Samaria Rice rebukes Tamika Mallory, others benefitting off the blood of police brutality victims – cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio Anyone who follows Samaria Rice, the mother of Tamir Rice, on social media got a clear look into the frustration that comes with seeking justice for the death of a child at the hands of police.

Rices latest display of vexation began during Sunday nights Grammy Awards. A performance by rapper Lil Baby of his song protest The Bigger Picture opened with the reenactment of a Black man being stopped and ultimately shot by the police. Some critics have called the reenactment of the violence traumatizing and unnecessary.

While Rice says she has no problem with Lil Baby or his message, she does have an issue with the presence of activist Tamika Mallory who delivered a speech during the performance saying, its time we take a stand. We demand the freedom this land promises.

Look at this clout chaser, Rice said of Mallory in a Facebook post on Monday while sharing a clip of the speech. Did she lose something in this fight? I dont think so. Thats the problem. They take us for a joke. Thats why we never have justice cause of s*** like this.

In an interview with Cleveland.com, Rice elaborated on her social media post. She says she feels activists like Mallory, who Rice says shes never met, are benefitting off the blood of families who have lost loved ones, gaining fame in the process.

Who hired them to represent these families? Rice says. She doesnt speak for us. If you were going to do anything you should have had the mothers on stage so they could speak for themselves.

Mallory first gained prominence as one of the lead organizers for the 2017 Womens March, which earned her a spot in Time magazines list of the 100 most influential people of the year. Mallory turned her attention to the Black Lives Matter movement following the highly publicized deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd last year.

Tamika Mallory was representing women. So how did you come over in our fight for police brutality? Rice says. Ive never met Tamika Mallory. But I dont like the way shes moving. Youve seen her over the years and now [her status] is elevated. They need to go get a life and stand back and get up out our fight.

Rice has been vocal on social media about police brutality and other social issues since the death of her son seven years ago.

Tamir was playing with an Airsoft pistol outside the Cudell Recreation Center on Nov. 22, 2014, when someone called 911. Officers were told by the dispatcher that a guy with a gun was outside the rec center. Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann and his partner, Frank Garmback, drove to the park. Garmback drove the car up over the curb beside a gazebo where Tamir sat and Loehmann hopped out of the car and shot Tamir as he approached the car.

A criminal investigation into the shooting lasted more than a year with a grand jury ultimately choosing not to charge the officers in the killing of Tamir.

Following Sunday nights Grammy Awards, Rice also criticized well-known civil rights lawyers like Ben Crump, who leads the legal team of George Floyds family, and Lee Merritt, the lawyer for the family of Ahmaud Arbery.

Not one of you lost anything in this fight, Rice posted on social media. [Youre] robbing your own people from getting justice. They wont talk to me cause they know Im not with bulls***.

Rices social media posts drew both support and criticism, with detractors calling her a bully. But she says it wont silence her.

They can keep coming for me, Rice says. Im tired of it. Theyre making a mockery out of this fight. Theyre making a mockery out of us. Im trying to save your kids, your grandkids. So they can come after me all they want. Im not the only one who feels this way.

One person who fully supports Rice is Lisa Simpson, mother of Richard Risher, an 18-year-old who was fatally shot by LAPD officers in Watts this summer after allegedly pointing a gun at them. Simpson, who has become close friends with Rice, says her son was unarmed and running away from police.

People like Tamika Mallory are making money from this, while Im homeless living in a hotel, says Simpson. If they dont give us justice, were taking it by any means necessary. That goes for the Tamika Mallorys, the Shaun Kings, the NAACP, ACLU, Al Sharpton or anyone trying to get in our way.

Rice and Simpson arent alone in criticizing the efforts of some activists. Last August, Karen Attiah, Global Opinions Editor for the Washington Post, called into question BreonnaCon, a four-day event held in Louisville and put on by activist group Until Freedom, co-founded by Tamika Mallory and Linda Sarsour, in support of Breonna Taylors family.

The event featured appearances by several reality stars. Meanwhile, celebrities and activists were featured on promotional flyers rather than Taylors. The Louisville chapter of Black Lives Matter refused to work with Until Freedom, feeling the group was parachuting into the city without properly addressing the issues of police brutality.

Almost instantly, [Taylors] death became fodder for various memes and social media gimmicks that draw attention, not so much to what justice for her death would mean, but rather to the wokeness of the sender, Attiah wrote.

Approximately 4,000 people attended the event, which Mallory told the Washington Post was the result of a request made by Taylors mom to organize events to honor her daughter. But thats not enough for Rice.

Youre not going to continue to benefit on the blood of these families, Rice insists. If youre fighting for justice of the families, make sure youve got the families on the front line. Dont make a career out of this, when your loved ones arent the ones who were killed.

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Samaria Rice rebukes Tamika Mallory, others benefitting off the blood of police brutality victims - cleveland.com

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