Garner died from being forcefully choked by police in New York. In the video of his struggle with authorities, he repeatedly tells the officers, "I can't breathe," which became a rallying cry in the Black Lives Matter Movement, much like it is again now, six years later, following the police killing of George Floyd.
The Selma premiere took place the day after a major protest in Manhattan, where demonstrators denounced a Staten Island grand jury's decision to not indict police officer involved in Garner's death, Buzzfeed News reported.
So for the event, Oyelowo, DuVernay, and stars like Tessa Thompson, Stephan James, and Wendell Pierce wore black T-shirts reading "I CAN'T BREATHE" over their formalwear.
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