DOJ releases scathing report on Cleveland police
Demonstrators block Public Square in Cleveland, Nov. 25, 2014. (Credit: AP/Tony Dejak)
Salon
On Thursday afternoon, the Department of Justice released a report highlighting a pattern of incompetence among Cleveland’s police officers. The report comes as the city receives national attention for the shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice at the hands of a cop who had previously been deemed mentally unfit for the job.
The report reads: “We have concluded that we have reasonable cause to believe that the [Cleveland Division of Police] CDP engages in a pattern or practice of the use of excessive force in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution. We have determined that structural and systemic deficiencies and practices–including insufficient accountability, inadequate training, ineffective policies, and inadequate engagement with the community–contribute to the use of unreasonable force.”
The Huffington Post’s Ryan J. Reilly and Dana Liebelson report:
According to…
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Posted on 12/04/2014, in Cops Gone Wild, Department of Justice and tagged accountability, Cleveland, DOJ, Eric Holder, report, Tamir Rice. Bookmark the permalink. 23 Comments.
We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident 
https://twitter.com/britrbennett/status/540350140301590529
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A whole school full of children who will grow up not trusting the police. Like every person of color who lives in Ferguson
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I reside in New York City and I am reeling about the Eric Garner case. I marched on Wednesday and i will continye to do so in honor of Tamir Rice, Eruc Garner, Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. Black males are being systematically slaughtered in this United States. My heart cries for Tamir Rice’s parents. As a mother myself, i am afraid for my only son, and my daughter’s. We have to change or as a country, we are doomed. It warms my heart to see so many people if all colors, mar hing and protesting in NYC!
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Debgirl, great to see your fonts. I agree — people of all races are seeing the truth of what is happening. It’s not been so long ago that the world remembers that Hitler started with extermination of Jews, then began imprisoning and exterminating others. Whenever there is an organization given authority to kill without consequence, it betrays our trust. When those in the organization lie, that betrays our trust further. When those in the organization are given privileges not given to others, (such as testifying before a grand jury that is convened to determine whether or not to indict them), it causes other citizens to feel second-class. When trust is betrayed, it causes fear, but not respectful fear. Rather, fear that comes when being subjected to abusers.
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This poem was just published today on Youtube.
Neiel Israel tells it! A must listen!
This poem will continue echoing in my heart. *tears*
Praying for change!
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Xena, this is the same video, but is not part of a long playlist:
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Tamir’s name is at the top of this protestor’s sign:
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I don’t like this:
http://www.alternet.org/activism/abusive-cop-picked-head-police-reform-commission
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Agree, I don’t like this …at all. I wonder, would President Obama accept that former chief based on a recommendation from an advisor? And who, exactly, would that be? An ill informed individual? Or was this a deliberate sabotage? The Presidents expectations of others in their respective rolls should be viewed with distrust.
Just thinking out loud about the GOP and the Presidents security…breeches.
I don’t believe that man would have been chosen had Obama known.
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With the obstruction he faces, I wonder if he thinks this Chief will be readily accepted by the GOP. Unless Ramsey has gained some compassion for those he’s supposed to protect and serve, I can’t see relations between the police and citizens improving.
On the other hand, since he hired him, he can also fire him.
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I live in a Cleveland suburb. I wish I could disagree ,but I can’t. That child should be standing in line to see Santa. Instead he is gone. No Christmas or new year for him. Just a kid out playing…just a kid living his life. Now he is gone ,never to return. A hole left in families lives. A dark hole filled with pain. Pain that will never leave, perhaps mellow some with the years. Hugs, Barbara
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Barbara, yes — the hurt runs deep. Tamir did not know the right from wrong playing in public with a toy gun. I wish that he had not had one. I also wish that the man who called 911 had spoken with Tamir before he made that call. He could have asked, “Is that a toy or a real gun?” He could have told Tamir how it scared him. In the alternative, he should have stayed there and met the cops.
The idea that law enforcement believes and acts on the information given to them by callers, should concern entire communities.
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Absolutely true. May we learn from all these untimely deaths. May God, by whatever name you call him/her keep them safe for eternity. Hugs, Barbara
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https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B3yo0GGIEAAyMcv.jpg:large
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Awww, so poignant. Breaks my heart
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Rumain Brisbon, another hashtag. SMH
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The police should not have the right to kill anyone, simply because they ‘think’ someone has a weapon. This is BS, this excuse. They don’t even say they were being threatened with a weapon.
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I agree Mindy. They really need to learn to calm the eff down. This immediate 0-100 reactionary behavior is beyond policing.
(forgive my vernacular)
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Shot in his own driveway, a month ago here in Florida. Shot 15 times, within 30 seconds of police arriving at his home, based on a call from a neighbor. He lives to tell his story
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Another 911 call and this one from a neighbor! Don’t we know our neighbors anymore? The Sheriff on that video, smh, defending it saying we had a witness. A witness who didn’t couldn’t even ID his own neighbor.
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It is ever clearer to me that the people in apparent power are increasingly fearful of losing said power. They are given opportunities to change daily and are not choosing the higher path. I am preparing myself for a revolution. a much needed revolution and it’s on their heads. I fear though that more will, suffer unnecessarily. I cry many tears over this as well. Thank you for keeping us informed.
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exactly. they feel entitled to the power they’ve had for so long be it earned or unearned.
we can all imagine the fear of losing what’s ‘ours’, whether its a parent, a child, a job, a house, a car, even a pet and we fear that loss. as humans we become defensive and protective and sometimes violent and aggressive to prevent that loss.
how scary is it that so few have so much power and influence over so many other ppl’s lives?
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Incredibly sad how violent our society has become and how irresponsible and over-reactive that LEOs are.
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