CLEVELAND — The family of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old who was shot and killed by Cleveland police officers on the city's west side in 2014, has announced a fund in his honor.
The Rice family on Monday announced the creation of the Tamir Rice Legacy Fund at the Cleveland Foundation.
“The arts helped Tamir with self-expression and he would want to live in a world that is equitable for all people,” said Samaria Rice, Tamir’s mother, in a news release. “Our hope is to keep Tamir’s memory alive through the creation of the Tamir Rice Legacy Fund. I am humbled by the outpouring of love and support for Tamir and grateful to everyone who has already contributed.”
According to the release, Samaria Rice plans to open the Tamir Rice Afrocentric Cultural Center in order to provide youth programs celebrating African history and culture. The family will also host the “Tamir Rice Legacy Luncheon” featuring Chicago activist Theaster Gates Nov. 20 to raise money for the center.
Nov. 22 marks the five-year anniversary of Tamir Rice's death. Officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback shot and killed Rice near a gazebo outside Cudell Recreation Center after police received a report of a person waving a gun, which turned out to be an airsoft weapon.
Loehmann was fired from the force in May 2017 after the city of Cleveland determined he neglected to disclose important information on his 2013 application. The Cleveland Police Patrolmen Association has since filed an appeal to overturn Loehmann's firing, though he was cleared in Rice's death.
Garmback was initially handed a 10-day suspension, which an arbitrator later reduced to five days.
