York Penitentiary System. Here you can receive updates regarding his specific needs, fundraising efforts, and any ongoing legal proceedings from appeals to lawsuits.
For the Record: Addressing Comments About Ramsey Orta - Statement by Bella Eiko