Black Lives Matter Cleveland was established in December of 2015 one year after the murder of Tamir Rice. Inspired by the 21st Century "Black Lives Matter/Hands Up Don't Shoot" Movement which was sparked by the systemic culture of violence in America which disproportionately claims the lives of Black and Brown people alongside a fatally biased cradle to the grave prison industrial complex. HISTORI
CAL CONTEXT Martin Luther King Jr. pointed to racism, capitalism and militarism as the three evils that plague an American society. More than 40 years after his prophetic witness, his words remain true. The New Jim Crow, per Michelle Alexander, looms from cradle to the grave in marginalized communities and provides evidence of such racial and socio-economic disparities in America. TAMIR RICE- NATIVE SON, Our beloved Tamir was taken from us at the age of 12-year old on November 22, 2014, in Cleveland, OH at Cudell Community Center. Two police officers, 26-year old Timothy Loehmann and 46-year old Frank Garmback, responded after receiving a police dispatch call describing a "young black male" brandishing a gun at people in a city park. A caller reported that a juvenile was pointing "a pistol" at random people in the Cudell Recreation Center, and stated twice that the gun was "probably fake". The officers reported that upon their arrival, Tamir reached towards a gun in his waistband. Loehmann fired two shots within a second of arriving on the scene, hitting Tamir once in the torso. The toy gun was an Airsoft replica. Tamir died on the day after the shooting, his death ruled a homicide by the Cuyahoga County medical examiner. We are mindful that while the gun was a toy, Ohio is an open-carry state. The responding officers did not offer aid to Tamir and four minutes passed before an undercover agent in the area arrived to offer aid to Tamir. Prior to this, Tamir's older sister in a state of trauma was restrained, handcuffed and placed in the back of the police cruiser after coming to her brother's aid. PROPHETIC WITNESS Black Lives Matter Cleveland seek to expose and confront the normalized culture of racism and violence in America which has resulted in state sanctioned murders of civilians, including the killings of Cleveland's 12-year old Tamir Rice; 37-year old Tanisha Anderson; 43-year old Timothy Russell; 30-year old Malissa Williams, 18-year old Brandon Jones, 22-year old Desmond Franklin, and 22-year old John Crawford III of Beavercreek, OH (near Dayton). In addition to our sons and daughters of Ohio, the deaths of Trayvon Martin (Florida), Michael Brown (Missouri), Renisha McBride (Michigan), Eric Garner (New York) and Miriam Carey (a Connecticut woman killed by police on Capitol Hill with multiple shots from behind including a shot to the back of her head) prove a ubiquitous pattern across the nation of racial profiling, normalized culture of racism and abuse of police force respectively. Not to mention the militarized policing (in the form of tear gas, rubber/wooden bullets, and profiled arrests) applied against citizens of Ferguson, MO exercising their first amendment right to free expression, assembly, and the right to petition. In the words of the late Eric Garner, this systemic culture of violence against humanity must stop--"it stops today!" IT STOPS TODAY: A CALL TO ACTION BLMCLe is committed to closing the socio-economic divide which results in a culture of violence, including state sanctioned murder by exposing police brutality. BLMCLe is committed to pro-active steps to prevent police brutality through systemic police reform, investigation, legislation, training, vetting, transparency and education. A SEA OF RED "The LORD said, What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground." (Genesis 4:10) "Thus says the LORD, "A voice is heard in Ramah, Lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; She refuses to be comforted for her children, Because they are no more." (Jeremiah 31:15) BLMCLe is formed in remembrance of stolen lives and shed blood which cries out from the margins and in the streets for justice, peace and reconciliation. They cry: "We can't breathe!" BLMCLe is endowed to the empowering spirit of unity, faith and hope and dedicated to the rich propositions of liberation and agape love. "But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!" (Amos 5:24) "It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains." - Assata Shakur
09/23/2022
In the end this will cost us well over a billion with an inevitable new courthouse construction project. We could do so much more in programs and community investment with half that.
Black Lives Matter Cleveland
3100 E. 45th St #320
Cleveland, Ohio 44127
September 22, 2022
Judge Solomon Oliver Jr.
801 West Superior Avenue
Courtroom 17A
Cleveland, Ohio 44113
Dear Honorable Judge Oliver,
We, as concerned citizens directly impacted family members, are writing to you today with concerns about the upcoming Status Hearing on the consent decree. On September 13th 2022, representatives of Black Lives Matter Cleveland attended the Civilian Police Review Board (CPRB) meeting, in which we learned that the CPRB to date, are not in compliance with the court ordered modifications of the consent decree dated March 17, 2022 established under charter section 115. The CPRB is now an independent governing body; OPS is now an independent governing body; and the CPC will be an independent governing body according to charter section 115.
Since OPS began to transition into a civilian administration in 2011, there has been a failure in leadership, and leadership retention. It is well known and documented that OPS has experienced 8 administrators since 2011, this gap, and void in consistent and competent leadership has been unsustainable and thus threaten effective civilian oversight of police in Cleveland. It also fails on the City’s expressed commitment to quality oversight to its citizenry. The current Civilian Police Review Board (CPRB) does not have a single black male in its composition. And has had only 3-4 since 2011.
Additionally, the Cleveland City council and Office of the Mayor have taken no meaningful foreseeable steps to install citizens of color, particularly black males. This lack of investment in the diverse composition of the CPRB is a failure of the City of Cleveland's diversity commitment made to its citizenry, and enshrined in the Consent Decree.
The effective operational administration of OPS and the CPRB is specifically controlled by the City Law Department. It can be argued that the primary purpose, or a particular purpose of the Law Department is to safeguard the fiscal, legal, and safety of the municipality. This understanding is an inherent conflict between the CPRB, OPS and the law department. To remove the administration of business from the Dept. of Public Safety to the Law Dept. is analogous to " going from the frying pan into the fire." OPS and the CPRB should be governed by some other municipal entity other than the Law Department.
Here are some of our recommendations:
* Black Lives Matter Cleveland strongly suggests that the CPRB provide black male representation per the diversity requirements of the consent decree.
* There should be representation of young black males on the CPRB between the ages of 18-30 years old.
* Establish a liaison between OPS, CPRB, CPC to maintain transparency and communication and that it includes the senior staff who understands and have knowledge of daily operations.
* Black Lives Matter Cleveland recommends that all City MOU (Memorandum Of Understanding) entered into should comply with the current mandates of the city charter under charter section 115 and the consent decree to prevent the lack of transparency and accountability.
* Black Lives Matter Cleveland adamantly suggests that the consent decree remains in full effect until the Cleveland Division of Police is in 100% compliance with the mandates of the consent decree and the city charter under charter section 115.
It is imperative your honor, that these matters be addressed immediately, without delay.
Best regards,
LaTonya Goldsby, President
Black Lives Matter Cleveland
09/21/2022
Federal Judge Solomon Oliver will hold an in-person status conference to discuss the City of Cleveland's compliance with the Consent Decree.
The status conference is scheduled for Thursday, September 22nd at 3:00pm in Courtroom 19A.
The gallery seating area of the courtroom is open to the public. No virtual or dial-in by phone option has been announced. Face masks are optional.
They are trying to sell us on a new county jail and when you listen to the arguments you hear "humane" and "inmates need sunlight". Jail and humane is an oxymoron especially from the folks who created the inhumane conditions. And the effects sunlight deprivation happens over long periods, long stays are not what a jail is for.
The jail which was priced at $550,000,000 has now gone up to $700,000,000. This isn't where it will stop because they conveniently leave out the inevitable new construction of a court house that moving the new jail will cause. The jail and court house can't run efficiently if they are not under the same roof. That will bring the price tag to well over a Billion.
Now Jeff Applebaum and the county keep talking about building a smaller jail but they won't, how can they when you have police keeping the numbers high with needless arrests and some judges who prefer locking up the poor? They only mention a smaller jail to get your approval but it will not be smaller.
Fix the current jail, keep the current jail where it is because of the access to public transit and services and don't endanger employees, jail detainees and the surrounding community by building a jail on toxic land .
This family is in need of your assistance! Donate what you can to help this Mom bury her son. hold them accountable. In Memory of Maalik Amir Roquemore Funeral Service
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