Pussy Riot have released a harrowing song called "I Can't Breathe" in memory of Eric Garner, the man who was choked to death in Staten Island by an NYPD officer. Garner's last words, repeated 11 times, became a motto for police brutality protests across the world.
Speaking to Pitchfork, Pussy Riot outlined the message behind the song: "Several problems that have come up in the U.S. government system resemble Russian problems in a very painful way. In particular, the problem of police violence. We are interested in seeing how the American political system, which is in general more open than the Russian one, handles defects like these, and how the media and civil society can help it or force it to fix this situation."
The song features Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Nick Zimmer on bass and piano, with New York punk icon Richard Hell frantically reading Garner's final words during the altercation with the officer. In the video, directed by Mikhail Vihrov, Pussy Riot are buried alive while singing "It's getting dark in New York city, I need to catch my breath".
Watch below.
