Tamir Rice: Cleveland Police Officer Union Boss Not Helping His Case
Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, and other killings at the hands of police officers around the country are getting more attention they have in the past for a number of reasons.
Video of the killing of Tamir Rice as well as reactions by the public have played a part in there being more discussions about what went on. People like the Cleveland Police Officer’s Union head are also keeping people talking about Tamir Rice and the others. It’s possible that’s not such a good thing for that particular officer.
Jeffrey Folmer has been making the rounds since the killing of Tamir Rice became part of the national discussion. Appearing on one television show after another, he has adamantly defended the actions of the officers involved in the shooting on a number of different television shows. The problem is that while defending the officers’ actions in the Tamir Rice case, and by extension other cases, he has crossed a line that have made some people rather uncomfortable.
According to Reason.com, Folmer’s most recent appearance might have been the one that truly went over the edge and made sure that people continue to talk about the killings in a way Folmer won’t be too pleased about. During the interview, the Police Union chief referred to Tamir Rice, who was just 12-years-old, as “the male.” Talking to MSNBC’s Ari Melber, Folmer was asked whether the 12-year-old boy was an imminent threat to police officers.
“Oh, absolutely. I don’t know if you didn’t see it, but yeah absolutely,” he replied
The host clearly didn’t agree with the officer regarding Tamir Rice, and the two exchanged some rather sharp words. Folmer closed the interview with a stark warning for America.
“How about this: Listen to police officers’ commands. Listen to what we tell you, and just stop,” he said. “I think that eliminates a lot of problems.”
The problem is that it appears especially when it comes to Tamir Rice, Folmer isn’t necessarily telling the truth. Cleveland.com has a new report that has a spokesman for the mayor of Cleveland, Frank Jackson, disputing Folmer’s claims that the city has cleared the officers of any wrongdoing. It appears that Folmer and the city are caught up in confusion of how these cases work. Mayor Jackson’s office says the city does not look into officer shootings. Those incidents are carried directly up to the county authorities. That means the police officers who shot Tamir Rice might be found to have committed a crime after all.
