On November 22, 2014, 12yo Tamir Rice was the victim of a fatal police shooting. Rice’s death, like the death of Eric Garner and Freddie Gray, brought to light the continued issue of race and police brutality. The death of Tamir Rice prompted a federal investigation into the troubled Cleveland police department forcing the police department to operate under a consent decree with the Justice Department. Cleveland’s police department has a long history of incidents involving black people, and continued to show their true colors when after the death of Tamir, the city sued the Rice family for $500 to cover Tamir’s emergency medical treatment. A lawsuit that was quickly dropped due to public backlash.
In recent developments regarding the death of Tamir Rice, his family was awarded a $6 million settlement from the City of Cleveland in federal court. The settlement allows the city to not have to admit wrongdoing and also prevents the possibility of a federal civil rights trial. Although the settlement still has to be approved by the probate court, this settlement still brings no closure to the Rice family. Attorneys for the Rice estate released a statement Monday stating: ” No amount of money can adequately compensate. In a situation like this, there’s no such thing as closure or justice.Nothing will bring Tamir back. His unnecessary and premature death leaves a gaping hole for those who knew and loved him that can never be filled.”
