Boise residents show support for Cleveland boy fatally shot by police

Nearly 25 Idahoans gathered at Camel’s Back Park Sunday afternoon to stand in solidarity with the family of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy shot to death by Cleveland police Nov. 22, 2014.

Rice’s family has since called for a special prosecutor in the case, and one year after his death, protesters nationwide expressed their support in rallies like the one in Boise.

Supporters at the Boise rally paused for a moment of silence at 1:30, which was the same time Tamir Rice was shot while playing in a park with a toy gun. Bryan Lyda, a co-organizer of the group Anti-Racists of Idaho, said no children should be afraid of getting hurt in a park.

Lyda said it was important for Idahoans to confront issues of race and racism.

“In a community like Idaho, unfortunately there’s this narrative that we’re racist. We want to send a different message: that we’re welcoming,” he said.

Rice’s death was one of the many that inspired the Black Lives Matter movement.

This story was originally published November 22, 2015 at 5:39 PM with the headline "Boise residents show support for Cleveland boy fatally shot by police."