Last week it was Sandra Bland. This week it’s Tamir Rice. Again, there will be no indictments for the police officers involved in questionable death of a black person. The prosecutor, Tim McGinty made the announcement Monday afternoon. “Based on the evidence they heard and on the law as it applies to police use of deadly force, the Grand Jury declined to bring criminal charges against Cleveland Police Officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback. That was also my recommendation and that of our office after reviewing the investigation and the law.” McGinty said that he had just informed Tamir’s mother of the decision and that the conversation was a tough one. He said he told the mother that while it was a difficult decision, to charge the officers would be a miscarriage of justice. “The State must be able to show that the officers acted outside the constitutional boundaries set forth by the Supreme Court of the United States.” Simply put, given this perfect storm of human error, mistakes and miscommunication by all involved that day, the evidence did not indicate criminal conduct by police.”
Tamir’s mother Samaria Rice released a statement stating they were devastated and in pain over the non-indictments. They believe the prosecutor, Tim McGinty mishandled the case and was advocating for the officers instead of Tamir. They also say they have no trust in what they view as a corrupt local criminal-justice system; and like the Bland family, the Rice family is hoping justice will be served at the federal level.
They have also encouraged those who want to protest to do so peacefully and democratically. Once again, the grand jury process is under scrutiny for lack of transparency.
The U.S Attorney’s Office says they are watching the case closely but civil rights violations are a very high bar to clear. While there is a potential for federal charges, the grand jury, which is the community and the state, have spoken. Tamir’s family may eventually get the justice they want federally or civilly but neither of those is guaranteed. Keep in mind, the Justice Department also investigated the Michael Brown – Darren Wilson case and also found no cause to indict the officer. There was no video in the Brown case. But in the Rice case, prosecutors contend the video and the evidence back up the officers because the tape shows Rice drawing the weapon from his waist, and the evidence shows the dispatcher never told the officers that the gun the 12-year old was carrying was likely a toy one. Like BlackAmericaWeb.com on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.
