Cleveland City Council on Oct. 13 voted to designate the Tamir Rice Butterfly Memorial as a Cleveland landmark and took time during the meeting to recognize the family and community advocates who pushed for the memorial.

Samaria Rice, representing the Tamir Rice Foundation, thanked Councilmember Jenny Spencer and other councilmembers for allowing the memorial presentation to be heard by committee and for the landmark designation. “That is a memory that I have of my son,” Rice said, thanking members of the council and the planning and landmarks commissions.

Rice also urged council to reconsider a proposed gas-station plan in her neighborhood. “Mister Kelly, Councilman Kelly, I'm a need you to table it. Okay?” she said, asking that the councilmember consider a fire-station alternative she had heard discussed by the administration.

Councilmembers including Jenny Spencer and others praised Rice’s sustained advocacy and said they would take a photo in the council well after the meeting to mark the designation. The ordinance designating the memorial as a landmark (Ordinance 10 84 20 25) was placed on final passage and recorded as adopted by roll call.

Ending: Councilmembers asked community members and staff to join a post-meeting photo in the council well and noted the designation as a civic recognition for a memorial site. Rice said she is continuing fundraising and work on a physical space tied to the memorial.