Cyrus Carmack-Belton’s family joins Harlem rally after Rick Chow acquittal

The parents of the 14-year-old South Carolina boy are taking their fight for accountability to New York during Juneteenth weekend, after the man who shot him was found not guilty.

The family of Cyrus Carmack-Belton is still fighting.

On Saturday (June 20), the parents of the 14-year-old South Carolina teen are expected to join activists and supporters in Harlem for the “When We Fight, We Win Rally,” a Juneteenth weekend action centered on Black political power, criminal justice, and community accountability.

Activist Tamika D. Mallory shared a post on Instagram lifting up the family’s arrival in New York City, writing that Cyrus’ parents are continuing to demand accountability after the former store owner who killed their son was acquitted. Another post promoting the rally listed the gathering for Saturday afternoon at the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building Plaza on 125th Street in Harlem.

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A post shared by Tamika D. Mallory (@tamikadmallory)

For Belton’s family, the rally is part of a much larger fight, and a deeply personal one.

Belton was killed on May 28, 2023, after an encounter at a convenience store in Columbia, S.C. Prosecutors argued that Chikei “Rick” Chow falsely accused Cyrus of stealing bottles of water, then chased him from the store with his son before shooting the teen in the back more than 100 yards away.

Chow’s defense argued that he fired to protect his son after Cyrus allegedly pointed a gun at him. Prosecutors acknowledged that Cyrus had a gun, but argued he did not pose a threat at the time he was shot. Video evidence showed Cyrus returned the bottles of water and did not steal anything from the store.

On June 1, after more than eight hours of deliberation, a South Carolina jury found Chow not guilty of murder.

The verdict devastated Cyrus’ loved ones and reignited outrage in South Carolina and beyond. In a statement released after the acquittal, Cyrus’ family said, “We do not accept it,” adding, “Our son mattered.”

That sentence has become the heart of the family’s ongoing demand: Cyrus was not a headline, a court file or a political talking point. He was a child.

His mother, Nicole Carmack, has spoken publicly about the weight of that loss. At a previous rally in South Carolina, she asked the question so many Black families have asked in different words, in different cities, across generations: “When is enough going to be enough?”

Since the verdict, supporters have gathered outside the former store connected to the case, at the South Carolina State House and now in Harlem, where organizers are connecting Cyrus’ case to a broader call for Black communities to stay organized, politically engaged and unwilling to let children’s names disappear after the courtroom closes.

It is a grief that feels familiar because it is familiar.

Cyrus’ case has drawn comparisons to other moments when Black youth were followed, confronted or killed after being presumed suspicious. Supporters in South Carolina have also pushed for proposed legislation known as the Cyrus Harlins Martins Pursuit and Deadly Force Accountability Act. The proposal would create criminal penalties for non-law enforcement citizens who pursue someone, cause their death during that pursuit and then claim self-defense.

Advocates say the bill is aimed at closing the kind of legal gap they believe allowed Chow to walk free.

The family is also pursuing a civil case. ABC News reported that the family filed a civil lawsuit against Chow in Richland County, but the case had been paused while the criminal trial played out. Family attorney Todd Rutherford has said they plan to move forward.

There have also been calls for the U.S. Department of Justice to review the case for possible civil rights or hate crime concerns.

For now, Saturday’s Harlem rally is another attempt to make sure Cyrus’ name does not fade after the national news cycle moves on.