Good Grief: People Protest In Texas Over “Pool Party”

09 Jun, 2015 by William Teach

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Everyone keeps saying that the video from the McKinney (illegal and against the community HOAs) pool party is hard to watch. Of course, they mean because of the supposed way these kids were being treated. It’s actually hard to watch because we see kids running rampant, refusing to listen to law enforcement, charging an officer causing him to pull his gun. Police officers are humans, and they get tired of listening to a bunch of hooligans, and telling them to settle down, especially when the kids are the ones who were in violations

(Fox News) Hundreds of demonstrators rallied outside an elementary school in a Dallas suburb Monday in response to a video that showed a white police officer pushing and pinning a black teenage girl to the ground before drawing his gun on two others who tried to intervene.

KDFW reported that many of the protesters came from outside the town of McKinney, about 35 miles northeast of Dallas. They held signs that included the phrases, “My skin color is not a crime,” and, “Don’t tread on our kids.” More than 150 people were part of a counter-protest on a nearby corner, waving flags and holding signs that said “Back the Blue.”

No, your skin color is not a crime, particularly since white kids were involved, as well. The party itself was a crime, as was trespassing, jumping the pool fence, fighting, assaulting the security guard, destruction of property, resisting, failing to listen to a duly sworn peace officer, and aggressively approaching a police officer. As far as “treading on our kids”, where were the parents of these kids? Perhaps they should have taught them better values. Yes, kids will be kids, and I think we can all understand that many might have been upset about being invited to this party, reportedly being charged $15 for attendance, then being kicked out because the party was illegal per the HOA rules. Of course, that’s still no excuse for the fights, property destruction, etc.

A few dozen addressed the crowd through a bullhorn, including Derrick Golden, a pastor from McKinney who met earlier with the city’s police Chief Greg Conley. He said Conley “responded appropriately” in placing the officer, 41-year-old Eric Casebolt, on administrative leave following the incident. However, Golden said he would push for Casebolt to be fired due to the officer’s use of profanity and his brandishing of the gun.

But Benét Embry, a black local radio personality who witnessed the incident, said it was “not another Ferguson” or “another Baltimore,” referring to other police encounters that have left suspects dead and fueled a nationwide “Black Lives Matter” movement.

Let’s assume that Officer Casebolt went a little too far. That wouldn’t have happened if the illegal party hadn’t taken place, if the kids weren’t trespassing, abusing the security guard and residents (who pay a fee for the pool), fighting, etc and so on.

Robert Taylor, a criminology professor at the University of Texas at Dallas who has done studies for the McKinney Police Department, said both the officer and the teens at the pool party acted inappropriately.

The teens were not following police orders, he said, but the officer’s decision to pull out his gun did not help.

“That’s not the way we’re trained,” he said. “We’re trained in policing to de-escalate problem encounters like this. … Obviously, that officer lost his cool. No doubt about it.”

Maybe he did lose his cool. Police are human, and they certainly can get tired of the hooligan behavior, the yelling, the cursing, and do not appreciate anyone aggressively approaching them when they are attempting to restrain someone else, as the video shows.

Overall, this is typical. Something happens, and people go overboard in their protests, totally forgetting that the people they are protesting in support of were acting in a lawless manner. Perhaps they should spend their energy in teaching the kids civilized behavior, instead of attempting to ruin other people’s lives. By the way, residents of the neighborhood are being harassed and abused, and even threatened. Why aren’t the social justice warriors worried about that?

Crossed at Pirate’s Cove. Follow me on Twitter @WilliamTeach.