Washington, DC – In the wake of Monday’s grand jury decision not to indict two police officers in the fatal shooting of Tamir Rice, Rev. Anthony Evans, President of the National Black Church Initiative (NBCI), is calling for a nationwide boycott of Cleveland.
“We are asking all African American organizations to cancel all plans to hold any type of meeting or conference in the state of Ohio” said Evans. “Tamir Rice was a 12 year old Black child. What type of society excuses the actions of White racist cops who kill at will its’ Black children with disregard? If we cannot protect our own children, then what good is the Black race? Without action we will sow the seed to our own destruction. We must honor and protect our children by sending the only lesson the system will respond to – not spending our Black dollars in a state that kills our children. Boycott!”
The decision to not charge a Cleveland patrolman in the shooting of 12 year-old Rice, who was holding a pellet gun, comes last in a series of incidents involving White officers fatally shooting African Americans without being charged, sparking widespread national outrage.
Evans went on to say that “the State of Ohio must pay for the killing of Black children since the first Black President Obama refuses to hold any of the White racist cops accountable. Boycott!”
NBCI leadership continues to question the suspicious details surrounding Rice’s case. To start, Cuyahoga County prosecutor Timothy McGinty said he had recommended that the grand jurors not bring charges in the killing of the boy, and spent an estimated $750,000 on expert witness to support his case. Why did the police officers drive their car within feet of a “child with an air gun” Why did the cops not set up a safe zone between them and the “gunmen”? Why did they shoot the “child “within 6 seconds upon arriving on the scene? Why did the prosecutor not convene the grand jury within 30 days of the incident?
Too many unanswered questions make a boycott necessary. We must punish the state of Ohio for not seeking justice, and for not protecting its’ children.
About NBCI
The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI) is a coalition of 34,000 African American and Latino churches working to eradicate racial disparities in healthcare, technology, education, housing, and the environment. NBCI’s mission is to provide critical wellness information to all of its members, congregants, churches and the public. Our methodology is utilizing faith and sound health science.
NBCI’s purpose is to partner with major organizations and officials whose main mission is to reduce racial disparities in the variety of areas cited above. NBCI offers faith-based, out-of-the- box and cutting edge solutions to stubborn economic and social issues. NBCI’s programs are governed by credible statistical analysis, science based strategies and techniques, and methods that work. Visit our website at www.naltblackchurch.com.