theroot--2020-10-31--The Justice Department Has Stopped the Civil Rights Probe Into Tamir Rice's Killing, but Didn't Both

The Justice Department Has Stopped the Civil Rights Probe Into Tamir Rice's Killing, but Didn't Bother To Notify His Family

In case we needed any more evidence that the Trump administration is working overtime to protect police officers in this country from facing any repercussions for killing Black people , news has now come to light that the Justice Department has deliberately blocked a federal inquiry into the killing of Tamir Rice .
Rice , as you ’ ll remember , was the 12-year-old Black boy who was shot and killed by Cleveland police on a playground in 2014 for the crime of holding an air pellet gun .
Timothy Loehmann , the cop who shot Rice within seconds of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any charges in the killing after a grand jury in Cuyahoga County , Ohio found him not culpable of any crime under the recommendation of a prosecutor there .
The Justice Department under Obama then opened up its own civil rights investigation into the killing at the request of the Rice family .
Federal prosecutors then began pursuing civil rights charges against Loehmann , gathering evidence they could use to launch a grand jury investigation .
But under Trump ’ s Attorney General William Barr , and Jeff Sessions before him , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the New York Times .
Under Justice Department rules , criminal prosecutors with the civil rights division must receive permission to use a grand jury to subpoena for documents or witness testimony .
In mid-2017 , the people said , Mr. Fishman and Mr. Reddick wrote a roughly 20-page memo analyzing the case and requesting permission to pursue a grand jury investigation .
Two career supervisors in the section concurred with the request , the people said .
They submitted the memo to Robert Moossy Jr. , a deputy assistant attorney general , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ works alongside Mr. Trump ’ s political appointees who run the division .
Typically , the people said , such a request is approved or denied within a few weeks .
But no one responded to the memo .
In fall 2018 , the career prosecutors submitted a supplemental memo of about equal length that contained additional evidence and analysis making the case that a grand jury investigation was justified , the people said .
But that memo also yielded no response .
Two career supervisors in the section concurred with the request @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the memo to Robert Moossy Jr. , a deputy assistant attorney general , who , although a career official , works alongside Mr. Trump ’ s political appointees who run the division .
After letting the grand jury request sit without an answer for two years , higher ups at the Justice Department finally denied it in August 2019 .
Yet this is only coming to light now , at the end of 2020 , because a lawyer named David Z. Seide filed a whistleblower complaint accusing the Department of mishandling the case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grand jury request also coincidentally pushes up against the five year statute of limitations for charges of obstruction , which the officers involved in the incident could have been charged with .
Seide says the the possibility for obstruction charges to be laid , on the basis of Loehman ’ s official statements that he repeatedly told Rice to put his hands up before shooting and killing him in seconds after arriving on the scene , will expire in a few weeks .
Meanwhile , n o one at the Justice Department is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigation or for neglecting to notify Rice ’ s family and the public that it is effectively going nowhere .
Subodh Chandra , a la wyer representing the Rice family , says Tamir ’ s mother was devastated to hear the latest development—and through media reports .
“ When Samaria Rice heard the news , she cried out repeatedly , ‘ I ’ m not ready for this !
’ ” Mr. Chandra said to the New York Times .
“ The federal investigation was her last hope for justice .
”

In case we needed any more evidence that the Trump administration is working overtime to protect police officers in this country from facing any repercussions for killing Black people, news has now come to light that the Justice Department has deliberately blocked a federal inquiry into the killing of Tamir Rice.
Rice, as you’ll remember, was the 12-year-old Black boy who was shot and killed by Cleveland police on a playground in 2014 for the crime of holding an air pellet gun. Timothy Loehmann, the cop who shot Rice within seconds of arriving on the scene, had escaped any charges in the killing after a grand jury in Cuyahoga County, Ohio found him not culpable of any crime under the recommendation of a prosecutor there.
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The Justice Department under Obama then opened up its own civil rights investigation into the killing at the request of the Rice family. Federal prosecutors then began pursuing civil rights charges against Loehmann, gathering evidence they could use to launch a grand jury investigation.
But under Trump’s Attorney General William Barr, and Jeff Sessions before him, that investigation has been stopped cold, reports the New York Times.
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From the NY Times:
Under Justice Department rules, criminal prosecutors with the civil rights division must receive permission to use a grand jury to subpoena for documents or witness testimony. In mid-2017, the people said, Mr. Fishman and Mr. Reddick wrote a roughly 20-page memo analyzing the case and requesting permission to pursue a grand jury investigation. Two career supervisors in the section concurred with the request, the people said. They submitted the memo to Robert Moossy Jr., a deputy assistant attorney general, who, although a career official, works alongside Mr. Trump’s political appointees who run the division. Typically, the people said, such a request is approved or denied within a few weeks. But no one responded to the memo. In fall 2018, the career prosecutors submitted a supplemental memo of about equal length that contained additional evidence and analysis making the case that a grand jury investigation was justified, the people said. But that memo also yielded no response. Two career supervisors in the section concurred with the request, the people said. They submitted the memo to Robert Moossy Jr., a deputy assistant attorney general, who, although a career official, works alongside Mr. Trump’s political appointees who run the division.
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After letting the grand jury request sit without an answer for two years, higher ups at the Justice Department finally denied it in August 2019. Yet this is only coming to light now, at the end of 2020, because a lawyer named David Z. Seide filed a whistleblower complaint accusing the Department of mishandling the case.
The extensive delay in responding the grand jury request also coincidentally pushes up against the five year statute of limitations for charges of obstruction, which the officers involved in the incident could have been charged with. Seide says the the possibility for obstruction charges to be laid, on the basis of Loehman’s official statements that he repeatedly told Rice to put his hands up before shooting and killing him in seconds after arriving on the scene, will expire in a few weeks.
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Meanwhile, n o one at the Justice Department is copping to the reason behind freezing the investigation or for neglecting to notify Rice’s family and the public that it is effectively going nowhere.
Subodh Chandra, a la wyer representing the Rice family, says Tamir’s mother was devastated to hear the latest development—and through media reports.
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“When Samaria Rice heard the news, she cried out repeatedly, ‘I’m not ready for this!’” Mr. Chandra said to the New York Times. “The federal investigation was her last hope for justice.”


theroot--2020-11-01--Tabria Majors Could Earn Her Own Stans With This Epic Remake of Beyoncé's Best Music Videos She Did

Tabria Majors Could Earn Her Own Stans With This Epic Remake of Beyoncé's Best Music Videos She Did for Halloween

I am admittedly a Beyoncé stan , and so hold the artist in very high esteem and consider her talents in singing , dancing , internet-breaking , and general Lemonade-ing to be unmatched .
But Tabria Majors , a model based in LA , came scarily close to matching the performer ’ s fierceness in the epic remake of classic Beyoncé music videos ( and a couple iconic live performances ) that she created and starred in for Halloween .
In a slick production that runs a little over 10 minutes , Majors looks , struts , and even dances @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the eyes that is meant to be a tribute to the singer but is also a treat for anyone who watches , in my opinion : Starting with the classic video and choreography for “ Crazy in Love , ” Majors brings her best Sasha Fierce , and officially earned me as stan somewhere between her version of memorable dance scenes from the “ Single Ladies , “ Formation , ” and “ Already ” music videos , and her mind-blowing replication of Beyoncé at Coachella —all with matching outfits and seriously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even more mind-blowing is that Majors says she is “ not a dancer by any means.
” But she credited her amazing performance in the video to taking classes with choreographer Kany Diabate , who worked with Beyoncé herself on the Black is King visual album .
“ I wanted to apply Beyoncé ’ s infamous work ethic to this project and see how far I could push myself , ” Majors said on Instagram of making the video tribute .
Majors also made sure to shout-out other collaborators who helped her bring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ director Matt Alves .
Though filming ourselves dancing and posting it on social media is how many of us have been entertaining ourselves and each other this year , Majors has surpassed the bar with this project—another way in which she is mirroring the woman who inspired it .

Ishena Robinson on The Grapevine, shared by Ishena Robinson to The Root

I am admittedly a Beyoncé stan, and so hold the artist in very high esteem and consider her talents in singing, dancing, internet-breaking, and general Lemonade-ing to be unmatched.
But Tabria Majors, a model based in LA, came scarily close to matching the performer’s fierceness in the epic remake of classic Beyoncé music videos (and a couple iconic live performances) that she created and starred in for Halloween.
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In a slick production that runs a little over 10 minutes, Majors looks, struts, and even dances like Queen Bey, providing a feast for the eyes that is meant to be a tribute to the singer but is also a treat for anyone who watches, in my opinion:
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Starting with the classic video and choreography for “Crazy in Love,” Majors brings her best Sasha Fierce, and officially earned me as stan somewhere between her version of memorable dance scenes from the “Single Ladies, “Formation,” and “Already” music videos, and her mind-blowing replication of Beyoncé at Coachella —all with matching outfits and seriously impressive back-up dancers.
What’s even more mind-blowing is that Majors says she is “not a dancer by any means.” But she credited her amazing performance in the video to taking classes with choreographer Kany Diabate, who worked with Beyoncé herself on the Black is King visual album.
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“I wanted to apply Beyoncé’s infamous work ethic to this project and see how far I could push myself,” Majors said on Instagram of making the video tribute.
Majors also made sure to shout-out other collaborators who helped her bring the ambitious project to life, including director Matt Alves.
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Though filming ourselves dancing and posting it on social media is how many of us have been entertaining ourselves and each other this year, Majors has surpassed the bar with this project—another way in which she is mirroring the woman who inspired it.


theroot--2020-11-01--Police Pepper Spray Men, Women, and Children Marching To the Polls in North Carolina

When Trump said Make America Great Again , many of us wondered about the specifics of the great past he was seeking to bring the country back to .
Was it when the law designated people with melanin as second-class citizens ?
Was it when the state would brutally subdue those people at will , by cracking skulls and deploying powerful hose sprays at African-Americans marching for the right to vote ?
As we approach the eve of the next referendum on Trump ’ s vision for this country , it is becoming evident that the President ’ s vision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Enter the scenes from Alamance County in Graham , North Carolina on Saturday , where a diverse crowd of people—white , Black , even children among them—were marching to the polls and rallying along the way to encourage people to vote , until they were forcibly dispersed by cops from the Graham Police Department who decided to indiscriminately start pepper spraying them .
At one point , the marchers held a moment of silence in the street in honor of George Floyd , the Black man killed while in police custody in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moment of silence concluded , law enforcement told people to clear the road .
Then , deputies and police officers used pepper spray on the crowd and began arresting people .
Several children in the crowd were affected by the pepper spray .
Melanie Mitchell said her 5-year-old and 11-year-old daughters were pepper-sprayed just after the moment of silence .
She said Graham police approached the crowd assembled in the street and told them to move onto the sidewalk and soon began spraying pepper spray toward the ground .
Mitchell ’ s 5-year-old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Both kids threw up .
“ My 11-year-old was terrified , ” Mitchell said .
“ She doesn ’ t want to come down to Graham anymore.
” The crowd then moved to the courthouse where speeches were being given .
But before the speeches concluded , Alamance County sheriff ’ s deputies began dismantling the sound system and telling the crowd to disperse .
Videos posted on social media back up the reporting of the event , which was organized by Rev .
Greg Drumwright , a pastor in Greensboro , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last day of early voting in the city .
Cops can be seen deliberately and repeatedly spraying pepper spray into the crowd of people as if those they are paid to serve and protect were more like insects they were determined to eradicate .
Carli Brosseau , a reporter who was there , says children as young as 3 years old were left coughing and vomiting from the pepper spray attack .
Other videos from the scene show a woman in a wheelchair appearing to go into a seizure after the cops pepper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the peaceful assembly , Graham police arrested around 12 of the would-be voters and at least one reporter on the scene , managing to successfully divert many of the 200 people who had set out to march to the polls that day .
“ I think it was their intention , from the moment this march was announced , that we don ’ t get to the polls in numbers , ” one of the few marchers who got to the voting location on Saturday , told the News & Observer .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we were going to the polls ?
Voter intimidation ?
” said Quenclyn Ellison , one of the organizers of the march .
“ We ’ ve been out here doing this for several weeks , and we were peaceful .
How do we get treated with such great threat ?
” According to the cops , they pepper-sprayed the marchers because they hadn ’ t followed proper procedures for holding the event .
“ [ T ] he assembly reached a level of conduct that led to the rally being deemed unsafe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Graham Police Department said in a statement .
In its evoking of the worst scenes from this country ’ s history in terms of voting and racial intimidation , this incident in North Carolina—just three days before the election—should horrify and put on alert every American , as should the realization that police are so assured of their power in this country that they fear no consequences even for deploying chemical weapons on American children .
So far , North Carolina ’ s elected officials have only issued statements on Twitter about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters in North Carolina have a constitutional right to cast their vote safely and securely , without threats or intimidation , ” said Attorney General Josh Stein , who added that he has “ reached out ” to the County Sheriff but has gotten no response .
“ Peaceful demonstrators should be able to have their voices heard and voter intimidation in any form can not be tolerated , ” N.C .
Governor Roy Cooper wrote on Twitter , without saying anything more about what exactly that means .
Americans shouldn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a battle field when they are voting , but that ’ s where we are again in 2020 .

When Trump said Make America Great Again, many of us wondered about the specifics of the great past he was seeking to bring the country back to. Was it when the law designated people with melanin as second-class citizens? Was it when the state would brutally subdue those people at will, by cracking skulls and deploying powerful hose sprays at African-Americans marching for the right to vote?
As we approach the eve of the next referendum on Trump’s vision for this country, it is becoming evident that the President’s vision of that past is already being realized.
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Enter the scenes from Alamance County in Graham, North Carolina on Saturday, where a diverse crowd of people—white, Black, even children among them—were marching to the polls and rallying along the way to encourage people to vote, until they were forcibly dispersed by cops from the Graham Police Department who decided to indiscriminately start pepper spraying them.
From the Raleigh News & Observer:
At one point, the marchers held a moment of silence in the street in honor of George Floyd, the Black man killed while in police custody in Minneapolis earlier this summer. After the moment of silence concluded, law enforcement told people to clear the road.
Then, deputies and police officers used pepper spray on the crowd and began arresting people. Several children in the crowd were affected by the pepper spray. Melanie Mitchell said her 5-year-old and 11-year-old daughters were pepper-sprayed just after the moment of silence. She said Graham police approached the crowd assembled in the street and told them to move onto the sidewalk and soon began spraying pepper spray toward the ground. Mitchell’s 5-year-old took off running, she said. Both kids threw up. “My 11-year-old was terrified,” Mitchell said. “She doesn’t want to come down to Graham anymore.” The crowd then moved to the courthouse where speeches were being given. But before the speeches concluded, Alamance County sheriff’s deputies began dismantling the sound system and telling the crowd to disperse.
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Videos posted on social media back up the reporting of the event, which was organized by Rev. Greg Drumwright, a pastor in Greensboro, to get people to the polls on the last day of early voting in the city.
Cops can be seen deliberately and repeatedly spraying pepper spray into the crowd of people as if those they are paid to serve and protect were more like insects they were determined to eradicate.
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Carli Brosseau, a reporter who was there, says children as young as 3 years old were left coughing and vomiting from the pepper spray attack. Other videos from the scene show a woman in a wheelchair appearing to go into a seizure after the cops pepper spray her:
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After introducing violence to the peaceful assembly, Graham police arrested around 12 of the would-be voters and at least one reporter on the scene, managing to successfully divert many of the 200 people who had set out to march to the polls that day.
“I think it was their intention, from the moment this march was announced, that we don’t get to the polls in numbers,” one of the few marchers who got to the voting location on Saturday, told the News & Observer.
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“Why were we tear-gassed on the day we were going to the polls? Voter intimidation?” said Quenclyn Ellison, one of the organizers of the march. “We’ve been out here doing this for several weeks, and we were peaceful. How do we get treated with such great threat?”
According to the cops, they pepper-sprayed the marchers because they hadn’t followed proper procedures for holding the event.
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“[T]he assembly reached a level of conduct that led to the rally being deemed unsafe and unlawful by unified command,” the Graham Police Department said in a statement.
In its evoking of the worst scenes from this country’s history in terms of voting and racial intimidation, this incident in North Carolina—just three days before the election—should horrify and put on alert every American, as should the realization that police are so assured of their power in this country that they fear no consequences even for deploying chemical weapons on American children.
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So far, North Carolina’s elected officials have only issued statements on Twitter about the outrageous incident.
“All eligible voters in North Carolina have a constitutional right to cast their vote safely and securely, without threats or intimidation,” said Attorney General Josh Stein, who added that he has “reached out” to the County Sheriff but has gotten no response.
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“Peaceful demonstrators should be able to have their voices heard and voter intimidation in any form cannot be tolerated,” N.C. Governor Roy Cooper wrote on Twitter, without saying anything more about what exactly that means.
Americans shouldn’t feel like they are going out on a battle field when they are voting, but that’s where we are again in 2020.