FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAIR-Cleveland Welcomes Judge’s Finding of Probable Cause to Charge Police Officers inTamir Rice’s Death
(CLEVELAND, OH, 6/12/15) – The Cleveland chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Cleveland) today welcomed a municipal court judge’s ruling Thursday that there is probable cause to charge two Cleveland police officers in the shooting death last November of 12-year-old Tamir Rice.
Judge Ronald B. Adrine issued his ruling after local interfaith activists and community leaders, including CAIR-Cleveland, asked the court to find probable cause to arrest the officers involved in the shooting. Those who filed the request with the court have come to be known as the “Cleveland 8.”
The judge noted that his ruling is “advisory in nature” and that it will be up to prosecutors to decide whether actual charges are filed against the officers involved in the shootings.
SEE: CAIR-Cleveland to Join Legal Effort by Religious, Civil Rights Groups Seeking Charges in Tamir Rice CaseCleveland Leaders’ Plan to Ask Judge to Charge Officers
“We welcome this ruling as an endorsement of the community’s call for justice and accountability in this case and hope it will set a precedent for direct legal action on police-involved shootings,” said CAIR-Cleveland Executive Director Julia Shearson.
She said CAIR has a long history of engagement with the Cleveland Police Department through helping with diversity training, as well as training on immigrant victims of domestic violence and serving as a liaison between the Muslim community and law enforcement.
The Muslim civil rights group has also participated in several studies related to engagement with law enforcement (federal and local) including the Cleveland Police Department and a year-long project under the guidance of the Vera Institute of Justice that surveyed the Muslim community about police community relations.
Shearson noted that CAIR publishes a booklet outlining basic information about Islamic beliefs that are relevant to law enforcement agencies.
SEE: A Law Enforcement Official’s Guide to the Muslim Community
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
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CONTACT: CAIR-Cleveland Executive Director Julia Shearson, 216-830-2247, jshearson@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com