• Celebrity
    • OTE – Screen Kings
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Best In Black Beauty 2023
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United

WHERE BLACK CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS MEET

Sign up for ESSENCE Newsletters the keep the Black women at the forefront of conversation.

Your email is required.
Your email is in invalid format.
Confirm email is required.
Email did not match.
Select the newsletters you'd like to receive:
Please select at least one option.
By clicking Subscribe Now, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • OTE – Screen Kings
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
      • Paint The Polls Black
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Best In Black Beauty 2023
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Home · News

Mother of Tamir Rice Tells Activists to Stop Profiting off Her Son’s Death

Samira Rice tells prominent figures to “step down” and stand back.”
Mother of Tamir Rice Tells Activists to Stop Profiting off Her Son’s Death
Photo by Andrew Burton
By Ashlee Banks · Updated March 19, 2021

Samaria Rice and Lisa Simpson, mothers of Tamir Rice and Richard Risher respectively, are slamming civil rights activists, attorneys and organizations for allegedly exploiting the deaths of their sons. They asked Tamika D. Mallory, Shaun King, Benjamin Crump, Lee Merritt, Patrisse Cullors, Melina Abdullah and the Black Lives Matter Global Network to step down and “stop monopolizing and capitalizing” on their “fight for justice and human rights.” 

“We never hired them to be the representatives in the fight for justice for our dead loved ones murdered by the police,” both mothers said in a joint statement. “The ‘activists’ have events in our cities and have not given us anything substantial for using our loved ones’ images and names on their flyers.” Rice added, “in the case of Tamir Rice, it was even questionable as to whether Benjamin Crump knew the laws in depth in the state of Ohio; I fired him 6-8 months into Tamir’s case.” 

Rice was killed in Cleveland, Ohio by officer Timothy Loehmann on November 22, 2014. Within two seconds of Loehmann arriving on the scene of a recreation center where Rice was playing with a fake gun, the officer opened fire, striking the 12-year-old boy. Loehmann said he mistook Rice for a man when responding to a call that there was a threatening man at the recreation center with a gun. Loehmann was not charged with Rice’s death, and on December 29, 2020, the Department of Justice announced that an “independent federal investigation into the fatal shooting of Tamir Rice on Nov. 22, 2014, in Cleveland, Ohio, found insufficient evidence to support federal criminal charges against Cleveland Division of Police (CDP) Officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback.” This was yet another blow to the Black community after enduring the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.  

Richard Risher, 18 was killed by LAPD on July 25, 2016 when officers say they saw members of the Bounty Hunter Bloods gang hanging around a housing project. Officers say when they approached the group, Risher took off running and they chased after him. They noticed he was holding a gun and at some point officers say a back-and-forth exchange of gunfire took place between them and Risher. As a result, one officer was struck in the arm, and Risher was fatally struck in the hand and back. The LA police commission said the LAPD officers were justified in killing Risher.  

Thompson and Rice’s decision to criticize well known activists and attorneys comes after Mallory’s Grammy performance with Lil Baby over the weekend. The two performed the rapper’s “The Bigger Picture,” a song about police brutality. Rice shared a Facebook post with Mallory’s performance and captioned the image, “look at this clout chaser. Did she lose something in this fight i don’t think so. That’s the problem they take us for a joke that’s why we never have justice cause of s*** like this.” 

Both mothers made six major demands, which include activists and attorneys stepping out of the spotlight and not doing anymore interviews or holding press conferences involving their children. They also want BLM L.A. to pay Simpson the $5,000 they allegedly raised for his funeral. Simpson says she never received a cent. The mom’s also posted their cashapps for anyone who wants to personally donate money to them for their sons’ deaths.  

Rice and Simpson are also asking that these prominent figures to no longer accumulate “donations, platforms, movie deals, etc. off the death of [their] loved ones, while the families and communities are left clueless and broken.” Their statement concluded, “Don’t say our loved ones’ names period! That’s our truth!” 

TOPICS:  benjamin crump Black Lives Matter Richard Risher Shaun King tamika mallory tamir rice
COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2023 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now