It’s not hard to envision the sly smiles on the faces of Steve Loomis (the boss of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association) and the crypto-fascists he steadfastly supports, as he responded to the news that Tamir Rice’s 14-year-old sister, Tajai, has filed a complaint with the city’s Office of Professional Standards and Civilian Review Board in regards to how she was treated by cops when she attempted to run to the side of her dying brother to give him the comfort and aid his cold-hearted killer was callously denying him.
“We look forward to the outcome,” said Loomis of the teenager’s complaint, as indeed he should since he knows in advance what that outcome will be. He was chuckling inside because he knows he can’t lose, that her complaint will go nowhere.
Loomis is fully aware that, for all means and purposes, the institutions and individuals charged with the responsibility of insuring justice in police matters in Cleveland in 2015 are strikingly similar to the institutions and individuals that were charged with those responsibilities in the Jim Crow south of a hundred years ago.
Back then the Klan lynched blacks with impunity, knowing in advance their actions would be — if not outright sanctioned and applauded — at the very least excused in a court of law … and praised by a racist populace. He also knows little has changed in that area of the law over the years … at least when it comes to policing.
In modern America, with the Klan disbanded, men who still harbor such hatreds have infiltrated law enforcement agencies throughout the land and continue to brutalize and kill black folk with the same impunity that was initiated immediately after the Civil War.
Today, right now, cops kill more blacks per year than the Klan lynched per year during the height of its vicious heyday: Currently there’s one black death in America every 28 hours at the hands of someone wearing a uniform and carrying a badge and a gun … the uniform a few of them traded in their sheets and hoods for years ago.
You think I’m exaggerating … just making this stuff up? Read on: In early February Montgomery County, OH (the Dayton area) Sheriff Phil Plummer fired Detective Mike Sollenberger and Capt. Tom Flanders after text conversations surfaced on their personal cell phones that included racial slurs and comments directed at two black deputies. According to published reports, “The sheriff’s investigation also cited texts with comments about hanging or beating up black people and Sollenberger allegedly referring to President Barack Obama as ‘a half-breed.’”
Three other deputies received suspensions ranging from three to 30 days. But this might not be over just yet … some federal arbitrator, backed up by some federal judge, still might give them their jobs back, with full back pay, saying, “Well, you know, boys will be boys, and these two are just a couple of good ‘ol boys having some fun.” However, even if this dirty duo don’t win their jobs back, another law enforcement agency somewhere will welcome them with open arms. On that you can make book. Hardcore racists are still heroes in some parts of America, and sadly, some parts of Cuyahoga County too for that matter.
But back to the case at hand: Pray tell, in heaven’s name, what would anyone else — if they possessed a shred of human compassion and decency — have done if they were placed in the same situation as Tajai Rice? What would we expect a teenaged girl — or anyone else for that matter — to do when, coming upon a sibling bleeding on the ground, but to attempt to run to aid them?
But not Cleveland cops, who immediately tackled the child, wrestled her to the ground, handcuffed her and then placed her in the backseat of their patrol car so she could be 10 feet away as she watched her brother die. The only silver lining — if there was one — is that the cops didn’t shoot her too.
But Loomis, who, on a moment’s notice, can come up with an excuse for any police misconduct — no matter how egregious —opined that the cops had to do what they did to “preserve a shooting scene.” You’ll notice he didn’t call it a “crime scene” and for one good reason … Tamir Rice hadn’t committed any crime. Indeed, his only “crime” was being a black boy with a toy.
Here’s what cops expect — nay, demand — in every instance … that every citizen, no matter the situation, immediately obey their orders to the letter or risk being tackled, Tazed, taken into custody, or worse. If these are not Gestapo tactics, then what is?
The 58-page report issued by the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice a few months ago stated, “CPD’s complaint process has little legitimacy in a City that would benefit greatly from an effective system for addressing the community’s concerns regarding its police force.” This is clear, unambiguous language … language that the likes of Loomis laughs at.
It’s been abundantly clear for years — at least to anyone who’s been paying attention — that Cleveland’s Police Review Board is a complete joke, a body that rarely holds meetings except to apply a rubber stamp. But here’s how at least this part of the game can be changed: Put a issue on the ballot to change the City Charter to allow for an elected Citizen’s Review Board, one that has the teeth of subpoena powers, its own investigators, and the ability to mete out sanctions if wrongdoing is proven. Now I know this is a tall order (especially the part about meting out sanctions) but other cities around the country have strong boards that are working and working well.
Will changing the City Charter to give real power to the people solve all of the problems inherent in the CPD and its operations? No, of course not … but it would be as good a place as any to start.
[Photo: banspy (Flickr)]
From Cool Cleveland correspondent Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com. Frazier’s From Behind The Wall: Commentary on Crime, Punishment, Race and the Underclass by a Prison Inmate is available again in hardback. Snag your copy and have it signed by the author by visiting http://NeighborhoodSolutionsInc.com.