CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Before the City Club of Cleveland's bell rang for the debate between Frank Jackson and Zack Reed, Reed found Tamir Rice's mom and her attorney trying to ring his bell in a debate over the Cleveland police union's endorsement of Reed.

During an October 16 press conference Samaria Rice and her attorney, Subodh Chandra called on Reed to reject an endorsement from the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association, and apologize to victims of police violence for having accepted the endorsement.

Chandra said that Reed disavowing the endorsement would mean "that he's against a white nationalist police union that consorts with a nationalist president and stands in opposition to ordinary Clevelanders."

Rice said she was "dismayed and disgusted" to hear that Reed was proud to get the endorsement for the union led by "nasty and awful" president Steve Loomis.

Loomis endorsed Donald Trump for president and was antagonistic to the Rice family and legal team, as well as the Department of Justice Consent decree for reforms to the Cleveland Division of Police.

Reed has been running for mayor under a "Safety First" banner and promising to hire 400 more police officers.

"In no way will that endorsement take away my ability to work towards a better police force," Reed told Cleveland.com.

Reed said he's "sticking by" the endorsement "because I received the endorsement of the entire union, not just [union President ] Steve Loomis" Reed said he agreed with the union's call for more officers and better financial support of the force.

"I know what Subodh is trying to do," claimed Reed, "He is literally trying to drive a wedge between the community and the safety forces."

While Reed tweeted that , "it's truly a sad day in politics when the senseless killing of a 12yr old child is used political ammunition," he also expressed sympathy for Samaria Rice.

"I support her in her grief, I have always supported her in her grief. This should have never happened to her son. And this will never happen to another 12-year-old boy or girl.

Rice questioned Reed's sincerity:

"If your sympathy were sincere and you actually cared about my grief, then you would not have said you were extremely honored to be endorsed by the Cleveland police union and Steve Loomis and his organization that has insulted me and my family again and again and opposed all need for police reform. If your sympathy were sincere, you wouldn't have tweeted and attacked me on this weekend accusing me of politicizing my own beloved son's death, when all I'm trying to do is prevent other mothers from losing their children against police union opposition."

"Shame on you Zack Reed, and if your sympathy were sincere, you would have rejected the police union endorsement the way politicians used to reject the endorsement of the Ku Klux Klan before Donald Trump, the police union's candidate, became president."

Rice's disgust with Loomis is more than justified, even if she wasn't the mother of a 12-year-old shot to death in seconds by a police officer who should have never been given a badge. But smearing the entire union as a "white nationalist organization" and comparing it to the KKK, is not justified. There are plenty of officers in the union who are upstanding men and women, not racists.

Loomis has repeatedly shown he has the tact of Trump. The police union being compared to white nationalists and the KKK, is just more evidence of how Loomis hurts the image of the CPPA.

Reed dodges debate question about firing police officers.

In Thursday's debate, Reed suggested Martin Flask and Michael McGrath should have been fired. But he sidestepped saying 5 officers involved in the chase that led to the deaths of Timothy Russell and Melissa Williams should have been fired, instead of reinstated.

Reed said his oath of office and the contract signed with police, required him to honor what an arbitrator decided.

"It doesn't matter what I think about it. I have to follow the law...I may not agree with what the decision was. I may not have made that decision," said Reed, without saying what decision he would've made.

Jackson fired back, "It does matter what you think about it. It does matter if you're mayor what you think." Jackson said he didn't like the decision.

Will Samaria Rice's rebuke of Reed matter in the election? Will how mayor Jackson responded to the Tamir Rice case impact the vote? I wouldn't discount it. Tim McGinty is no longer Cuyahoga County Prosecutor primarily because of how he handled the Tamir Rice case.

In the debate, Jackson and Reed stuck to the lines of attack and defense that they've been using since the start of the campaign. Reed's talking points remained safety and neglected neighborhoods. Jackson touted his experienced, wise leadership and accomplishments, while questioning Reed's judgement, accountability, and accomplishments.

It is what it is.

Jackson was feisty, recognition that he knows the race is what it is -- a real mayoral race, that's competitive, for the firs time in a long time. That wont be good for the loser, but it's already been good for the city and democracy.