Essay Sample: Tamir Rice and the Justice He Never Got

Police brutality towards African Americans has become a large issue in the past decade, and as more deaths occur, it is important to discuss and understand the victims who did not receive justice. When examining these specific cases, it is important to understand the history and background of police brutality, the people involved in the case, controversies and issues with the case, and the rulings that proceed. Using these pieces of evidence, Tamir Rice’s case shows how racism is built into our police force and exemplifies a case that did not get the justice it deserved.

While some argue that police brutality is a construct made up to highlight racism in this country, numerous studies show the statistical difference when it comes to situations involving the police and people of color. Black men have a 1 in 1,000 chance of being killed by a police officer (Edwards). Police brutality is actually one of the most common ways for young men of color to die, PNAS says, “For young men of color, police use of force is among the leading causes of death”(Edwards). In contrast, white women have a 1 in 30,000 chance of dying from police, showing that there is a clear discrimination amonst races and sexes when it comes to police brutality. A famous case that helped propel the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 was the death of George Floyd. After being arrested for buying cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill, the police became aggressive with Floyd, pinning him to the ground. George Floyd died from a lack of oxygen, when Chauvin, the police officer, pressed his knee tightly on Floyd’s neck. This case sparked outrage among many communities, and led to many protests. BLM was a continuous protest the summer of 2020, and is still a strong symbol of fighting for change in the police system. 

Tamir Elijah Rice. He enjoyed pottery and crocheting. His school described him as a “pleasant young man”(Killing), and he was viewed as an athletic kid by his family; participating in basketball, football, soccer, and swimming. Tamir was at the Cudell Recreation Center on November 22, 2014. He had with him a toy gun, with which he was pointing it and playing with it, as young children typically do. Someone witnessing Tamir called 911 and reported a young boy pointing guns at people. The caller also said that the gun looked fake, but called anyway because he said he felt unsafe. Police officers Leohmann and Garmback showed up on the scene shortly after. As the car pulled up, they both yelled for Tamir to show them his hands. Loehmann later said that Tamir reached to his waistband, which indicated that he was drawing his weapon. Before the car came to a stop, Leohmann shot Rice twice in the chest, knocking him down onto the pavement. Instead of attending the now wounded child, both police officers stood around until more enforcement showed up. Rice died the next day. 

There are many issues with Tamir’s case. For one, Loehmann was still in field training, showing that he did not have enough experience to make the best judgment, and should have relied on his partner to help him with the situation. Loehmann had also failed to notify the Cleveland police that he had been dismissed from his last job in the force; Loehman worked for Cleveland suburb of independence and was discharged because he had been deemed “an emotionally unstable recruit and unfit for duty”(Killing). Another issue was the time lapsed between when the police arrived and when Tamir Rice was shot. It was reported that only two seconds had gone by before Loehman shot Rice. McGinty, the police’s lawyer said that the officers “thought they were dealing with a potential active shooter based on what information they had.” McGinty says this because the person who relayed the 911 call to the police officers had left out the details that Tamir appeared to be a juvenile, and the gun looked fake. Lastly, Tamir’s family was treated with no respect from the police when they appeared on the scene. “Tamir’s mother, Samaria Rice, said that she was threatened with arrest because she was yelling at police who refused to let her run to her dying son's aid,” and, “his (Tamir’s) 14-year-old sister 

also tried to rush to Tamir’s side. That was when police officers tackled Tamir’s sister, handcuffed her and placed her in a squad car with the same police officer who had just shot her little brother”(Stanford). The last issue apparent in this case is the age of Tamir. He was only twelve-years-old, and it is hard to follow Loehman’s statement saying that Tamir appeared much older than he thought.

The family and public were hoping that the two cops would get criminally charged for Tamir’s murder, but were devestated when they learned that a grand jury were not going to follow through with the criminal charges becuase they did not find signifigant evidence to help them with their case. After discussing the officer’s story of Tamir reaching for his “gun” after being told to put hit hands up, The Justice Department said, “Based on this evidence and the high burdens of the applicable federal laws, career prosecutors have concluded that there is insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Tamir did not reach for his toy gun; thus, there is insufficient evidence to establish that Officer Loehmann acted unreasonably under the circumstances"(Lynch). Other arguments brought to the table as to why the cops should not face charges said that the video footage was very grainy, and it was hard to depict the incident in detail. Loehman was later fired, but not for any reason brought up in the Tamir case, he was fired because the police department discovered he failed to release the information about his last job. Garmback was later suspended for ten days because he had failed to follow procedure for how he was supposed to arrive on the scene. 

While this case should have ended differently, it shows how our system is built. The minorities have fewer options to receive justice, and those of privilege can get away with 

killing someone. This case also exemplifies where the police training should differ; how to treat the suspects, how to relay calls, more restrictions on drawing weapons, and clearer lines on when it is okay to fire your weapon. Tamir’s case shows the discrimination that lies between police and African Americans, how issues that occured on the field can be dismissed and forgotten about, and how justice can be denied to those who desperately need it. We need to stand up and speak out against police brutality. Tamir Rice. Say his name until the whole world echoes it back.

Works Cited:

Collins, Jon. “The Federal Trial Begins for 3 Other Officers at the Scene of George Floyd's Murder.” NPR, NPR, 24 Jan. 2022, https://www.npr.org/2022/01/24/1075321209/federal-trial-begins-3-other-officers-george-floyd. Accessed 12 Feb. 2022.

Edwards, Frank, et al. “Risk of Being Killed by Police Use of Force in the United States by Age, Race–Ethnicity, and Sex.” PNAS, National Academy of Sciences, 20 Aug. 2019, https://www.pnas.org/content/116/34/16793. Accessed 13 Feb. 2022. 

“Killing of Tamir Rice.” Wikipedia, 29 Nov. 2021, 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Tamir_Rice#:~:text=On%20November%2022%2C%202014%2C%20Tamir,after%20arriving%20on%20the%20scene. Accessed 13 Feb. 2022.

Lynch, Jamiel et al. “Justice Department won't pursue charges against officers in Tamir Rice shooting.” CNN, 29 Dec. 2020.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/29/us/tamir-rice-shooting-no-federal-charges/index.html. Accessed 12 Feb. 2022.

Romo, Jessica. “Justice Department Declines To Prosecute Cleveland Officers In Death Of Tamir Rice.” NPR, 29 Dec. 2020. https://www.npr.org/2020/12/29/951277146/justice-department-declines-to-prosecute-cleveland-officers-who-killed-tamir-ric. Accessed 14 Feb. 2022.

“Tamir Rice shooting: A breakdown of the events that led to the 12-year-old’s death.” Cleveland.com, 13 Jan. 2017, https://www.cleveland.com/court-justice/2017/01/tamir_rice_shooting_a_breakdow.html. Accessed 15 Feb. 2022.

Stanford Libraries. “Say Their Names, Green Library Exhibit supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.” Stanford. https://exhibits.stanford.edu/saytheirnames/feature/tamir-rice. Accessed 16 Feb. 2022.

Williams, Timothy et al. “Cleveland Officer Will Not Face Charges in Tamir Rice Shooting Death.” New York Times, 28 Dec. 2015. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/29/us/tamir-rice-police-shootiing-cleveland.html. Accessed 12 Feb. 2022.