The above video of McKinnney, Texas police officer Eric Casebolt ignited a firestorm of criticism. Local residents who saw the entire incident – where dozens of teens invaded a private pool party and refused to leave when ordered to do so – considered his actions justifiable. [Read the “full story” at theconservativetreehouse.com] It’s not a view shared by many, including McKinney police chief Greg Conley. At a press conference announcing Casebolt’s resignation, Conley called his officer’s actions “indefensible.” “He came into the call out of control,” the chief told reporters, “and as the video shows, was out of control during the incident.” Perhaps the chief was bowing to pressure from . . .
hundreds of black residents who marched through McKinney on Monday. They operated under the assumption that Casebolt’s actions were racially motivated. A meme quickly disseminated by the mainstream media and usual dare-I-say-it race hustlers. Here’s The Washington Post’s Jonathan Capehart’s take:
The disturbing video was made by Brandon Brooks, a white 15-year-old who told CNN, “I was one of the only white people in the area when that was happening.” He continued, “You can see in part of the video where he tells us to sit down, and he kinda like skips over me and tells all my African-American friends to go sit down.”
Sure. Casebolt targeted blacks. Because he’s racist, he “skipped over” a white teen who was doing nothing to draw attention to himself. That’s the take of people who know nothing of the man in question.
The killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman in 2012 awakened the nation to “the talk” black parents at every socioeconomic level have had with their children for decades. The one about how society views them with suspicion and how they must behave in public, including the do’s and don’ts of interacting with police. And the heartbreaking lecture includes a warning that following those rules might not be enough to save their lives from a police officer or a civilian armed with subconscious bias and a baton or an itchy trigger finger.
Huh. I guess the talk my parents had with me – a white African American – about interacting with the police doesn’t count. And a black parent’s desire to instill respect for law enforcement in their children indicates society’s failure to train and police police, rather than their desire to teach personal responsibility. And dignity.
After reading Capehart’s diatribe and listening the usual suspects berating Casebolt’s actions (without considering their context) I’m still confused. What’s race got to do with this incident, exactly?