Thousands of McKinney residents hit the streets on Monday to protest and condemn the actions of Texas’ McKinney police department’s corporal Eric Casebolt who was caught on video pulling his gun on ‘unruly’ teens at a pool party and wrestling one bikini-clad black girl to the ground. The footage shows Eric grabbing 15-year-old Dajerria Becton, pulling her hair, putting her in an arm lock, drawing his weapon to threaten two boys who were trying to stop him and eventually sitting on her in an effort to subdue her.
JUST IN: Protests in #McKinney gain strength as people of all colors march against police brutality. pic.twitter.com/VTAND83RrY
— Bipartisan Report (@Bipartisanism) June 9, 2015
In a statement released Sunday, the McKinney Police Department said: “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.”
#McKinney takes to the streets, demands #EricCasebolt be fired http://t.co/49iaJbTE5s pic.twitter.com/84odfBoWY9
— Occupy Wall Street (@OccupyWallStNYC) June 9, 2015
“There is an indication based on watching the video that the white people who were around the officers weren’t talked to, they weren’t pushed away, they weren’t told to get on the ground, they weren’t put in handcuffs. The only individuals McKinney police were doing that to were those that were African-American,” Pete Schulte, an attorney and former McKinney officer and deputy reserve, told Fox4 Dallas.
When a young girl is thrown around like a rag doll by a grown man, I don’t have to ask myself whose side I’m on. #McKinney
— Casey (@pari_passu) June 9, 2015
The youth in #McKinney came out in full force last night. It was a beautiful sight. pic.twitter.com/jM3sEdKukK
— Bipartisan Report (@Bipartisanism) June 9, 2015
This pretty much sums things up. #McKinney pic.twitter.com/N1BQW6kPX5
— Bipartisan Report (@Bipartisanism) June 9, 2015
While the incident has set off another debate over police racism with activists calling for the officer to be fired and others arguing that the blame should fall at least in part on the teenagers since the music played by the DJ was inappropriate and loud and some teens entered the pool area by jumping the fence, the way Eric handled the situation was disturbing and can’t be expected from a police veteran.
Please, if anyone following me thinks that #McKinney cop was in any way right, unfollow me. Block me. Make sure we never speak again.
— Amy (@AmyStephen) June 9, 2015
Jon Stewart Blasts Texas Cop’s Violent Response to #McKinney Teen Pool Party http://t.co/plhJ3sp764pic.twitter.com/E3Fp5Vot5G
— AlterNet (@AlterNet) June 9, 2015
Watching that cop running around like a mad man then throwing that girl around made me so sad I couldn’t bear it. To think he was a veteran officer setting an example of how to handle a crowd of youngsters. There is no reason for violence at all unless it’s self defense and even then a policeman is supposed to be trained and skilled to remain calm in order to calm the crowd. If cops drive up Gung how like they usually do ofcourse kids and grown adults are going to scatter and run. That officer looked like a psychopath taking hostages instead of a public servant doing right by his own citizens. He should not only be fired but prosecuted for assault. I cannot believe he felt justified
. What he did was not a gut reaction an accident or a mistake. This should never happen ever and he made me feel utter remorse and shame for being a white man in America.
You clearly are not aware of all of the facts. Please inform yourself.
1 of the 12 officers on the scene overreacted. That officer probably should not have been dispatched or responded because of his mental state from the 2 previous calls he had handled in the hours before the event. On the first call he had to deal with the family, wife and children, of a man who had used a gun to commit suicide in front of them. On the second call he had to talk a teen out of committing suicide. The arguments started 30 minutes or more before he showed up as the first officer on the scene. He tried to get everyone to calm down and sit down so he could listen to what they had to say and sort the situation out. The teens kept jumping up running around and taunting him, so he called in backup. The girl he pinned down had ben instructed to leave the scene at least 3 times before he tried to restrain her for interfering, which she actively resisted. The persons most at fault, in my opinion, were the mother and daughter who advertised to invite a large crowd to a party in a private park and private pool that they had no authorization to use. These 2 women in profiteering off of the sexual exploitation of teenage “dime piece” girls as young as 13 to attract paying young men to their “Make It Clap” events. Investigate ALL of the facts before you toss around loose accusations in the future, please.