Ramsey Orta is an American man who filmed the killing of Eric Garner in New York City on July 17, 2014.[2] His video spurred protests and debate over city police procedure.[3] Following a campaign of police harassment after the video went viral,[3][4][5][6] Orta has expressed regret in filming the incident.[7] In 2016, Orta was sentenced to four years in prison for weapons and drug charges after accepting a plea deal for which the prosecutor agreed to drop charges against his mother.[8][9][10] He was released in May 2020.
Imprisonment
Following his taping of Garner's death, Orta was arrested multiple times. He pled guilty to drug and gun charges in 2016 and received a four-year prison sentence.[11] Orta was transferred multiple times during his imprisonment. He was last in solitary confinement in Collins Correctional Facility.[12] Orta was released in May 2020 and was under court supervision until January 2022.[13][14] A crowdfunding campaign raised over $200,000 for Orta.[13]