Current and retired NYPD officers marched in Staten Island Sunday in support of officer Daniel Pantaleo. The march was in response to a police administrative judge recommending Pantaleo be fired.

In 2014, Pantaleo was recorded putting Eric Garner in an illegal chokehold before Garner uttered his last words "I can't breathe," which became a rallying cry for the growing Black Lives Matter movement. 

With more than 250 supporters in attendance, Blue Lives Matter founder, Joseph Imperatrice, wanted everyone to get a sense of what the incident has done to the life of his friend.

“People think Danny Pantaleo isn’t affected by this and doesn’t wake up every day and wish he could go back and not have been there,” said Imperatrice to SILive about his friend Pantaleo. “I’m telling you right now, it’s affected his life.”

Marchers were staunch in their support for Pantaleo and law enforcement all over the country, wearing shirts with messages like "Breath easy. Don’t break the law."

Many have critiqued Blue Lives Matter, claiming the usage of 'Blue' insinuates police officers as an occupation could not equate to that of the day-to-day, moment-to-moment experience as a black person. Those who oppose Blue Lives Matter say it is easy to remove the uniform of an officer, but being black is something lived in constantly. 

"He did absolutely nothing wrong. He went out that day because he was sent out by the higher up," said Rafael Morales, a retired NYPD detective to Spectrum News.

Pantaleo's employment has even become an issue during the presidential campaign, with New York Bill de Blasio being peppered by protesters at the last Democratic debate. Friday with the announcement of the judge's recommendation, de Blasio spoke about the time the Garner family waited for action on the case but also refused to comment on whether Pantaleo should be fired. 

“Today, we finally saw a step toward justice and accountability,” de Blasio said to The New York Times. “We saw a process that was actually fair and impartial, and I hope this will now bring the Garner family a sense of closure and the beginning of some peace.”

The decision on whether or not to follow through with the recommendation is now in the hands of Police Commissioner James O’Neil — who has stated the decision would not be made prematurely.

“All of New York City understandably seeks closure to this difficult chapter in our city’s history,” O'Neil's spokesman, Phillip Walzak, said to the Times. “Premature statements or judgments before the process is complete however cannot and will not be made.”

O'Neil has already suspended Pantaleo prior to the recommendation being handed down by the judge.