Activist Tamika Mallory went on the defensive recently after being called out by the mother of Tamir Rice, a 12-year old boy who was killed by a Cleveland police officer in 2014 while playing with a toy gun.
Surveillance footage of Tamir’s death showed that he was shot “within two seconds” of the police arriving at the scene. The officer involved was not indicted, triggering protests. A lawsuit brought against the city of Cleveland by Tamir’s family was settled for $6 million.
The dispute centered around Mallory’s appearance at the Grammy Awards on March 14. The former national chairwoman for the Women’s March, Mallory joined hip-hop artist Killer Mike and Lil Baby on stage. Lil Baby did a live performance of “The Bigger Picture,” a song about police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement. Mallory recited a poem from a podium, flanked by protester-performers.
The mention of Rice’s name during the performance offended Samaria Rice, Tamir’s mother, who founded the Tamir Rice Foundation, which invests in youth community programs and advocates for police reform.
Samaria chastised the activists and shared a clip of Mallory’s Grammy performance on Facebook, calling her a “clout chaser.”
“Look at this clout chaser did she lose something in this fight i don’t think so,” Samaria wrote. “That’s the problem they take us for a joke that’s why we never have justice cause of shit like this.
“I’m tired of you black lives matters (Tamika Mallory and crew) bitches that’s riding these family back and yall ambulance-chasing attorneys (Ben Crump)(Lee [Merritt]) too. y’all have fuck up our fight and yall can kiss my ass too…Make it make sense…You can’t working with the devil is easy to do. Fuck yall.
“FUCK A GRAMMY WHEN MY SON IS DEAD,” Rice angrily posted.
Mallory addressed the criticism on the podcast, “For The Record: Chasing Freedom,” which she co-hosts with Mysonne.
“I support 100% how she feels and what she has stated in terms of her pain related to her son,” Mallory said. “I feel like we all have failed her…she did not get the proper justice for her son…And so I totally understand and respect the trauma and pain that she feels as a mother.”
Mallory continued, “I will never ever allow my organization, my team, Until Freedom, or myself to be used a tool in the master’s box. I will never allow that.”
Mallory said she’s not going to be canceled because her mission is her calling. “You cannot cancel what God has called,” she said.
Samaria later released a statement accusing Mallory and other movement activists of financially profiting off her pain, Jezebel reported.
Listen to GHOGH with Jamarlin Martin | Episode 73: Jamarlin Martin Jamarlin makes the case for why this is a multi-factor rebellion vs. just protests about George Floyd. He discusses the Democratic Party’s sneaky relationship with the police in cities and states under Dem control, and why Joe Biden is a cop and the Steve Jobs of mass incarceration.
Samaria, along with Lisa Simpson, whose son, Richard Risher, was killed by the Los Angeles Police Department in 2016, claim others have profited from their pain, and their families have yet to receive anything. They released a list of demands.
During the podcast, Mallory promised, “I will be very, very careful going forward to ensure that I will respect her wishes.” But Mallory added she was hurt by Rice’s words. “…calling me out my name and speaking about me without knowing me has absolutely hurt it definitely hurt me.”
