Tamir Rice was brutally murdered. Why with a Democratic Admin do we have to petition them to do

[rhett o rick]

Last edited Tue Dec 29, 2015, 10:06 AM - Edit history (1)

their jobs?

This is an email I got from Democracy for America:

Many Americans are on vacation right now, spending time with friends and family. So it's no wonder that, for the second time over the holiday season, we've learned that another grand jury has refused to bring criminal charges against two more police officers who killed a black American in cold blood.

Prosecutors want to bury the story. They think people are too busy to care. They're wrong.

Join Democracy for America in calling on the federal government to bring Tamir Rice's killers to justice. Sign the petition urging the U.S. Department of Justice to file federal civil rights charges against the officers who killed Tamir Rice.

This time the victim is a 12-year old child. Tamir Rice was shot and killed while playing in a park in Cleveland last year by police officer Timothy Loehmann. Tamir was unarmed, and was shot within seconds of the officer's arrival before the child could even get his hands in the air.

Now, once again, another grand jury has decided the police did nothing wrong.

Even though, in June, a Cleveland judge responsible for conducting an independent review found probable cause for bringing charges of murder, involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide, negligent homicide or dereliction of duty against Loehmann -- the grand jury declined to charge him or his partner, Frank Garmback, for killing Tamir Rice.

This is a national problem. It's time for the U.S. Department of Justice to act.

Sign the petition right now: tell the U.S. Department of Justice to file federal civil rights charges against the officers who shot and killed Tamir Rice.

It's no wonder that the grand jury didn't file charges. Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty went out of his way to ensure that those officers would never be held accountable for killing Tamir Rice. Here's what his family's attorneys said in a statement today:

"It has been clear for months now that Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty was abusing and manipulating the grand jury process to orchestrate a vote against indictment. Even though video shows the police shooting Tamir in less than one second, Prosecutor McGinty hired so-called expert witnesses to try to exonerate the officers and tell the grand jury their conduct was reasonable and justified. It is unheard of, and highly improper, for a prosecutor to hire 'experts' to try to exonerate the targets of a grand jury investigation."

The fix was in from the start: Cleveland prosecutors never had any intention of charging these officers.

The implications of what happened in Cleveland today are chilling. If officers who opened fire on a 12-year old child are let off the hook, where will it end?

It's time for the federal government to step in and bring Tamir Rice's killers to justice. Will you help?

Sign the petition right now: tell the U.S. Department of Justice to file federal civil rights charges against the officers who shot and killed Tamir Rice.

Thank you for standing up for Tamir Rice and his family.

- Charles

Charles Chamberlain, Executive Director
Democracy for America

Edited to add link to petition: http://act.democracyforamerica.com/sign/tamir_rice_doj/?t=1&akid=7154.2867819.G__r76

Yes it's past time for the Obama Admin to take action. They are probably busting medical marijuana dispensaries or looking to extend Gov Siegelman's sentence to make Republicons happy. Do I sound bitter? I am bitter. Where the hell is the "change" we were promised?

[onecaliberal]

1. You're in good company. I've been asking that question for a few years now.

[rhett o rick]

2. So tell me, do you think Obama was always a Conservative and pretended to be progressive, or

did he get told what's what once he took the office?

[onecaliberal]

3. If you look at his voting record in Illinois, before he got to the senate.

He voted present a lot. He's a self proclaimed centrist. He failed to take a position on important issues. He has demonstrated over and over that he is all to willing to protect the monied interests over people. He speaks a lot of rhetoric, most of which are just nice words. He's had to put up with a ton of bullshit and disrespect. IMO there are many things he could have done, directing justice to put a stop to this bullshit long ago being one.

[Skittles]

8. he does give purty speeches

[Nyan]

4. He's been busy trying to overthrow government in Syria.

Didn't get around to the "change" stuff yet.

[jeff47]

5. Because there's no federal law that directly applies.

There's no federal law against a cop shooting an innocent teen on non-federal property. The best the feds can do is claim the police violated his civil rights, which is pretty hard to actually prove. You have to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the cop would not have shot a white kid in the identical situation.

Without something like a racial-epithet-laden statement, this is very, very hard to prove.

We need a federal law against excessive force while acting as a law enforcement officer. That would directly apply to this murder, as well as allow the federal government to create national use-of-force standards and enforce those standards.

With our party's efforts to ensure Republican victories, and Republicans running on racism, it's going to take quite a while to get that law.

[rhett o rick]

6. I hear what you are saying but find it very hard to believe there is nothing they can do. nm

[Egnever]

7. Was there a link to the petition?

[rhett o rick]

9. Yes, sorry. I will edit and include it.

http://act.democracyforamerica.com/sign/tamir_rice_doj/?t=1&akid=7154.2867819.G__r76

[FLPanhandle]

10. Do people even understand what power Obama has and does not have?

Didn't anyone take a civics class in High School?

He's not an all powerful dictator that can force local governments and grand juries to bend to his will.

[pintobean]

11. They took action last year

and the DOJ came to the same conclusions as the GJ in the Darrell Wilson case.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/justice-department-finds-that-ferguson-officer-did-not-violate-michael/article_06cfab32-5fb1-59dc-bf47-5711ae36cd8a.html

http://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/opa/press-releases/attachments/2015/03/04/doj_report_on_shooting_of_michael_brown_1.pdf