The mother of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old Cleveland native who was fatally shot by police last November, has called out LeBron James and other athletes for their lack of public support for her son.
Tamir Rice’s mother is ‘quite sad’ LeBron James hasn’t spoke out about her son’s death
The mother of the slain 12-year-old Cleveland boy called on James and other athletes to “make a statement for us black people out here.”
Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
“I think it’s quite sad that LeBron hasn’t spoken out about my son,” Samaria Rice said in a interview posted Tuesday by NewsOne. “I’m not asking him to sit out a game. I know his kids got to eat too, but you could at least put a shirt on or something.
“I think they should just make a statement,” she added. “I’m not asking nobody to quit their job or anything but, make a statement for us black people out here.”
James, who was raised in nearby Akron, has faced criticism for not making a strong statement following the announcement last week that the Cuyahoga County grand jury would not indict the two Cleveland police officers involved in shooting. James, who in the past has offered public support for both Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner, said he didn’t feel he was familiar enough with this case to speak out.
“For me, I’ve always been a guy who’s taken pride in knowledge of every situation that I’ve ever spoken on,” James said last Tuesday, via Cleveland.com. “And to be honest, I haven’t really been on top of this issue, so it’s hard for me to comment.”
James also pointed out the previous examples where he did issue public support.
“This issue is bigger than me, it’s about everyone,” he said. “And gun violence and tragedies and kids losing lives at a young age, some way, somehow we need to understand that that matters more than just an individual.”
A social media campaign called #NoJusticeNoLeBronJames formed last week after James declined to comment on Rice’s death. It calls for James to refuse to play in NBA games as a protest for the grand jury’s decision.
See More:
