Tamir Rice – Justice NOT Served

There is a judge that gave an unbiased opinion on what the officers should and should not be charged with. I don’t think that the grand jury was presented with that opinion. Thanks for remembering Tamir.

idealisticrebel

This is not the blog I planned for today. However, I lived in Cleveland, OH for twenty five years. My late husband was an engineer at Channel 8 TV where I got this breaking news.

Cleveland is a city that is trying hard to improve itself and it has in many ways. However, Cleveland is in Cuyahoga County and the FBI has unearthed corruption more than once. Elected officials are at this moment in time doing time for graft, corruption and a variety of other crimes.

I was still living there when Tamir Rice was shot to death. It was winter and there was snow on the ground. Tamir was a twelve year old child who was playing with a toy gun. As children have for generations, he was playing cops and robbers or cowboys or some scenario in his imagination that will we never know about.

A man saw…

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Calling probe a ‘whitewash,’ Tamir Rice’s family asks Cleveland prosecutor to recuse himself – The Washington Post

 

By Wesley Lowery October 16 at 12:01

Tamir Rice

In an eight-page letter expressing “grave concern,” the family of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old boy shot and killed by a Cleveland police officer last November, called for the local prosecutor who is overseeing the investigation of the two officers involved to step aside and appoint a special prosecutor.

The letter, obtained by The Washington Post and addressed to Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty from Rice family attorney Jonathan Abady and his co-counsel, argues that McGinty has unnecessarily delayed the grand jury process and decried his decision last week to release two expert opinions on the shooting that suggested the shooting was justified.“

The delay in presenting this case to a grand jury, the decision to retain pro-police ‘experts’ and release their reports to the media on a Saturday night over a holiday weekend… and the obvious shortcomings of the reports themselves have contributed to make the Rice family feel that your office is not committed to securing an indictment in this case,” attorneys for Tamir Rice’s mother wrote in the letter dated Oct. 16.

Tulsa County sheriff to testify before grand jury – Tahlequah Daily Press: News

Caterpillars, moths, butterflies, and all creatures great and small,

I’m trying out the Word Press feature “press this.”  It is a feature where I can copy from a newspaper article and click “press this” and it puts it in a post for the blog, with attribution.  It saves time writing new posts from scratch.   The following is the “press this” article, followed with additional information. 

Posted: Monday, September 21, 2015 11:01 amTULSA (AP) –

Tulsa County Sheriff Stanley Glanz has been subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury investigating the agency after a volunteer deputy fatally shot an unarmed man.  Grand jurors have been conducting a probe of Glanz’s office for the past seven weeks. At least 19 current or former sheriff’s office employees and others have been called upon to testify, including fired Maj. Shannon Clark, demoted Capt. Billy McKelvey and former Maj. Tom Huckeby, the Tulsa World reported.

The investigation was launched after former reserve deputy Robert Bates fatally shot Eric Harris, who was unarmed, on April 2. Bates has said he mistook his hand gun for a stun gun. After the shooting, it was discovered that officer Robert Bates hadn’t received adequate training over the years of his service.

Bates has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the shooting death. Glanz confirmed the subpoena Thursday after a swearing-in ceremony for 21 cadets. He declined to comment further on his upcoming grand jury appearance next week.

Investigation Report Released In The Death of Tamir Rice

The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office today released the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department investigation into the death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice on November 22, 2014.

Tamir Rice was shot outside the Cudell Recreation Center on Cleveland’s West Side on a Saturday afternoon and died at MetroHealth Medical Center the following day. He was fatally shot by a police officer responding to a 911 call that someone had a gun in the park. The caller told 911 dispatch that the gun was probably a fake, and the guy with it was a kid.  However, that information was not conveyed to the police by the dispatcher.

At the request of the Cleveland Division of Police, the Sheriff’s Department took over the use of deadly force investigation in January of this year. On June 3, Sheriff Clifford Pinkney delivered his investigative report to Prosecutor McGinty. The Sheriff’s Department was assisted in its work by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).

Grand Jury Indicts Michael Slager For Killing Walter Scott

A grand jury has indicted former South Carolina police officer Michael Slager on a murder charge in the fatal shooting of unarmed Walter Scott.

The April 4, 2015 killing was captured on video by a bystander. It showed that Slager fired 8 times at the 50-year old Walter Scott as Scott’s back was turned, running away from Slager.

 

Prosecutor Scarlett Wilson announced the indictment this morning. Prosecutors will not seek the death penalty because under South Carolina law, it requires aggravating circumstances. If convicted, the 33-year old Slager faces 30 years to life in prison.

Cleveland Cops Complete Probe Into Shooting Death Of Tamir Rice, Grand Jury To Weigh Charges

Tamir Rice’s Autopsy Brings Home Life and Death

Tamir Rice

Tamir Rice is the 12 year old who was shot and killed in Ohio by a cop who fired his gun in less than 2 seconds of arriving on scene.

A man had called 911 and told dispatch that a guy was in the park who might be a juvenile had a gun that might have been fake, but it was making him nervous.  Dispatch put out the call without saying it could be a juvenile and could be a toy gun.

Tamir did not die right away.  Reports have it that the EMT’s arrived about 4 minutes after Tamir was shot.  He was taken to the hospital where he died the next day.

Tamir’s autopsy was released today.  It makes the reality of life and death profound.  One bullet can end a life. One bullet can cause suffering before ending a life.

One bullet. 

Injustice in Ferguson Missouri Simply Explained

This is the face of a killer

Darren Wilson

This is the killer’s accomplice

Robert McCullouch

These are their victims

The Final Moments Of Michael Brown’s Life Look Very Different, Depending Whom You Talk To

There was a lot of information released in that “data dump” and it took time to go through it. Thanks for the breakdown.

Let Our Voices Echo

Thank you Ben Hallman

They may have had some conflicting accounts but I’m counting…
Did Brown charge Wilson? 10 NO
Did Brown charge Wilson? 5 Yes

Were Brown’s hands up? 9 YES
Were Brown’s hands up? 2 No’s

According to my calculations
Did Brown charge Wilson? 5 more said NO
Were Brown’s hands up? 7 more said YES

In his final moments of life, Michael Brown charged toward Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, shrugging off warnings to stop and seeming to ignore at least one bullet that wounded him, while reaching to his waistband as if to pull a weapon.
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Or, he sank to his knees, raised his hands and shouted, “please don’t shoot me.”

Wilson shot and killed Brown on a suburban Missouri street on a Saturday afternoon. Nearly two dozen people said they saw the events unfold. Yet when asked to describe the last, crucial seconds before…

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Grand Jury Does Not Indict Darren Wilson

On August 9, 2014, Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson shot and killed Michael Brown in broad daylight. The most that the public has received by way of verified evidence is that Michael was shot at least 6 times, with the kill shot fired in the top of his head.

Eyewitnesses are consistent, reporting that Michael had his hands up as Darren Wilson fired and continued firing.

A grand jury began seeing and hearing evidence and when their session expired, the judge extended their time until January 2015.  Strangely, Darren Wilson was invited to testify before the grand jury and it was reported that he testified 4 hours.

Frank Taaffe Testified Before Federal Grand Jury

It happened today around noon EST.  Before entering the courthouse, Frank Taaffe spoke with reporters.

Frank Taaffe is a former vocal supporter of George Zimmerman, who felt no shame using racial slurs and denigrating the Black race.  Today, he appeared before the federal grand jury.

Frank Taaffe

The FBI began investigating George Zimmerman in or about April 2012.  To the State of Florida, they released interviews of individuals, some of whom testified of Zimmerman’s racial animus and others who did not.   Because of that George Zimmerman’s supporters assumed that the FBI closed its investigation.  However, pre-trial, Zimmerman’s defense attorney, Mark O’Mara, attempted to get the FBI’s file on Zimmerman and was told in open court that the investigation was ongoing.

In September 2013, I posted an article on how the Department of Justice prosecutes hate crimes, supported by the statements and experience of Benjamin B. Wagner, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California.

Federal Grand Jury Scheduled To Hear Evidence On George Zimmerman

Frank Taaffe

The other day, a photo of a subpoena made its way around Twitter  from Frank Taaffe to Nancy Grace. I decided to wait for confirmation before reporting it. Today, Orlando Sentinel reports that the federal grand jury is scheduled to hear witnesses, and that Frank Taaffe has indeed, been subpoenaed to testify.

For those not familiar;

Trayvon Martin

On February 26, 2012, George Zimmerman killed 17-year old Trayvon Martin, shooting him in the heart. It started with Zimmerman making a “suspicious person” call to the non-emergency number (NEN) of the police department.   While Zimmerman was on the phone, Trayvon ran. Zimmerman got out of his truck and followed Trayvon. Minutes later, Trayvon was dead with Zimmerman claiming self-defense.

Frank Taaffe became the main advocate for Zimmerman, alleging that Zimmerman had rights to racially profile Trayvon because there was a group of Black teens in the community committing crimes.

A jury of 5 White women and 1 Latina acquitted Zimmerman. The initial aggressor part of self-defense law was omitted from the jury instructions. During deliberations, Taaffe told Nancy Grace where the jury stood on voting, and it turned out to be true. Taaffe did not say how he obtained the information.

DOJ Responds To “Leaks” In Darren Wilson Investigation

Michael Brown’s mom at her son’s funeral

I choose not to use the phrase “Michael Brown case.” The reason why is because Michael Brown is not under investigation. He is deceased and thus, there is no case that can be filed against him. The investigation is into the acts of Darren Wilson, the Ferguson, MO police officer currently on paid vacation because he killed Michael Brown.

A “leak” that Darren Wilson testified before the grand jury came out weeks ago. Now, the St. Louis County’s Medical Examiners autopsy has become public, followed by another “leak” of Darren Wilson’s side of the story. Some are trying to mold Wilson’s story into their interpretation of Mike’s autopsy.

Michael Brown’s dad at his son’s funeral.

Those who know me no doubt know that I seldom get involved analyzing autopsies. I keep it simple, only discussing those things that are logically understood. In our circle of warriors are nurses, and they are able to explain medical findings in laymen terms.

That is why I can’t help but gag when people who have no education in medical science, no education in criminal forensics, and don’t know their right from their left, purport that Mike’s autopsy confirms Wilson’s story.

(I say they don’t know their right from their left because, after the independent autopsy was released showing that Mike was shot on the right side of his body, those supporting Wilson circulated an autopsy photo that had the shots on the left side of Mike’s body.)

Oh – and let me add that they have no logic whatsoever. Effectively, we don’t need to know the details of what happened in Wilson’s vehicle because what happened there did not result in Michael Brown’s death.

It was after Wilson got out of his vehicle and shot at a fleeing Mike, that we question if it was reasonable. Once Mike ran, Wilson’s self-defense claim goes out of the window – PERIOD. 

By all eyewitness accounts, Wilson shot at Michael as he ran away, and continued shooting him as Michael stopped running, and turned around with his hands in the air surrendering.

Please allow me to add this; the leaked side of Wilson’s story is that he was unable to fire his gun more than twice while in the vehicle, because Mike was holding down the mechanism to prevent it from firing. Logically, that sounds like a young man more interested in not being shot again, rather than taking the gun.  Even the leaked story that Michael hit Wilson so hard to almost knock him unconsciousness indicates that Michael was fighting for his life — not for the gun to end Wilson’s life.

Woman Denies Sending Tweet Regarding Ferguson Grand Jury

On September 18, 2014, I wrote a post about Darren Wilson testifying before the St. Louis County grand jury. Darren Wilson is the Ferguson police officer who, on August 9, 2014, shot 18-year old Michael Brown 6 times, twice in the head. Witnesses say that Darren Wilson shot several times as Michael ran away and it appeared that Michael had been shot. He turned around and with his hands up in the universal position of surrender. Wilson proceeded to fire until Michael was dead.

 Grand juries are presented evidence by the prosecution. The accused are not present. The job of the grand jury is to see if there is sufficient evidence to indict. It is not a trial where the accused gets to appear and defend him or herself. There are reports that St. Louis County State’s Attorney McCulloch invited Wilson to testify before the grand jury.   Having no written report by Darren Wilson, the grand jury could only hear Wilson’s side of the story from his own mouth, but that is not standard procedure as the state does not (or is not suppose to) represent the accused.

Darren Wilson Testifies Before The Grand Jury

Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson shot Michael Brown 6 times, twice in the head. The shot to the top of Michael’s head spilled his brains unto the street. Photos and videos show Darren Wilson casually standing and walking around as Michael’s blood flows like a river from his body.

Darren Wilson has been in hiding. On Wednesday, news sources reported that Darren Wilson testified before the St. Louis County grand jury.

St. Louis Today reports:

Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson testified here for almost four hours Tuesday in front of the St. Louis County grand jury investigating his shooting Aug. 9 of Michael Brown, a source with knowledge of the investigation said Wednesday.

Wilson was not obligated to appear, and also has spoken with St. Louis County investigators twice and federal investigators once, the source said. The source said Wilson was “cooperative.”

New York Magazine cites the Post-Dispatch, reporting:

The Ferguson police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown on August 9 has finally told his story in court. Darren Wilson spent nearly four hours in front of a St. Louis County grand jury on Tuesday, the Post-Dispatch reports, despite not being required to testify. An anonymous source called Wilson “cooperative,” and said he has also given his side of the story twice to local investigators and once to federal investigators.

MSNBC has a video with an introductory line that says:

Big questions surround Officer Darren Wilson’s reported grand jury testimony. Legal expert Lisa Bloom has answers.

As Lisa Bloom says in the video, grand juries are secretive. My perspective is from that basis.

Grand Jury Delays Decision On Whether Or Not To Indict Darren Wilson

The longer they wait, the longer people are going to believe it’s because the prosecutor is setting it up so the grand jury will not indict.

Officer Who Killed Jonathan Ferrell Indicted For Voluntary Manslaughter

Jonathan Ferrell

In September 2013, 24-year old Jonathan Ferrell had a car accident.  After crashing his car into trees, Ferrell kicked out the back window of the vehicle and headed up a hill to the first set of houses he could see. He went to a house where the occupant called police reporting a breaking and entering.   When the police arrived, Ferrell had walked back to his car and was shot 10 times by Charlotte, NC officer Randall Kerrick.  Kerrick was arrested.