INDIANAPOLIS — On a Fourth of July when many were celebrating by grilling out, enjoying fireworks or just spending quality time with loved ones, one group wanted to make sure justice rings for all.
Freedom First International rallied on Monument Circle. Much of the focus was on the police death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the 2014 death, at the hands of police, of 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland.
Tamir's mother, Samaria Rice, spoke in Indianapolis Saturday. She's founder and CEO of the Tamir Rice Fonduation and says she's still haunted by the image of two friends knocking on her door with the news of her son's killing.
Tamir was shot and killed by police when he displayed what turned out to be a toy gun.
She described it as a "very horrific day," and since then she has been fighting to make sure no other mother feels the plan she still carries of losing her son. "We are not just here for entertainment, we are here because the precious value of human lives have been lost. Lives have been lost," Rice said.
Rice said she is not giving up when it comes to getting justice for her son. "I am having conversations about reopening Tamir's case right now," she said.
The grand jury that heard the case did not issue an indictment, saying it appeared the firearm Tamir was drawing looked to be real.
Rice's family filed a lawsuit against the City of Cleveland which was eventually settled for $6 million.
