NYC Rebel
...on the otherside of the pond
http://m.nydailynews.com/new-york/espn-john-saunders-fund-cost-eric-garner-tombstone-article-1.2292270
ESPN host John Saunders has stepped forward offering to cover the costs of a tombstone for Eric Garner, the Daily News has learned.
Saunders, host of “The Sports Reporters,” made the extraordinary gesture after reading a story about Garner’s unmarked grave in Tuesday’s edition of the Daily News.
"I think that it's really wonderful," said Garner’s daughter Emerald, 23, whose face lit up when told of Saunders’ offer Tuesday
The 43-year-old Garner’s resting place is now a barren patch of grass at the Rosedale Cemetery in Linden, N.J.
Garner's mother, Gwen Carr, had told the Daily News she was struggling to cobble together enough cash to pay for the $3,000 bronze grave marker she had selected.
Saunders, who lives in Westchester, said the story prompted him to have a conversation with his family about helping the Garners.
"In these type of incidents people get fired up and demand change, but lost in the moment are the people who are most affected by it,” Saunders, 60, told The News.
“No one would have thought that there wouldn't be a grave marker. It wouldn't glance by people's consciousness. They would just figure the grave marker had already been put in and they would go on.”
Saunders’ offer comes three days shy of the one-year anniversary of Garner’s death.
The father of six died July 17, 2014, after he was placed in a banned chokehold by NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo.
Saunders' decision to help the Garner family came a day after it was announced that they had reached a $5.9 million wrongful death settlement with the city.
"People who live in the New York area really feel for the family," Saunders said. "I thought I would do what I could to help out."
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