Esaw Garner, the widow of Eric Garner, who died after being placed in a chokehold by a New York City police officer in August, said she doesn't accept the officer's condolences.
A grand jury
declined to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo on Wednesday, but the officer issued a statement saying Garner's family was in his prayers.
Garner's widow and his mother, Gwen Carr, said Pantaleo should have had such compassion when Garner was on the ground asking for officers to let him breathe. Garner, who suffered from asthma, died after being placed in a chokehold by Pantaleo while other officers subdued him. Garner resisted arrest after being confronted for selling untaxed cigarettes on the street.
"His apology to me now means absolutely nothing," Mrs. Garner said Wednesday on MSNBC's "Politics Nation with Al Sharpton."
"He still goes home to his family. He's still feeding them. … My husband's six-feet under and can't do nothing for us no more."
Story continues below video.
Mrs. Garner said she was disappointed and angry that the grand jury voted not to indict, but said she talked to U.S. Attorney Gen. Eric Holder and now feels hope there will be a federal investigation.
"He has children, he has grandchildren that miss him a lot. I miss him every single day," his widow said.
"It's so lonely, and so sad," she said through tears. "And then every day I try to look at TV to try to keep my mind off thinking about what's going on and what happened and everything, but then every time I turn the TV on I see that video. And then for them to come out with this verdict, it's like they're not even seeing what I saw."
Garner's arrest was captured on cell phone video, and he can be heard telling police, "I can't breathe."
"I just couldn't see how a grand jury could vote and say that there was no probable cause," Carr told Sharpton. Were they looking at the same video that the rest of the world was looking at?"
Appearing later Wednesday night at a press conference with Sharpton, Mrs. Garner said her husband will not be able to celebrate the holidays with his family because, "Somebody that gets paid to do right did wrong, and he's not held accountable for it."
She said her husband's death would not be in vain.
"As long as I have a breath in my body I will fight the fight to the end," she said.
Carr asked how people trust the justice system after such a failure.
"They didn't only fail me, they failed many of us, and if we don't take care of this they may fail you in the future," Carr said.
"We want you to rally, but rally in peace. Make a statement, but make it in peace. Do what you have to, but do it in peace," Garner's mother said.