Eric Garner, the Staten Island father of six who was recently put in a fatal chokehold by the NYPD, was memorialized in the Under The Lights tournament on Staten Island this past Friday. However, the tribute was executed in an unexpected collaboration with the Staten Island police. During the tournament, local police who were patrolling the area were contacted by the event organizers. The Under The Lights crew asked the patrolling officers if they'd be willing to let a player jump over their car during one of his dunks. The move was approved. When tournament participant Brian Hogan-Gary came up for his next dunk the police car was sitting on the court, waiting for him.
The idea was taken right out of Blake Griffin's book, but the message had a unique significance. Readying himself for the leap, Hogan-Gary revealed an undershirt to the crowd that read "R.I.P Eric Garner". He took off from his spot, made the jump, and executed the dunk perfectly. The police responded by blaring their siren in celebration. The crowd was equally excited.
Joel Soto, a founder of Under The Lights, spoke with Staten Island Live about the impromptu collaboration: "The cops were really great and nice about it—it was a little bit surreal. People were really surprised the cops wanted to be a part of it. It definitely brought down a little of the tension between police and the community."
"It was good for both sides. The cops definitely wanted to use this as a way to get a good relationship between them and civilians, but besides that it felt real—they were just as into it as everyone else there."
Watch the video of the dunk below.
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[via Gothamist]
