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Surya Gayatri

(15,445 posts) Mon Apr 25, 2016, 09:57 AM Apr 2016

Tamir Rice’s Family to Receive $6 Million From Cleveland

Source: NY Times

CHICAGO — The family of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old boy whose fatal shooting by the Cleveland police in 2014 prompted national outrage, is set to receive $6 million from the city in a settlement announced Monday in federal court records.

The settlement, which would be the latest in a series of seven-figure payouts by major American cities to the families of African-Americans who died at the hands of officers, spares Cleveland the possibility of a federal civil rights trial that could have brought new attention to Tamir’s death and to the city’s troubled police force. It also allows the city to avoid the possibility of an even larger judgment.

The agreement must still be approved by a probate court. Under the terms of the settlement, Cleveland does not admit wrongdoing.

For the Rice family, which had called for criminal charges against the rookie officer who opened fire almost immediately after encountering Tamir on Nov. 22, 2014, the settlement means a significant payment and an end to civil proceedings. But it does nothing to change the decision by a Cuyahoga County grand jury last year to not indict the officer, Timothy Loehmann. Lawyers for Tamir’s estate said Monday that “no amount of money can adequately compensate” the boy’s relatives for their grief.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/26/us/tamir-rice-family-cleveland-settlement.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

The Rice settlement provides another example of a city opting to settle for millions of dollars rather than to contest a wrongful-death lawsuit in court.

Perhaps some police retraining and sensitivity-raising might be in order?

Getting pretty expensive for the Cleveland taxpayers.

11 replies

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Tamir Rice’s Family to Receive $6 Million From Cleveland (Original Post) Surya Gayatri Apr 2016 OP

Taxpayer's pay SciFiRK Apr 2016 #1

My complaint also. Archae Apr 2016 #2

You are right. I will NEVER FORGET Tamir Rice. raging moderate Apr 2016 #3

I hope taxpayers rise up and say: "Enough waste of precious lives and hard-earned treasure." Surya Gayatri Apr 2016 #4

charge the police budget and pension funds kiri Apr 2016 #9

Which is why civil law is not an adequate substitute for criminal law. surrealAmerican Apr 2016 #11

oh yeah heaven05 Apr 2016 #5

No it doesn't bring back the dead. atreides1 Apr 2016 #6

So this is how much it's worth to the taxpayers of Cleveland to preserve the power of their police enough Apr 2016 #7

The taxpayers get very little voice in this. n/t Coventina Apr 2016 #8

the tax payers saw to it that cleveland's prosecutor lost his job saturnsring Apr 2016 #10

SciFiRK

(65 posts)

1. Taxpayer's pay

Reply to Surya Gayatri (Original post)

Mon Apr 25, 2016, 10:00 AM

Apr 2016

and the murderer goes free

Archae

(46,338 posts)

2. My complaint also.

Reply to SciFiRK (Reply #1)

Mon Apr 25, 2016, 10:02 AM

Apr 2016

I mean, the cop who shot Rice had been fired from another police department due to his reckless actions with his gun.

raging moderate

(4,307 posts)

3. You are right. I will NEVER FORGET Tamir Rice.

Reply to SciFiRK (Reply #1)

Mon Apr 25, 2016, 10:03 AM

Apr 2016

Clearly a kid. Shot down suddenly while playing.

I bet his mother and sister would much rather not get that money, if they could get Tamir Rice back instead, alive and well.

Maybe they will find a way to use the money to create a lasting memorial for him.

Surya Gayatri

(15,445 posts)

4. I hope taxpayers rise up and say: "Enough waste of precious lives and hard-earned treasure."

Reply to SciFiRK (Reply #1)

Mon Apr 25, 2016, 10:19 AM

Apr 2016

kiri

(795 posts)

9. charge the police budget and pension funds

Reply to SciFiRK (Reply #1)

Mon Apr 25, 2016, 11:58 AM

Apr 2016

If these settlement funds were paid by the police union and/or police pension funds, reform would happen faster than lightning.

The problem is that the police department's budget is never reduced, so the cops and their DA protectors/politicians never pay any price. The
innocent taxpayers pay. A sane policy would be that every settlement is paid for 30% by cuts in the department's budget/perks and 30% from the
pension funds. The present police system is, "What do we care? It doesn't cost us anything."

surrealAmerican

(11,362 posts)

11. Which is why civil law is not an adequate substitute for criminal law.

Reply to SciFiRK (Reply #1)

Mon Apr 25, 2016, 01:26 PM

Apr 2016

We need to treat crimes committed by police officers as crimes.

heaven05

(18,124 posts)

5. oh yeah

Reply to Surya Gayatri (Original post)

Mon Apr 25, 2016, 10:26 AM

Apr 2016

money takes care of everything in this society except bring back the dead to living. This has not solved the racism of those two cops that killed this child. What bullshit!!!!!!!!! The only true justice would be to see that cop brought up on murder charges, convicted and put into general population of the meanest, lacking in diversity prison in the state of which there is one, I'm sure. Thank you to a prior POTUS for the truth of last sentence.