May 11 2017, 36-year-old Andrew Kearse, a Black resident of the Bronx, died from a heart attack in the back seat of a squad car. Dashcam footage captures him utter “I can’t breathe” as pleaded for 70 times over the course of 17 minutes before he finally fell unconscious.

Medical investigators later concluded he would have lived if Schenectady, New York officers had called for medical help. The officer behind the wheel was never criminally charged.

Ever since the grand jury declined to indict officer Mark Weekes for his part in Kearse’s death, Kearse has hit the ground with Black Lives Matter and worked to pass the Andrew Kearse Act at the state level.

The Andrew Kearse Act was  ...