For years, Cudell Commons Park had been a site of pain and sorrow for Samaria Rice. It’s where her 12-year-old son, Tamir, was shot and killed by Cleveland police in 2014 after a 911 caller reported the child was waving a gun around and scaring people. The gun turned out to be a toy.
But Samaria and her community worked to metamorphose the site into a place of healing. It’s now a butterfly-shaped memorial garden, lush with native plants like milkweed that attract and feed the winged insects, colorful stone mosaics and, of course, a plaque and heartfelt dedication to Tamir’s life and memory.
“Although it has been rocky with the City of Cleveland, I just want them to always remember what has happened in this city to my son and others that have been affected,” Rice told Ideastream.
Tamir’s butterfly memorial is now officially a city landmark.
“I was afraid that the city will try to change the space, and I don’t want that space changed,” said Rice, who helped lead the charge through the city’s landmark designation process. “I want it to stay as is because that’s the only memory that I have of my child. And it means a lot to the community.”
The city will designate landmarks as such for their historical, cultural or architectural significance, protecting the site from demolition and significantly alterations in the future…