DC Songwriter Alan Scott to Perform at Eric Garner Day Celebration

In commemoration of the birthday of Eric Garner, D.C. songwriter and recording artist Alan Scott is performing at the Eric Garner Day Celebration outside Brooklyn's Barclays Center tomorrow, September 15. The event, which kicks off at 6 p.m. ET and is produced by The Blacksmiths, features special guest speakers including Carlene Pinto, founder of the NYC Action Lab; councilman Brad Lander; Garner's mother, Gwen Carr; congressman-elect Jamaal Bowman; and state senator-elect Jabari Brisport. Performing at the event alongside Scott are artists Amyra Leon, Bryan Carter & Friends, the Resistance Revival Chorus, Russell Hall & Friends, DJ Stretch Armstrong, Yahzarah and Andre White. The celebration will also feature poetry by Rosamond S. King and visual art by Coby Kennedy, Wildcat Ebony Brown, Johanna Toruño, Yashua Klos and others.

Scott recently re-released his viral 2016 single and video "You Only See Me When I'm Gone"-written originally to address issues of race and police brutality following the tragic death of Eric Garner-in the wake of social unrest and long-overdue increased awareness of institutionalized racism surrounding the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless others.

Scott is making "You Only See Me When I'm Gone" available to license for free, with audio stems and video footage available to download and edit/record via http://www.ericgarnerday.com. "'You Only See Me When I'm Gone' will belong to the people," notes Scott, "meaning anybody can license it. Anybody can perform it. They can reshoot a video, record a version of the song, etc."

Watch the new video!

The song, with a new mix by producer Mark Williams (Jonasay, OAR, Vertical Horizon), is also accompanied by an updated video directed by Lenny Bass (De La Soul, Fantasia, Jill Scott) featuring new, exclusive interview footage with Gwen Carr as well as footage from the landmark 2020 protests around the globe and images of Floyd, Taylor, Arbery and Garner.

The song and video were reissued in conjunction with a petition from Carr to establish a national day of remembrance for community-led vigils and celebrations as well as calling on NYC councilmember Deborah Rose to make Garner's birthday, September 15, Eric Garner Day in his hometown of Staten Island. "With the passing of Eric Garner Day, it is our hope that this country will collectively take a moment to remember what Eric's death meant to the nation and how it shifted the conversation on harmful police practices," notes Carr. "Schools should recognize the day as an avenue to have important conversations about racial profiling and police brutality. The conversation should continue and be recognized yearly to remind us that we have no choice but to move forward and never go back." View/sign the petition at http://www.ericgarnerday.com.

Of the song, which was written and recorded in the wake of incidents in Ferguson, MO and Baltimore, MD as well as the church shooting in Charleston, SC in 2015, Scott explains, "My heart goes out to George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, their families and friends. Their murders were completely avoidable. They should all be alive today. This is what is so terrifying about the times we live in. 'You Only See Me When I'm Gone' is my way of acknowledging the tragic loss of Eric Garner and too many others. It is also my way of asking, 'Who is next?' Eric Garner would have turned 50 this year. Please join me in support for the Garner Family as they remember Eric and the new anti-chokehold law in his name. Make September 15 Eric Garner Day."

Bass adds, "After the George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor murders I felt all kinds of anger. I wanted to make some kind of loud noise to push back at the hurt I felt. All at once it hit me that we made this beautiful video four years ago that spoke exactly to this horrible feeling that, to some people, we don't matter. I re-watched 'You Only See Me When I'm Gone' frame by frame and was moved by how well it highlighted the heart and soul, but most importantly the humanity, of our communities. Afterward I immediately felt restored and empowered and this is why this video needs to be watched and re-watched as a reminder that Black Lives do and always will Matter!"

Bass, the son of a police officer, returned home and reached out to friends and family everywhere to be featured in the video. One such interaction led him to a childhood friend who was close with the family of Eric Garner, a Staten Island father who was murdered by police in 2014. Garner's mother, Gwen Carr, was inspired by the song and agreed to appear in the video to discuss her son's death.

Alongside her exclusive interview for the "You Only See Me When I'm Gone" video, Carr's book This Stops Today featuring a foreword from Hilary Clinton is available now; see additional information and purchase the book at https://www.thisstopstoday.com/book.html.

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