Texas Cop’s Child Abuse Highlights Police Prejudice Against African-Americans

The face of hate–violent nutcase Eric Casebolt

For nearly a year now, since the killing of Michael Brown, in Missouri; and Eric Garner, in Staten Island; we’ve witnessed repeated incidents of police abuse and murder against African-Americans including the execution-style murder of Walter Scott, in South Carolina; and the killing of Freddie Gray, in Baltimore; where protests against police criminality led to an outbursts of rebellious violence in the streets.

But the disturbing video of a 14-year-old girl being manhandled by a Texas cop who also pulled his gun for no good reason during the course of his berserk outrage is insightful of the prejudice police far too often harbor against African-Americans. That gun could have gone off and one or both of those teenagers who tried to assist the girl would be dead now. Perhaps if the two other cops hadn’t quickly brushed his arm, the lunatic cop would have indeed killed some teenagers.

These thuggish incidents perpetrated by police on Blacks must be continually condemned. They must end.  All Americans, who are fair-minded, must put political pressure on passive politicians who are doing nearly nothing to address the seriously profound and explosive problem of institutional racism running rampant in America’s police departments.

On the video that went viral, Officer David Eric Casebolt of the McKinney Police Department, Texas, who was responding to reports of an altercation at a pool party, is seen acting like a belligerent bully berating and threatening African-American teenagers. At one point, he throws a punch at a teenage girl in a bathing suit while he wrestles another girl in a bikini to the ground; and then proceeds to shove her face into the ground, before sitting on her with all his bodyweight.

He then brazenly pulls a gun on the two unarmed teenage boys who objected to the violence he was inflicting on the teenage girl. After the boys fled, he ushers two officers to chase the teens. It should be noted that this out-of-control officer, Casebolt, was the senior officer on the scene.

Casebolt, who has since resigned from the police force in the aftermath of his bizarre behavior, was responding to a call about a disturbance reportedly after at least one White woman made racist slurs against African-American teens who were at the pool. According to several witnesses, this adult White woman told the Black teens to “go back to their plantations” and their “Section-8 housing.” She reported even slapped one of the girls, sparking the altercation.

In an incident like this, police officers should try and ascertain what happened, from all parties, before making rash decisions regarding who is at fault.

Unfortunately, Officer Casebolt, with no investigation, reacted with racism by deciding it was the African-American teens who were the source of all the trouble. On the video, he is seen only corralling, handcuffing and abusing the Black teens—except for one White teenager who dared to speak up for her Black friends, and then he decided to handcuff her too.

Casebolt’’s attorney, Jane Bishkin, said in a statement that Casebolt is sorry for his actions—but that he had a stressful day where he responded to two suicide-related calls.

“The video that everyone has seen only depicts a small part of Eric’s actions that day,” Bishkin said. “With all that happened that day, he allowed his emotions to get the better of him. Eric regrets that his conduct portrayed him and his department in a negative light. He never intended to mistreat anyone, but was only reacting to a situation and the challenges it presented. He apologizes to all who are offended. That day was not representative of the 10-year service to the community of McKinney, and it is his hope that by his resignation the community may start to heal.”

Although, Officer Casebolt has apologized—which is something usually anathema to police even when they are clearly in the wrong—the excuse that he had a bad day is just not good enough to excuse his objectionable conduct. Why did this officer feel the need to brutalize a teenage girl in a bikini? Are we to overlook the fact that he pull a gun on unarmed teenagers, running away from him, because he had a bad day?

Would he have apologized absent the video evidence that exposed his erratic violence to the whole world?

The only saving grace here is that we’re not again talking about dead Black people killed at the hands of an out-of-control cop. We should remember how Walter Scott died, being shot in the back by Officer Michael Slager, when we view that part of this new video where Officer Casebolt drew his weapon on these teens. If so many people weren’t present isn’t it highly likely this officer would’ve opened fire on these kids?

Watching Officer Casebolt as he kneeled, with his full bodyweight, on this girl should make us remember Freddie Gray and his severed spine and mangled body.

Isn’t it painfully obvious the very kind of brutality that left Freddie Gray with a broken body was on display when Officer Casebolt decided to throw this teenager to the ground and sit on her? This incident is illustrative of the way many cops treat Black people—keep in mind, Officer Casebolt was not only the senior officer present, he was also a police “trainer.”

If he could do this in broad daylight what might he have done at night?

We must ask the question: why does police “training” seem to lead to more brutality against Black people? In Baltimore, some cops are now, basically, making the asinine assertion that crime in that city is rising because they aren’t being allowed wide latitude to violate the rights of innocent Blacks like Freddie Gray, whose killing led to the arrests of six cops.

Here in New York, officers engaged in a work stoppage by not aggressively writing tickets—to fill those quotas they claim they don’t have—and crime, in fact, did not spike. What these brutish officers are doing is “circling the wagons” to defend those among them that have abused their power –in the same way in which Catholic priests and even the Papacy used to cover up for pedophile sexual predators.
And the cops are engaging in scare tactics to get, especially White people, to go along with their ridiculous nonsensical views.

If cops continue to erect their Blue Wall of silence and shield those, in their midst, who engage in violating the rights of people, then we cannot accept their empty cries that the problem of prejudiced policing is just one of a few occasional “bad apples.” Moreover, when those who are among the leadership brass exhibit bad behavior and condone criminal conduct by cops then they do extreme damage to their own legitimacy.

McKinney Police Department Chief Greg Conley characterized Officer Casebolt’s conduct as “indefensible” and added “Our policies, our training, our practice, do not support his actions.”
Conley said: “He came into the call out of control, and as the video shows, was out of control during the incident.”

Why can’t more officials be honest and condemn those cops whose atrocious actions warrant it?

The awful truth is: there are far too many bigoted brutes with badges who seem to think they are entitled to brutalize Black people anytime they want without any consequences—most likely, because they have been doing this for so long.

This cannot be tolerated—by Black America, or any group that believes in justice— any longer, and those cops who prescribe to this view should be identified and given their walking papers. Moreover, these cops, in Baltimore, who are making these retarded statements should be investigated by all relevant state and national entities—the Justice Department in particular—and fired, if they have been found to be derelict in their duties.

Also check their past conduct records.