By Victor Omondi

Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old African American, was shot by a white police officer on November 22, 2014, while playing with what would later be found to be a toy gun. His mother Samaria Rice has since sought justice for the loss of her son. Rice, is seemingly frustrated by Black Lives Matter, which she alleges is underplaying its role in fighting for justice for the people of color community.

Recently, Rice teamed up with Lisa Simpson, who also lost her 18-year-old son Richard Risher to police shootings, to demand accountability from the Black Lives Matter organization. The two mothers are embittered are lamenting that the organization is busy taking in money, while neglecting its role in the community, even as the pain caused by the loss of their sons continues to deepen.

National Guard deployed in Minneapolis after fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright

The Black Lives Matter was founded in 2013 before it quickly rose to fame. Rising to fame, as you’d expect, meant gaining a lot of money from donations. In 2020, the Black Lives Matter Network Foundation raised a whopping $90 million. Rice and Simpson are just among the many who’ve questioned where the money goes, with Rice claiming that she never received a thing, yet her son’s name was used to make the money.

The two women have claimed that they’re seeing the undoing of the organization, and have since called for a meeting with its leaders Patrisse Cullors and Tamika D. Mallory. During the meeting, the two parties plan to talk about proposals on the future of the Black liberation movement.

During an interview with Black Agenda Report, Rice was asked how she reacted after learning that Black Lives Matter had received $90 million. She started by saying that it didn’t surprise her because she knew that the organization was raising a lot of money, but she didn’t know that it was that much. “Where the hell did they get all that money?” she asked, “It didn’t make me feel no typa way… What the hell are they getting ready to do with all that money?”

Source: Two Black Mothers Confront Black Lives Matter for Negligence in The Loss of Their Sons