Press Contact:
Elliot Levy
Press Contact
202-800-7409
Release Date: Tuesday, May 30, 2017
New York – Following reports that Timothy Loehmann, a Cleveland police officer, has been fired for “providing false information” on his application to become an officer, two years after he shot and killed Tamir Rice, an unarmed 12-year-old Black child, Stosh Cotler, CEO of Bend the Arc Jewish Action, released the following statement:
“The firing of Officer Loehmann is symbolic of what we have come to expect when the police and criminal justice systems respond to tragic events like the killing of Tamir Rice: Too little, far too late. The reality is that Officer Loehmann should have been charged two years ago when he shot and killed a 12-year-old boy whose only crime was being Black in America.
“The fact that Loehmann is only now facing significant consequences, and the fact that they are for reasons unrelated to the killing of Tamir Rice, is a shameful reminder of just how broken our system is, and the injustice faced by Black Americans every day in their encounters with law enforcement. These inequities undermine our beliefs as Jews in upholding human dignity and guaranteeing equal justice for all people. To honor the memory of Tamir Rice and all other innocent Black men and women who have lost their lives at hand of police officers, we will continue to advocate for commonsense policies that hold law enforcement accountable and fight back against attempts to block these crucial reforms, including recent efforts by the Trump administration and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.”
