of her son Eric, named after her father, in August 2017, she suffered a heart attack. Doctors subsequently found that her heart was enlarged. On December 23, 2017, she suffered a second heart attack, after which she fell into a coma. She was left with "major brain damage," leading to her death on December 30, 2017. She died at Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn surrounded by her family and foster family. On the news of her death, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city would "miss her unshakable sense of justice and passion for humanity", despite the fact that Garner had been a frequent critic of de Blasio during her lifetime. The New York Civil Liberties Union issued a statement saying that Garner "showed incredible courage and remarkable resolve" and "bravely transformed her unspeakable personal pain in[to] political power as she became a leader in the fight for police reform". The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) also issued a statement acknowledging her leadership and strength. Fellow activist DeRay Mckesson said, “Erica took the truth with her everywhere she went, even if that truth made people uncomfortable". Tweets were subsequently posted from Garner's official Twitter account demanding that de Blasio "explain how she died with no justice" and requesting that "out of respect to Erica please do not request comment if the journalist is not Black". These tweets were later found to have been posted by Garner's publicist. References External links 1990 births 2017 deaths African-American activists 21st-century American women Activists from New York City Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign Black Lives Matter people Criticism of police brutality People from Brooklyn People from Far Rockaway, Queens Shorty Award winners 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people