By Betsy L. Angert | Originally Published at EmpathyEducates. November 28, 2014

It took seconds to end a child’s life. The young boy’s life could have been saved, maybe. We will never know because “civil servants,” “peace officers,” just waited. Cleveland officials said the police officers waited. The shooter and his partner passed the time for close to four minutes before a thought was given to administer first aid to Tamir Rice, the twelve
[12] year old lost his life.

Timothy Loehmann, the rookie Cleveland patrol officer stood there, quick to kill, was patient, patient when it came to rescuing a child’s life. Yes, Loehman was trained. He took the American Red Cross HeartSaver courses and so did his partner. Nonetheless, the two just waited. Each knew how to respond to “injury emergencies.” And perhaps that is the problem; neither saw the blood spilling from a young child’s body as an emergency. Nor was it an injury. It was as it is commonly thought to be – a need. In America police put down Black children by any means. It begins in kindergarten and then progresses rapidly.

It is only when someone steps in that a child might be rescued. Maybe. Mostly it is too little or too late. Consider the story of Tamir Rice. A Cleveland detective and FBI agent were in the area at the time of the murder and they tried The two responded to the call for help and began to give aid. But it was too late to save a life that ended before it started.

Tamir Rice needed those precious three minutes and 49 seconds after patrol officer Timothy Loehmann shot him. He needed society to care about him for all of his twelve short years of life. He needed more than the stuffed animals dropped off at the site of his slaughter. Even the planned ninety some days of investigation will not suffice.

Tamir Rice and every Black child, indeed every Black life needs more than four minutes, more than first aid yes, even more than our commitment. We can no longer say that we care and kill.

If we wish to save a child’s life we must act in accordance with our life’s ostensible mission. We cannot wait, as officer Timothy Loehmann and his partner did, for a policy or permission. Intervention, too will not save a life.

If we genuinely want to invest in a child, then let us end kindergarten suspensions Acknowledge that these and grade retentions are applied selectively. Day after day we end a Black child’s life. The young dark of skin too have their Rights Do not do Stop and Frisk, let alone do it for Black teens!

America, we cannot wait, not for four minutes, not to save a life. It is already too late for Tamir Rice and for Michael Brown, whose body laid bare on the street for more than four hours. It is too late for Trayvon Martin, and lest we forget Cameron Tillman, VonDerrit Myers Jr., Laquan McDonald, Carey Smith-Viramontes, and little seven-year-old Aiyana Jones. These are our children. May we give them a long and respected life.

References and Resources…