Tamir Rice
National leaders of #RiseUpOctober Carl Dix, Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, and Rev. Jerome McCorry have condemned reports from two so-called “experts,” released by the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office on Saturday, justifying the police murder of 12-year-old Tamir Rice.
#RiseUpOctober protests against police brutality will meet on Saturday October 24 in New York City in Washington Square Park at 11AM.
“The police murdered Tamir Rice, now the authorities are greasing skids to exonerate his murderers,” says Carl Dix.
On Saturday night, Rev. McCorry, who is from Dayton, was the keynote speaker at a gathering at True Life Church in Cleveland called by #RiseUpOctober24Cleveland, when this news was announced. He responded: “If they’re going to act like Ferguson, then we are going to bring some of the Ferguson action here to Cleveland.” The Tamir Rice family has issued its own statement exposing the reports.
“The prosecutor’s release of reports that say the actions of the cops who gunned down Tamir Rice were justified is a blatant step toward exonerating the cops who murdered Tamir,” Dix adds. “The question is: what are we going to do about this? We must condemn these reports as the ignorant pig talk they are. And if they go ahead and let these killer cops get off without charges, we must take to the streets with great determination to deliver a message that we refuse to accept the system backing up its cops when they murder Black people. And this is one more reason why everybody who wants to stop the terror police spread in Black and Latino neighborhoods has to be in New York City for #RiseUpOctober.”
“As a part of the constant drumbeat of unprovoked police killings, Tamir Rice, 12 years old was summarily executed by Cleveland police for allegedly playing with a toy gun,” Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, said. “Tamir joins Emmett Till in an uniquely grotesque brotherhood of death on the streets of America where blood, dirt and white hatred walks around with impunity. Tamir’s murder demands an unequivocal response from all communities that claim to respect human life. We must take to the streets to demand that the police officer who murdered Tamir must face justice. We must proclaim that being an African child in America is not a pre-ordained death sentence.”
Rev. McCorry added: “I would say I’m surprised, but I’m not. To be surprised would mean I expected something different. The city of Cleveland has covered up more tragedy and police terror than we have seen anywhere else in the state of Ohio. It’s very clear that this prosecutor has no intention of bringing charges against these crooked low-down police officers. By tainting the minds of any potential grand jury members, he knows exactly what he’s doing. If necessary, we will see to it that Cleveland, in fact, becomes the next Ferguson. If they’re going to act like Ferguson, then we are going to bring some of the Ferguson action here to Cleveland.”
RiseUpOctober.org and Stop Mass Incarceration Network were initiated and co-founded by Dix and Dr. Cornel West.
