Eric Garner timeline: Tension, reform and where the case stands now

• The Rev. Al Sharpton held rallies in Harlem and Staten Island with Garner’s family. “This is going to be a real test to see where policies are in the city now and whether the change that we feel occurred has occurred,” Sharpton said, according to the Staten Island Advance. Sharpton also said Garner’s funeral would be held a week later and that he would pay for it.

  The NYPD said it had suspended Pantaleo, the officer who put Garner in the apparent chokehold, and stripped him of his gun. Pantaleo, an eight-year veteran, had several civil rights lawsuits filed against him.

  Meanwhile, the independent Civilian Complaint Board said it was investigating more than 1,000 complaints about police officers using chokeholds, a move banned by the NYPD.

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• After the death of Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager shot by police in Ferguson, Missouri, hundreds gathered in Times Square and Union Square to protest both Brown’s death and Garner’s death.

  Meanwhile, six Democratic New York congressmen asked for a federal investigation into Garner’s death.

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• Thousands converged for a peaceful march starting at the Tompkinsville location where Garner died one month earlier. Among the protesters were Garner’s family, former New York Gov. David Paterson, Amadou Diallo’s mother Kadi Diallo and thousands who were bused in on so-called Justice Caravans from across the country. Protesters chanted “I can’t breathe” and carried signs reading “Hold Killer Cops Accountable.”

  “It’s not white or black,” said Garner’s widow, Esaw Garner. “They did wrong and they need to pay for doing wrong.”

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• Garner’s family filed a $75 million notice of claim against NYC and six NYPD officers involved in using the apparent chokehold against Garner. A notice of claim is the first step before suing the city. In the claim, Garner’s family said his death was the direct result of police actions.

  Attorney Sanford Rubenstein, a onetime ally of Sharpton and his National Action Network, filed the notice of claim, but his firm was taken off the case within days due to allegations that the NYPD was investigating the lawyer for rape.

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• After a two-month investigation, a Staten Island grand jury decided not to indict Pantaleo and the other officers involved. The other officers were granted immunity, so Pantaleo was the only one who could have been charged. Garner’s family reacted with shock and de Blasio called for calm in the city. “Today’s outcome is one that many in our city did not want,” de Blasio said. The mayor also said he and his wife spoke to their son, Dante, about “how to take special care with any encounter he may have with police officers.”

  Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan said he would seek to unseal the grand jury’s decision, a relatively unusual move. Pantaleo remained on suspension.

  Thousands protested in New York City, and demonstrations broke out in cities across the country; relatively few arrests were reported in NYC. In one peaceful demonstration, protesters staged a “die-in” at Grand Central Terminal. Other protesters gathered at Times Square and Rockefeller Center, where protesters interrupted the Rockefeller Christmas Tree lighting. Massive protests continued throughout the week, with protesters lying in the street on Dec. 4; a “die-in” held at Macy’s and the Apple Store on Dec. 6; and protesters marching into train stations on Dec. 7.

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• In the days following the grand jury decision, athletes and other celebrities joined in the protests, wearing shirts that said “I can’t breathe.” LeBron James wore the shirt on Dec. 8 at Barclays Center. It was the same night Prince William and his wife, Catherine, were in attendance. At City Hall, City Council members wore shirts that said “I Can’t Breathe” 11 times — the number of times Garner said it before he died. The 12 council members also staged a “die-in” in City Hall and marched to Broadway in support of the protesters.

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• Robert Murray, 43, of Brooklyn, was charged with assaulting an NYPD lieutenant who had come to the aid of another officer being attacked by Garner protesters on the Brooklyn Bridge. A video of the alleged assault went viral. Eric Linkser, 29, of Crown Heights, was also charged.

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• More than 25,000 police officers, dignitaries and mourners went to the funeral for Rafael Ramos, and in a show of solidarity against de Blasio, hundreds of officers turned their backs when he spoke inside. “New York City has lost a hero,” de Blasio said.

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• After rumors spread for weeks that the NYPD had stopped issuing tickets for low-level offenses, Bratton admitted to a slowdown. “They never totally stopped working,” Bratton insisted. “Arrests continue to be made, crime continued to go down … Public safety has not been impacted.”

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• As the rift with the police union continued, de Blasio acknowledged that cops have “valid issues” but he said he would not apologize for his remarks after the Garner grand jury verdict. “You can’t apologize for your fundamental beliefs,” de Blasio said.

  Meanwhile, Cuomo met privately with police union leaders, calling the feud with de Blasio “a distraction we don’t need.”

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• A new team at the Justice Department was assigned to the investigation into Garner’s death, according to a New York Times report. The new team of agents could potentially jump-start the case that has been stalled up until now, officials told The Times. Federal prosecutors had started presenting evidence to a grand jury but the investigation stalled as officials were at odds on whether or not to bring charges, according to the Times.

  Federal prosecutors and FBI officials were against charging Pantaleo, while the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department argued the opposite, according to the paper. Recently, the FBI agents who have been investigating the case were replaced with agents from outside New York, and federal prosecutors in Brooklyn are no longer assigned to the case, according to the paper.

  Pantaleo remains on modified duty and has yet to face departmental review, police said.

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The death of Eric Garner on Staten Island after a police officer grabbed him by the throat in an arm lock that appeared to be an illegal chokehold on July 17, 2014, shook the city and led to calls for the reform of the NYPD. His words caught on video –“I can’t breathe” — became a rallying cry for civil rights activists.

Garner’s name was added to a list of black men who have died in sometimes violent confrontations with police around the country — from Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, to Freddie Gray in Baltimore — sparking riots and protests and demands for more police accountability.

Here’s a timeline of the evens surrounding Garner’s death and its repercussions.