We can’t excuse McKinney Police Officer Eric Casebolt who was eventually suspended, but the initial blame has to fall on the community members who saw Black faces and felt they needed to start something, and by the way, people are wondering how none of them ended up arrested. “Black Lives Matter” means you don’t have to call the police or fight someone whenever you see someone Black. If you think otherwise, you are the problem.
Yahoo! News
A Texas police officer who drew his gun on unarmed teenagers while responding to a disturbance at a pool party and threw a 14-year-old girl in a bathing suit to the ground has been placed on administrative leave, officials said Sunday.
The incident occurred Friday night in McKinney, Texas, about 30 miles north of Dallas, when police were called to a private community pool where a large crowd had gathered.
In a video taken by a teenage bystander and posted to YouTube, the officer, who is white, can be seen shouting obscenities and ordering some black teens to lie on the ground while telling others to disperse. The officer is then seen grabbing the back of the girl’s head, throwing her to the ground and pushing her face down, then pulling his gun on a pair of black teenagers who appeared to be coming to her aid.
“This video has raised concerns that are being investigated,” the McKinney Police Department said in a statement.
According to police, a total of 12 officers responded to the call:
On June 5, 2015 at approximately 7:15 p.m., officers from the McKinney Police Department responded to a disturbance at the Craig Ranch North Community Pool. The initial call came in as a disturbance involving multiple juveniles at the location, who do not live in the area or have permission to be there, refusing to leave. McKinney Police received several additional calls related to this incident advising that juveniles were now actively fighting.
First responding officers encountered a large crowd that refused to comply with police commands. Nine additional units responded to the scene. Officers were eventually able to gain control of the situation.
Police said they later learned of the footage, which prompted the investigation.
The girl, who was not charged, was released to her parents, McKinney Police Chief Greg Conley said at a press conference Sunday afternoon.
The 15-year-old who shot the video told BuzzFeed that the party was an “end-of-school celebration” that some students had crashed.
“I think a bunch of white parents were angry that a bunch of black kids who don’t live in the neighborhood were in the pool,” the teen, who is white, told the website.
The video quickly sparked outrage on social media, as many drew comparisons to recent high-profile cases of police bias in Ferguson, Mo., and Baltimore.
This is disgusting… #McKinney pic.twitter.com/Z9IFUlz2lf
— Juan Gutierrez (@juangutiez) June 7, 2015The official #McKinney police report says that neighbors called the cops because “juveniles did not have permission to be there.”
— Justin Giuliano (@NewJusticeDept) June 7, 2015Blackness in stereotypically white spaces is always seen as a threat. First Trayvon Martin & now #McKinney. Nothing new.
— Justin Giuliano (@NewJusticeDept) June 7, 2015#McKinney All that’s missing are the police dogs and fire hoses http://t.co/w2wcrmRLpb
— Harold Itzkowitz (@HaroldItz) June 7, 2015Things black people can’t do1. Talk2. Stand3. Walk4. Breathe5. Sleep6. Be children#McKinney
— Jailyn (@jaiglad) June 7, 2015you’re threatened by teens at a pool party? please turn in your badges. #McKinney
— BROTHA NATURE. (@RASHVISION) June 7, 2015What threat did a teenage girl in a bikini represent? How can you justify that use of force? #McKinney
— Akilah Hughes (@AkilahObviously) June 7, 2015
Others compared how police responded to last month’s deadly biker gang shootout at Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco, Texas.
How cops treat a murderous biker gang vs unarmed black teens Welcome to Amerikkka #McKinney #McKinneyPolice pic.twitter.com/MSf2QX5UyY
— Black Girls (@melaninist) June 7, 2015Apparently unarmed children at a pool party are more dangerous than a murderous biker gang. #McKinney pic.twitter.com/93C0Gy7I8e
— eSHEIKH (@eBama) June 7, 2015Unarmed Black 13yr old teen, Biker Gang armed w/ handguns & shotguns who just committed Murders. #McKinney pic.twitter.com/gunyMe1VbA
— D.TALL ™ (@DTALLMUSIC) June 7, 2015Armed biker gang murders people – untouched.Black teens at a pool party – harassed, pinned to the ground, threatened with guns.#McKinney
— Theo James (@THEDlVERGENT) June 7, 2015
There was one arrest — of an adult male — for interfering with the duties of a police officer and evading arrest, Conley said. There were no reports of injuries.
“I am committed a complete and thorough investigation into this incident,” Conley said.
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