Cleveland, world will be watching
The Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association, statement: “We have maintained from the onset this has been an absolute tragedy for the Rice family as well as our involved officers and their families. Our hearts continue to be with them. We can only hope the Rice family and their attorneys will use a portion of this settlement to help educate the youth of Cleveland in the dangers associated with the mishandling of both real and facsimile firearms. Something positive must come from this tragic loss. That would be educating youth of the dangers of possessing a real or replica firearm. We look forward to the possibility of working with the Rice family to achieve this common goal.”
Phillip Morris, The Plain Dealer, Cleveland: “Sometimes, it’s best not to say anything at all. Steve Loomis, president of the CPPA, has demonstrated yet again that he failed to learn that basic life lesson. Hours after the city of Cleveland announced (last week) that it had agreed to pay the family of Tamir Rice $6 million to settle a federal lawsuit for the fatal 2014 police shooting of the boy, Loomis issued the most tonedeaf and disingenuous press re- lease I’ve read in my 25 years covering police issues in Cleveland. ... By strongly opposing the Rice settlement and then coyly proposing to help spend it once awarded, Loomis hasn’t inspired community trust, only more suspicion and anger.”
Pittsburgh Post- Gazette, editorial: “The $6 million settlement with Tamir’s family, which is pending court approval, would include no admission of wrongdoing by the city. That itself is a crime. But lessons learned from Tamir’s death and other incidents should be ingrained in officers in time for (July’s Republican National Convention), which is expected to draw tens of thousands of visitors. Those numbers likely will include protesters of various stripes, and the risk of more violence in a campaign season already punctuated by it is very real. ... Political conventions are quadrennial celebrations of our political system, and that system guarantees the right to free speech and other civil rights. ... Cleveland police can regain a measure of public trust by demonstrating professionalism no matter what the Republican convention throws at them. The nation — and much of the world — will be watching.”