Justice For Tamir Rice

Justice For Tamir Rice

Started
December 29, 2015
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Signatures: 1,311,889Next Goal: 1,500,000
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Why this petition matters

Started by LaTonya Goldsby

More than a year after police shot and killed my 12-year-old cousin Tamir Rice as he played in a park with a toy gun, a grand jury declined to charge the officers who opened fire on Tamir in less than 2 seconds of arriving to the scene.

My family is saddened and disappointed– but we are not surprised.

Since Tamir was killed, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty has been on the side of the police -- manipulating the grand-jury process so that they would vote against indicting the officers. We need the U.S. Department of Justice to step in to conduct a real investigation into the killing of a 12-year-old child.

Even though video shows police shooting Tamir immediately, Prosecutor McGinty hired so-called expert witnesses to 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. These are the sort of "experts" we would expect the officer's criminal-defense attorney to hire — not the prosecutor.

He gave the officers special treatment which would never be given to non-police suspects.

The Department of Justice has launched independent investigations into police killings of civilians before. Last year, they launched one in response to the killing of John Crawford, who, like Tamir, had a toy gun in his hand while shopping at a Walmart when police rushed in and shot him to death. A Change.org petition helped make that investigation happen and that’s why I need your signature.

Please sign my petition asking the Department of Justice to launch a federal investigation into prosecutor McGinty's handling of the grand jury process; and for the killing of 12 year old Tamir Rice.

LaTonya Goldsby 

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Signatures: 1,311,889Next Goal: 1,500,000
Support now
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