10 years ago this week, Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old Black child, was playing with a pellet gun at the Cudell Recreation Center, on Cleveland's West Side.
A nearby resident called 911 and reported seeing "a guy in here with a pistol" that was "probably fake” and also stated that the male was "probably a juvenile.”
But the Cleveland Police's response to that call ended in tragedy.
Officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback arrived on the scene, and within seconds of exiting his vehicle, Loehmann fatally shot Rice. Both officers were white.
The incident garnered national outrage and calls for police reform, happening just two years after the police-involved shooting deaths of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams, two Black individuals, who were shot over 137 times while they were unarmed in their car.
The shootings sparked community protests over the police treatment of Black people and became a cornerstone in the federal government's decision to investigate the Cleveland Police Department.
In June of 2015, the city of Cleveland entered into a consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice. This after the federal investigation found a “pattern and practice” of police officers violating the rights of residents and using excessive force.
Monday on the “Sound of Ideas,” we’ll examine the legacy of Tamir Rice, who has become a national name in the Black Lives Matter movement, and whether there has been change regarding community police relations in the decade since Rice’s death.
Later in the hour, we’ll learn more about Ideastream’s latest “Sound of Us” series. In this collection of stories, we’ll hear from residents of Wayne and Medina counties who have found new and unique ways of helping and connecting with their neighbors.
Guests:
- Matt Richmond, Criminal Justice Reporter, Ideastream Public Media
- LaTonya Goldsby, President, Black Lives Matter - Cleveland
- Samaria Rice, Mother of Tamir Rice; Founder and CEO, The Tamir Rice Foundation
- Richard Cunningham, Producer of Engaged Journalism, Ideastream Public Media
- Zaurice Stephens, Realtor, DJ, Community Events Organizer
- Allison Allison, Founding Director, Art of Inclusion
