CLEVELAND — On the 10th anniversary of the death of her son Tamir by a Cleveland police officer, Samaria Rice looked back at the "day that will never go away" during an interview with 3News Anchor and Managing Editor Russ Mitchell.
"The first thing that comes to my mind is that I sent two children out to play and only one came home," Samaria said during their conversation at the City Club of Cleveland. "And how we was treated by the police department. And how my children were screaming and surrounded by police officers. I think about that day. That's the day that will never go away."
"That day" was Nov. 22, 2014, when 12-year-old Tamir was playing with a pellet gun at Cudell Recreation Center and Cleveland police were called to the scene. Within two seconds after he opened his passenger door, Officer Timothy Loehmann shot Tamir twice.
So how has Samaria Rice gotten through the last decade without her son by her side?
"Building Tamir's legacy, giving back, participating in certain events and just being the voice of Tamir, especially when it comes to change and reform and community efforts. That's been the way I've been dealing with things," she said.
Samaria has been working to build the legacy of her son with the creation of the Tamir Rice Foundation, dedicated to helping area children grow and learn. But that work hasn't always been easy.
"It's going. It's a slow process. I wish I could get more support from local organizations and things like that. I'm doing the work," she added. "The work goes on. The work goes on for me to continue to be part of change and be Tamir's voice."
What would Samaria want people to know about Tamir that they might not have realized?
"I would just like people to remember that he was a 12-year-old Black little boy just playing in the park. He was a sweet kid, a loving kid. I do believe if he was white, he'd be alive today," she told Mitchell. "He was a human being and nobody should have to bury their child like that."