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The Sentiment In New York Captured In A 25-Second Audio Clip

Benjamin Carr, stepfather of Eric Garner, leaves the district attorney's office Wednesday in Staten Island after a grand jury's decision not to indict a New York police officer involved in Garner's death.
John Minchillo
/
AP
Benjamin Carr, stepfather of Eric Garner, leaves the district attorney's office Wednesday in Staten Island after a grand jury's decision not to indict a New York police officer involved in Garner's death.

We've written a lot about the emotions that poured out onto the streets of U.S. cities and across the Internet when a grand jury in Staten Island declined to indict the police officer involved in the death of Eric Garner.

There is one piece of tape, however, that sticks with us. It comes from NPR member station WNYC, and in 25 seconds, it captures the anger, the desperation and the resolve to keep things peaceful in New York.

On the tape you'll hear Benjamin Carr, Eric Garner's stepfather, trying to calm a protester who pleads, "What's the future for me? For my son, for my child?"

Listen:

Update at 11:42 a.m. Transcript Of The Audio:

We've gotten some requests for a transcript of the audio. Here it is:

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I was there, Mr. Garner, every step of the way. I have pictures of that day.

BEN CARR: OK. Let's keep the peace. Let's keep the peace.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I was doing everything peacefully, but it's got to the point where...

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: You've got to keep the peace.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: It's wrong.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: I know.

CARR: We all are hurting.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Where we headed for? What's the future for me? What's the future for me? You know what I'm saying, for my child, for my son? What is his future?

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.

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