Ramsey Orta
Ramsey Orta is the man who filmed the fatal arrest of Erick Garner two years ago, now he is being sent to jail.
Two years ago, a then 22-year-old Orta, filmed his friend, Eric Garner being put into a fatal chokehold by NYPD police officers in broad daylight.
The video he took with his cellphone went viral and became an important piece in showing unnecessary police brutality against people of color.
Now the 24-year-old Orta will be spending the next four years in jail as a part of plea deal. Ramsey who witnessed first hand the final moments of the life of Erick Garner, pleaded guilty back in July to drug and weapons charges.
Orta who is described as a police watch and activist, told media outlets, he has been a target of the New York Police Department ever since videotaping Garner’s chokehold death.
In July 2014, Garner died after being placed in a deadly chokehold by a New York Police Department officer. Later that year, a New York grand jury declined to file charges against the officer responsible for the death, Daniel Pantaleo.
Also in August 2014, just a couple of weeks after filming the Garner video, Orta was arrested for possessing an illegal handgun. According to the NYPD, Orta had attempted to hide the gun in the waistband of a 17-year-old girl.
Things are definitely complicated for Orta whose lawyers say that leaking his criminal history was part of a smear campaign by the NYPD.
Ramsey Orta has been staying in Las Vegas with his wife, Jessica Hollie, aka Bella Eiko, also an activist. The couple married last December but in just a few weeks they will have to separate. In October he’ll have to fly back to New York to start a four-year prison sentence.
In an interview with The Huffington, Ramsey Orta said leaving in Las Vegas is ‘more quiet’ and doesn’t need to be looking over his shoulder as he does in New York.
There, he’s always “on point,” even paranoid, watching the door to his apartment and looking out the window to see if anybody’s after him.
You can find Ramsey Orta on Twitter here.
