The Execution of Tamir Rice

[noiretextatique]

https://brandonjsutton.wordpress.com/2014/11/27/the-execution-of-tamir-rice/

“They still don’t care. They’re never gonna care.” – Leslie McSpadden, mother of Michael Brown

Are black men and boys so menacing that lethal force was necessary in the slaying of a 12-year old black boy playing with a pellet gun near a playground? Lost in the expected and disappointing Michael Brown news was the slaying of Tamir Rice at the hand of a Cleveland police officer last Saturday.

Tamir was confronted Saturday by officers responding to a 911 call about a male who appeared to be pulling a gun in and out of his pants. The 911 caller said the gun was “probably fake,” then added, “I don’t know if it’s real or not.” Deputy Chief Edward Tomba said Monday that he didn’t know whether a dispatcher shared that information with responding officers. Police say Tamir Rice, who died Sunday, had an “airsoft” gun that appeared indistinguishable from a real firearm. Airsoft guns fire spherical plastic pellets and have orange tips to show they aren’t real firearms, but police said the one the boy had didn’t have the bright safety indicator. Authorities said the boy was told to raise his hands and was shot when he pulled the pellet gun from his waistband, though he hadn’t pointed it at police or made verbal threats (John Coyne).

Today, a video was released showing Cleveland police officers Timothy Loehman, 26, and Frank Garmback, 46 arrive at the scene. The video is truly heartbreaking; officer Loehman shot and killed Tamir immediately after leaving his patrol car. Police contend that they yelled at Tamir three times to raise his hands and only shot Tamir after he appeared to reach into his pants for the pellet gun. Loehman shot him at a distance of about 10 feet, the video shows. The kid was 12! As an adult I would be startled if a police unit drove that close near me with officers screaming, so imagine how afraid Tamir must have felt. The officer killed Tamir within 1.5 seconds of arriving at the scene; it seems to me more could have been to preserve his life.

I struggle to comprehend how a mad man can open fire and kill patrons in a crowded movie theater and a monster can walk into an elementary school and slay children and come out alive, yet a black boy playing with a pellet gun (in a state where it’s perfectly legal to walk around with a gun) is killed within two seconds of officers arriving at the scene. According to FBI data, an African American male is killed by a police officer every three or four days. During the height of Jim Crow a black person was lynched every four days. This wasn’t just an execution of Tamir, this was a 21st Century lynching!

1.5 seconds? This was an execution, plain and simple.

[hlthe2b]

1. "in a state where it’s perfectly legal to walk around with a gun"... indeed

NRA shows its true racist colors by ignoring these incidents--unless it is a white man involved.

[arcane1]

26. Excatly! +1,000,000!

[Enthusiast]

39. +1 an entire shit load.

[lostnfound]

46. What would the NRA say.

I've wondered the same thing. They say nothing, of course. The idea of putting those two cultural realities side by side -- the powerful lobby that thinks that arming more people solves everything and the fact that toy guns in the hands of African Americans are deemed to be just cause for assassinating them by police -- is simply absurd.

Well...maybe if that 9-1-1 caller had had his own gun, he would have felt safe to personally determine what the kid was carrying and whether he was a child or not. (Sarcasm)

[gwheezie]

2. I can't make sense of this

My heart is broken. This has to stop.

[bravenak]

3. And boy do we already have some people on here defending this murder.

I am sickened. Kids are being killed for no good reason and our lovely fellow democrats are pissed about the traffic. WPP.

[noiretextatique]

4. here's one:

of those disgusting ghouls
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5879846

[bravenak]

6. Here's another one.

Says i'm stalking her.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5878214

[noiretextatique]

8. that one

has gone off the deep end, truly. i am going to alert on that post.

[bravenak]

11. That is her normal operating procedure.

She has been doing it since August. I stopped alerting, it rarely helps. I hope it works this time.

[bravenak]

15. I find it strange.

That poster had decent analysis of Zimmerman, but Zimmerman was not a real cop. When it comes to cops killing folks.... Always on the cop's side. I was sad to see her spirited defense of a cop shooting a 12 year old. And blaming the parents? The child had a toy. Sad.

And I am not stalking her at all. That was an unjustified accusation.

[noiretextatique]

17. a toy gun...in an open carry state, no less

if he was WHITE, he would still be alive. no doubt.

[bravenak]

20. No doubt.

They might have asked him a few questions and found out that the gun was a toy. Perfectly legal.

[noiretextatique]

23. instead, they pulled up and had guns drawn

and executed that poor child...1.5 seconds after they arrived. i do not understand how anyone can condone this.

[bravenak]

25. Easily.

It could never happen to them so of course the child must have invited it. Of course they fail to realize that condoning this shit makes it happen more and more. One day it WILL be someone they know. And they will want us to march in the streets with them and protest their oppression. Thing are only bad when they happen to white people as far as they are concerned.

[demigoddess]

30. I agree totally, add to this

that when a guy, especially a white guy, or a cop leaves loaded gun lying around so that a 3 year old gets shot by a 4 year old (it happened recently and a lot) they apparently have no responsibility, no charges, no fines!!!! a child that young should not be the one responsible for the carelessness shown by an adult. Cops who shoot kids with toy guns are just as bad. Don't they know toy guns exist??!! Not, apparently, if it is a brown skinned kid who is playing with one!!

[bravenak]

40. I have noticed there are rarely charges when an adult lets a child get their hands on a real gun.

No wonder our kids just feel like nobody cares.

[heaven05]

42. All I know concerning

these last few days post DA letting the murderer/execution wilsothepig get a free pass. I have seen the word hypocrite personified dozens and dozens of times on this board since zimpig murdered Trayvon Martin and it has been a very unsettling thing this last week. I am at a point where any smile from a person perceived as a privileged progressive/liberal will be questioned as to it's sincerity. I'm done. That hide shows me that the business as usual attitude is alive and well here when it comes to burying the truth. Disgusting.

[JustAnotherGen]

53. If that Poster is an issue

And it appears she is - we should keep her out of this group. I'm just not seeing concern or empathy for black Americans.


Let me know and I will do the removal.

[JI7]

66. even then the poster denied there was racism involved

in the zimmerman case and disputed some of the other things .

most of their analysis was on zimmerman's story about where he was and the distance between sidewalk and things like that.

but the intent and motivations involving racism, cover up by cops etc were not things she believed.

[bravenak]

67. She never see's any racism.

But it has gotten much worse. She is positively livid with this case. Long angry diatribes, posting things about Mike's mother, saying amazingly insane things and outright lying about things. Sad.

[noiretextatique]

19. please use alert

alerts do work.

[heaven05]

29. No, you ARE NOT stalking her

she has been totally uncompromising in advocating these as good shoots. All, I can't remember whether she was in the crowd on Trayvon, but Michael Brown and now Tamir, same MO. Ohhh poor tragedy, but they deserved it. Black people deserve to be shot down like dogs according to the MO on that one. on edit: I've called her out on her BULLSHIT, she knows better than keep lying. As long as she lies, obfuscates, deflects, distracts from the seriousness of these execution, I will continue to call BULLSHIT. Nonstop.

[bravenak]

41. I am not going to let her shit slide no matter what.

She hides behind a block of text and riddles it with crazy rughtwing talking pints and then plays tge victim when she gets caught. I wasn't stalking her before, but I damn sure will pay more attention to what she posts.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

49. i responded

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025875317#post164

[BronxBoy]

51. You can set your watch by that one......

[ismnotwasm]

73. That is a completely disgusting post.

My God.

[bravenak]

74. She is quite a special case.

I will be keeping my eye on her now. This case has brought out the absolute worst in people.

[madamvlb]

5. This is so tragic, I can't believe his happened. These police officers should both be fired.

[Scootaloo]

9. No, it's not tragic.

A tragedy, in the literal sense, is a story of great sorrow or misfortune caused directly by the action of a heroic protagonist. In common parlance, a tragedy is something unavoidable, something that "falls from the heavens" - an earthquake, a hurricane, a freak gas explosion.

Tamir Rice's murder is neither of these things. This is a little boy who police damn near ran over, then gunned down as soon as they opened the cruiser door. There is no "tragedy" here, it is a slaying. Tamir did not bring it on himself. It was not unavoidable.

[noiretextatique]

24. they should be fired

and they should go to jail for murder.

[Scootaloo]

7. I hadn't known there was video

Just watched it, and now I can't breathe.

[noiretextatique]

10. 1.5 seconds...1.5 seconds...1.5 seconds?!

i don't see how ANY RATIONAL person can say this was anything other than an execution.

[Scootaloo]

13. Unless Tamir is seven feet tall, it looks like they were less than a YARD away

The cruiser is driving on the grass. BEHIND the little concrete "no entry" pilings. It speeds in, and Tamir is down before the officer is even out of the vehicle. They gunned him down before getting one shoe out the door!

[noiretextatique]

18. yes, they did

they didn't even try to resolve the situation without using deadly force. they are guilty of murder.

[gwheezie]

12. For fucks sake I can't stand more of this

Just watching this again on cnn. And people are trying to defend the police! People think blocking traffic is radical? For fucks sake all of us should be in the street. I say that from my living room because I don't know what to do but I feel like this could be my grandchild. My god my god. Please help our children.

[noiretextatique]

16. he could have been my grandchild too

and there are people right here on DU defending this execution. WE have to stop this, because they are not going to stop killing our children

[gwheezie]

21. This is racial profiling

White folks walk around with weapons and the police don't dare even ask them what they're up to.

[noiretextatique]

22. yes it is: 1.5 seconds

from arrival on the scene to executing that child...in an open carry state.

[heaven05]

32. difference

open carry, whites only, not a threat. Blacks, shoot first, ask questions later. Wait till January and the RW machine takes over, it will be open season, no kill limit. Just shoot, leave them where they lay. Michael Brown was the test case. Amerikkka THIS is your ship of state..

[noiretextatique]

33. so sadly true

no...more...words. i cannot imagine the agony his family is going through today.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

31. we should all be out in the street.....

I agree, and I too say that from my friend's living room.

He could be one of my other dearest friend's grandkids. God, I wouldn't want to see him ever have to face that.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

27. jeezus.... :(

According to FBI data, an African American male is killed by a police officer every three or four days. During the height of Jim Crow a black person was lynched every four days.

jeezus h. christ.



That poor kid....his family....friends......jeeeezus.

[noiretextatique]

28. the new/old jim crow was inevitable

after 30+ years of rw brainwashing and race-bating. and this baby is the latest victim of that insatiable beast.

[Number23]

34. That boy was on the ground before the cop driving had even put the fucking car in park

But somehow, we're supposed to believe that in that 1.25 seconds between when they pulled up and when Tamir was shot, they yelled multiple times for him to put his hands up and that he was "disobeying" the cops' orders.

My heart is just broken this week. This has been a fucking horrible week. Even worse than usual.

[noiretextatique]

35. it has been a terrible week

if one more cop apologist claims that THIS was even remotely justified
they pulled up, with guns drawn, and executed this child. the apologists would be claiming justification even if he was 2 months old.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

50. The cop who did the shooting was fresh from police academy where he is taught that

any African American of any age is dangerous and if acting in any negative way at all is to be put down, especially if male.

IF NOT, why would he be shooting the kid before the car even comes to a stop, right?

Why not park 50 feet away, get on the bullhorn and do the routine of telling the kid to drop the gun, get on the ground, etc

If this is yet ANOTHER GOD DAMN INSTANCE of a poorly trained cop, then I say bullshit, I say they ARE trained to do this.

And when I say negative I mean any behavior that isnt smiling and saying "yessir" (reminds me of the slap of Mr. Tibbs)

I wish this problem was only with some police and far rightwingers, but it is FAR worse than that.

[Number23]

55. "I say they ARE trained to do this."

There seems to be much truth in this, seriously.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

56. If I give in to that belief, i will also give up...you are probably right, but I cant accept it yet

Something tells me you are more qualified than I am to make this observation, however

[historylovr]

36. No words.

[damnedifIknow]

37. So when do we take this seriously?

Executions are executions and begs to be prosecuted. When? How many more need to die?

[d_r]

38. i cant come up with the right word for it

I want to say "What is so *shocking* about this is how fast they shot." I mean the cops pulled that car right up there, jumped out and shot. Even if Tamir really did "reach for the gun in his waistband" it had to be just a quick motion. A "oh, the cops need to know I have this" movement. A scared reach of "oh I have that bb gun there." A 12-year-old having an oh shit moment that ended in a second.

"What is so *shocking* about this is how fast they shot."

But "shocking" isn't the right word to write that sentence.

"Heartbreaking." "Sickening." "Disturbing." "Tragic." "Horrifying."

"Crazy" "Insane" "Unfathomable."

"Evil" "Criminal" "Oppressive."

"Terrifying." "Bewildering." "Reckless." "Cavalier."

I honestly really do not know what the word is.

[d_r]

44. me?

[heaven05]

47. I posted in the

wrong manner with the wrong response to the wrong thread somehow. I am so put off by this murder, I can't see straight. Please try to forgive my lapse of concentration, I am beginning to let my hate cause me to harm others not responsible. I am saddened by what I did. I did, as you can see, delete my stupidity. Not meant to reflect anything you said, my mistake totally.

[d_r]

58. no worries at all

I understand. Just wanted the chance to explain if I had been misunderstood. I understand. I'm sorry that things are like this.

[noiretextatique]

45. (heaven05) do you have history

with this poster? i am not understanding your reaction to that post.

[heaven05]

48. No

I screwed up in my posting. I can't even understand how I did this to this poster. I guess I'm losing concentration, I meant this as an answer to someone else I guess. I'm so blinded by my hate, I am losing it. I will try to get a handle on my madness and anger before I respond to the madness out there in la la land and I won't be responding anytime soon. in the near future. Please forgive me. I am mortified in my total embarrassment. All who were offended by my answer, please know it was my mistake. The poster I responded to, was totally without offense.

[Number23]

54. We all get where you're coming from

It has been a horrible, horrible week. I have been sick to my stomach more times than I can count, especially every time I think about that video of that child being shot before the police car came to a complete stop and yet, there are folks EVERYWHERE including here who have a million a five reasons why it was "justifiable" for the cop to shoot that child.

And the story about that guy killed in fucking Walmart for holding a toy gun makes me want to scream. I saw a picture of him and his mother recently and I just lost it, especially because of the stories that the asshole who called 911 to report him was lying his ass off from the first words. I think this story is affecting me almost as much as Tamir's story.

So you're okay with your confusion and rage. And I think it's perfectly understandable that it might be spilling over more than usual right now because I think there are ALOT of people who are going through the same thing.

[noiretextatique]

59. (heaven)

i know exactly how you feel.

[BronxBoy]

52. The sad thing is...

the increasingly disgusting lengths that folks are taking to smear the victims and justify the the shooting. Media hype notwithstanding, Trayvon and Michael were fairly good kids who had aims at higher education......the kind of kids that some on the right always lecture us about raising. I don't believe John Crawford had any criminal record they could exploit and a 12 year old is a 12 year old. Can't wait to see what the morph him into before this is all over.

So the last 4 high profile shootings had Black victims who were upstanding citizens. And they still got gunned down.

Not sure what it will take to change this but the options don't look good

[noiretextatique]

60. 12 years old

and they shot him in 1.5 seconds. i really can't get beyond that. it is so sad that people feel the need to smear these victims...it is like killing them over and over and over and over. it's really SICK.

[rbrnmw]

57. This killing hits me hard I can barely think about it

I have a 12 year old son. I am so angry and hurt over this senseless killing I have nothing but rage for the cops in Cleveland.

[lovemydog]

61. There are no words to adequately describe

my feelings about this execution. I am nauseated.

May Tamir Rice rest in peace.

[noiretextatique]

62. I see even the apologists

Cannot excuse this...good

[marym625]

63. This officer getting off

Will truly be the straw that breaks the camel's back. And they are setting it up that way.

Heartbreaking. Absolutely heartbreaking.

I can't find it now but I know I initially heard that the officer told Tamir to drop the gun. I believe that is what truly happened. Tamir had the toy in his pocket or waistband and went to pull it out and drop it, as ordered. And the cop decided he was going for a weapon to shoot him. So they changed the story to say they told him to put his hands up. Without audio, we'll never know. But I sincerely believe that is what happened.

I am so sick and tired of this. And now a baby. A child. That poor family.

[noiretextatique]

69. no way can they sweep THIS under the rug

ferguson will seem like disneyland compared to what will happen if that cop isn't charged.

[marym625]

70. He won't be

They started the group work immediately. Have the excuse they weren't told "juvenile" and "fake." Supposed instructions changed from "drop the weapon" to "put your hands up." With no audio, we'll never know. He "went for his gun."

It doesn't matter that Tami was a child. They'll use the same BS they always do.

[noiretextatique]

72. the tape proves they lied

But you are right...they will bend over backwards to support the cop. No justice, no peace.

[JI7]

64. just think if there wasn't video of this

and the stories the cops , racists, supporters would be telling about what may have happened.

i wonder what quotes they would make up and claim the 12 year old kid threatened them with and how they tried everything else but just had to shoot him to defend themselves.

[JustAnotherGen]

65. Agreed

I've been pretty quiet about this kid - and he WAS one - he was 12. Because - he was just a little boy. This one ripped out my heart.

[noiretextatique]

68. the video proves that the cops LIED

they claimed there were several people near the gazebo...video shows Tamir was alone. and they claimed they gave him three warnings: they didn't, not in 1.5 seconds. after they shot him, they claimed he was 20, and the video shows that is a lie also: he looks like a 12yo, not a 20yo.
some in the press dutifully played their role in the cover-up by trying to smear Tamir with that story about his father. but a reputable journalist from the Cleveland Plain Dealer said her paper had REAL journalists, not police apologists.
and if there was NOT a video, the apologists here would be doing their part too. even they cannot defend this.

[marym625]

71. They already did

First story, before the video, was Tamir pointed weapon at officer.

It's going to be another "justifiable" murder