On Tamir Rice
Today I saw a post on Facebook by a Sandra Booker who was obviously angry about the Tamir Rice shooting. If anyone knows me, I’ve been pretty pissed about this killing since the say I heard about it, which was the day it occurred. I’ve been pretty outspoken about it from day one. I’ve been pretty outspoken about all the police killings this year and last year and the imaginary war on cops that right wingers love to spout about. I’ve pointed out to facts that show that despite the highest number of civilian killings by policemen and and overwhelming majority of them black men, that it has been the safest year on record for policemen.
So it really upset me today when I saw this woman’s post on with the image of a tweet by MSNBC’s Chris Hayes asking this: “Ohio is an open carry state, and the cops say they thought Rice was an adult, so what law, exactly, was he breaking?” along with this question: “If Ohio Allows Citizens To Openly Carry Guns, Why Was Tamir Rice Killed?”
First off, the second question, not Chris Hayes’ very valid question- is not a very good question, because Tamir Rice was a child with a toy gun, not an adult with an open carry permit with a real gun– so that was a false equivalence right there. Secondly, Tamir Rice, as much as it pains me to say this, DID do something wrong: he pointed a gun at strangers who thought enough about the behavior to call the cops (even though a caller thought the gun was probably fake and the person was a child. Whether or not that part of the message was conveyed to the police seems to remain unknown.).
This is in NO WAY a justification to shoot a child within 2 seconds of policemen pulling up to him. Did he deserve to get gunned down by a cop in a Police Department that has a long sordid history of abuse towards blacks and other minorities? Of course not. It is angering that a black kid doesn’t even get a chance to live while holding a toy gun while Dylann Roof, a white adult can go into a church, kill 9 people in cold blood JUST BECAUSE THEY WERE BLACK and never even be shot at by the police and be given due process under the law while Tamir Rice never was given the same opportunity? Damn right. It pisses me off immensely!
But that’s not what the question was. The question was “If Ohio Allows Citizens To Openly Carry Guns, Why Was Tamir Rice Killed?
It’s not a cut and dry answer as much as I’d like it to be. In a fair world, Tamir Rice should still be alive today, and the cops should have either confiscated the gun or taken him home and have a talk with his mother and/or father. That would be the responsible thing to do.
I do know that race has a great deal to play in it. I do believe in my heart that if Tamir Rice was white, he’d be alive today and he would have been afforded all the rights due to him. I do believe that the officer hand the mindset that black lives don’t matter as much as white lives, which is why he responded the way he did. I do know that institutional racism is here and it oozes into every fabric of our lives whether we realize it or not. I do know the consequences firsthand of being a Black Man in a very white world.
Even in a state with open carry you still must adhere to the rules of open carry. From Wikipedia on Ohio’s open carry rules: Ohio is a traditional open-carry state. The open-carry of firearms by those who legally possess the firearm is a legal activity in Ohio with or without a license. One must have a concealed handgun license to carry a loaded handgun in a motor vehicle regardless of whether or not it is concealed. Similarly, one must have a concealed handgun license to possess a firearm in an establishment that is licensed to serve alcohol for on premises consumption, even if the firearm is openly carried.
Now I remember when I was a child and I got toy guns as presents from my father. My father was so careful to tell me to NEVER, EVER aim it at anyone especially a policeman. I obeyed that. Always. And that was 1974/75 Kingston, Jamaica, and even then I knew that playing with guns– even though these were clearly plastic and were red– had real consequences. I don’t know if Tamir’s mother or family told him that, but I get the feeling he didn’t know that and I wish he knew that.
But this person lashed out at me and called me a white racist (which is humorous to an extent, although it brings up painful memories of being accused of never being black or white enough for certain folks, including apparently Ms. Booker) because I mentioned the circumstance that prompted the 911 call. Again, none of this justifies a child being gunned down without even being given a chance to drop the weapon or even answer the cops had they even stopped to ask talk to him.
Her insults an accusations hurt me. Of course Ms. Booker, who apparently is an acclaimed R&B singer, and even has a podcast or radio program, didn’t even attempt to engage in any kind of civil discourse with me- she just went all in hurling a litany of insults and subsequently blocked me before I could even respond.
And I thought I had to explain that to folks who might actually think I am some jerk who is defending this heinous act.
This VOX article is a good piece on open carry.