Samaria Rice is accusing Tamika Mallor, the Black Lives Matter organization and leading civil rights attorneys, of monetizing the deaths of Black people.
What We Know:
- Samaria Rice is the mother of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old who was shot and killed by police officers out of a recreation center in Ohio back in 2014. Timothy Loehmann was an officer still undergoing field training when he opened fire on Rice after mistaking a toy airsoft gun for a loaded weapon. The Justice Department has recently stated that they would not be pursuing federal charges against the officers involved in the case.
- Tamir Rice’s incident grew to become one of the prominent exemplifications of police using excessive force on people of color. After her son was murdered, Samaria Rice founded the Tamir Rice Foundation. The organization’s goals are focused on investing in after-school programs for kids. Rice’s frustrations became public following Tamika Mallory’s collaboration with artist Lil’ Baby during the Grammy awards. Rice has issued both an official statement and a colorful one reciting her frustrations.
- Tamika Mallory is a left-wing activist who in the past was ejected from the 2019 woman’s march after being accused of antisemitism. Mallory has historically been an advocate for Louis Farrakhan, who is also known for antisemitic rhetoric. Mallory gave a speech during Lil’ Baby’s performance at the Grammy’s, which was intended to highlight Black Lives Matter protests in Los Angeles back in May 2020.
- Last year Mallory and Until Freedom organized an event paying tribute to Breonna Taylor entitled “BreonnaCon.” According to their website, Until Freedom is an intersectional social justice organization rooted in the leadership of diverse people of color to address systemic and racial injustice.
- Critics of BreonnaCon questioned just how appropriate the event was, stating that using the deceased’s name as a marketing tool to promote activities such as the “Bre-B-Q” was insensitive. In defense of the event, Mallory asserted, “the work that Until Freedom is doing has helped Breonna’s name to trend more than once,” which was important in getting her case more recognition.
It appears as though families are still hurting and searching for justice for their deceased loved ones who lost their lives due to excessive force from police officers.
