TAMIR RICE, 12 -- KILLED BY CLEVELAND POLICE

[HairOfTheDog]

For Follmer ^ to insist that Hawkins wearing a shirt that says "Justice for Tamir Rice and Johnny Crawford" is disrespectful to "everyone", an attack on all police, and something for which Hawkins owes Cleveland PD an apology, exemplifies a part of the problem that Follmer can't or won't see IMO. Very dictatorial policing. Plus, that's not what Hawkins said.

There's not a damned thing wrong with hoping for justice, for anyone and everyone, and expressing that hope. Hawkins' shirt didn't say, "fuck you Cleveland PD motherfuckers!", FFS.

And, there's no law preventing people from supporting LE in general, teaching their kids respect for authority, AND sometimes questioning/protesting the actions of police officers involved in specific incidents. If there were, I'd be in big effin' trouble.

For Follmer to very publicly assume an "us vs. them" position, commanding citizens in his community (high profile or not) to just STFU, is a problem for him and his department. I wonder how the chiefs feel about what's he's saying publicly. Were I his superior, I'd tell him to shut his piehole. But, maybe they support him?

Anyway, I think Follmer's spewings reinforce the negative image of the Cleveland PD and could lead the public to believe that those in the department, like Follmer, decided that this was a justified shooting by default, and without the need for full investigation. I hope the investigation is unbiased.