The Militant - August 17, 2015 -- Cleveland event: Charge cops who killed Tamir Rice

Vol. 79/No. 29 August 17, 2015

Cleveland event: Charge cops
who killed Tamir Rice

BY WILLIE COTTON
CLEVELAND — “I sent two children to play that day, and only one came home,” said Samaria Rice, mother of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was killed by police here Nov. 22. She was speaking to a July 25 town hall meeting of more than 100 people at the True Light Missionary Baptist Church, called to support the fight to get charges filed against the officers responsible.

The meeting was reinforced by participants from the Movement for Black Lives conference taking place the same weekend.

Rice had been playing with a toy gun when he was shot by officer Timothy Loehmann within two seconds after police arrived on the scene. After shooting Tamir, the cops detained his sister, who ran to help him as he lay wounded. When Samaria Rice arrived, she told the town hall meeting, the cops gave her the option of going with her daughter to the station or her son to the hospital. The killing was captured on video, fueling protests against police violence throughout the country.

Eight months later, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty says his office is still investigating the case and will eventually send it to a grand jury.

Frustrated with this official heel-dragging, a group of clergy and activists calling themselves the “Cleveland 8” filed citizen affidavits in the Cleveland Municipal Court June 9 calling for the arrest of Loehmann and fellow cop Frank Garmback for their roles in Tamir’s death. Two days later Judge Ronald Adrine filed documents with the same court stating he believes there is probable cause to charge the officers with murder and other crimes. His opinion is not binding.

On July 23 Tamir’s cousin Latonya Goldsby and other supporters of the fight delivered 60,000 petition signatures to the county prosecutor’s office demanding charges be filed.

The town hall event was moderated by the church’s pastor, Rev. Robert Aitken. Speakers ranged from Cephus Johnson, the uncle of Oscar Grant, to representatives of Generation Progress, an anti-gun-violence group founded by Vice President Joseph Biden.

Relatives of Oscar Grant, Michael Brown Jr., Emmett Till, Kendrick Johnson, Aiyana Stanley-Jones, and Andrew Joseph III — all victims of police or racist violence — came from the Movement for Black Lives conference and offered their support to the Rice family.

As word spread at the conference that the meeting was taking place, dozens of young participants changed their plans and made it to the event.

“I felt an obligation to come and help,” said Tia Byrd from St. Louis, one of the many volunteers who put the conference together and got people to the town hall meeting. “People came from all over the country to support us and protest the killing of Michael Brown Jr. last year. It was my duty to come and support them.”

During a discussion period, a woman who introduced herself as an activist attending the conference asked, “What would you like for young Black activists to do to support you and your communities?”

Deanna Joseph, mother of Andrew Joseph III, responded, “I would like to see actions.” In her son’s case, she said, there had not been Black Lives Matter protests or other actions. Her son was struck by a car Feb. 7, 2014, in Tampa, Florida, after being detained, transported and abandoned on the side of Interstate 4 by cops at the State Fair.

James Harris contributed to this article.