Ramsey Orta, the man who filmed the tragic death of Eric Garner last year, has been released from jail after online supporters raised his bail following a drug charge, New York Daily News reports.
The 23-year-old was arrested and placed on a $100,000 bond following the attention he received after footage he filmed of a police officer putting Garner in an illegal choke-hold went viral. Orta spent two months on Rikers Island after he allegedly sold drugs to undercover cops in February.
Since the incident, the Long Island native claims that he and his family have been sent death threats by police supporters, and believes his troubled past was used to put him behind bars.
He also staged a hunger strike in jail in fear that his food was poisoned by workers. His mother told reporters Orta lost a significant amount of weight and lived off of chips and cookies from the vending machine in fear that his food was tampered with.
However, with support from over 1,500 people on the Internet, Orta's luck changed. $47,500 was raised for his bail on Friday, giving him the needed $12,000 to meet his bond. Prosecutors pushed back his arraignment from Thursday to Friday to make sure the donation was authentic.
"Upon review of materials provided by the bail bondsman...it appears it's in compliance," assistant district attorney Adam Silberlight said.
Orta has plans to become a videographer and work on special projects that focus on civil rights and injustices. He decided on his career after finding out in jail his recording won a journalism award.
Source: New York Daily News
