Jon Stewart Andrew Hawkins

A Wednesday segment on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart focused on Cleveland police in the wake of the shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, and the union president demanding a Cleveland Browns player apologize for wearing a shirt that read "Justice for Tamir Rice."

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Daily Show's Jon Stewart took on Cleveland police after its union president demanded a Cleveland Browns player apologize for wearing a T-shirt calling for "Justice for Tamir Rice."

Cleveland police have made national headlines since the Nov. 22 shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, when Timothy Loehmann fired two shots within seconds of pulling up outside Cudell Recreation Center.

Police said they thought Tamir reached for what they were told was a real gun, but turned out to be an airsoft gun that fired plastic pellets.

The Daily Show segment, which aired Wednesday night, showed photographs of Kyrie Irving, LeBron James and other athletes wearing the "I can't breathe" T-shirt, the words Eric Garner said as New York police officer Daniel Pantaleo choked him to the ground.

Amid those photos was Andrew Hawkins' wearing the "Justice for Tamir Rice and John Crawford III" shirt before the Cleveland Browns game against Indianapolis Colts Sunday. Crawford was shot by police in a suburban Dayton Walmart while holding a BB gun.

The shirt drew a harsh response from outgoing Cleveland Police Patrolman's Association president Jeffrey Follmer, who demanded an apology from Hawkins and the Browns and said football players should "stick to what they know best."

After taking a "random cheap shot" at the Browns ("Wait, stick to what they know best? Football? We're talking about the Cleveland Browns here, right?") Stewart played clips from news coverage of the Justice Department's Dec. 4 release of a 58-page report that found Cleveland police engage in a pattern and practice of excessive force, and that the department does not hold accountable officers who use unjustified force.

"I guess the only difference is when football players use excessive force, they get penalized," Stewart said.

Stewart then showed clips pointing out that Cleveland police never asked to see Loehmann's personnel file from Independence police, which showed he was in the process of being fired for emotional immaturity and inability to follow orders.

He ended the segment with Hawkins explaining why he wasn't going to apologize.

"To me, justice means the innocent should be found innocent, it means those who do wrong should get their due punishment. Ultimately it means fair treatment," he said. "So a call for justice shouldn't offend or disrespect anybody. A call for justice shouldn't warrant an apology."

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