McKINNEY, Texas — More than a thousand people rallied outside an elementary school here Monday night in the wake of a viral video showing an incident between a police officer and a teenager, while a new video provided a different angle of Friday's confrontation.
The majority were asking for justice after they say McKinney police Cpl. Eric Casebolt — who is white — was seen on video throwing down a 15-year-old black girl and unholstering his weapon on several of her friends in the wake of an altercation at a pool party Friday.
Some called for Casebolt to be fired.
Meanwhile, a small group offered support for Casebolt, who has been suspended during an investigation into the incident. "No Laws! No peace!" could be heard coming from the group.
Casebolt, a patrol supervisor, is said to be in hiding because of alleged death threats.
Community leaders gathered at the McKinney Police Department on Monday calling for action against Casebolt.
The sound of a girl crying for her mother while Casebolt forced her to the ground is what is troubling to many who have seen the video.
Some of the parents of the teens in the video are angry not only that Casebolt used force, but that he cursed at the teens before pulling out his weapon.
Jahi Adisa Bakari's daughter was at the pool party when chaos erupted and could be seen in the video by Brandon Brooks .
"The fact of the matter is, the officer recklessly attacks this young lady, who was following his instructions," he said.
"He took it there; he pulled the gun out on teenagers," Bakari said. "I am glad he didn't pull the trigger."
Bakari's daughter Jahda, 13, who was at Craig Ranch and tried to help the 15-year-old girl captured another angle of the confrontation.
"After he gets her on the ground, I run over there and I try to help her," Jahda said.
But instead, the video shows Casebolt forcefully pushing them away.
"You can see the actual fear in her face, and that she was screaming and what was going on?" Jahda said of the video she took.
Her father sees the "what ifs."
"She risked her own life," said Jahi Adisa Bakari. "He could have easily turned around and shot… she could have been dead."
Civil rights activist Dominique Alexander said the rights of black teenagers were violated. He also said the teenagers were treated "like animals."
Executive director of Justice Seekers, Rev. Ronald Wright, said he wants the mayor to handle the situation by firing and filing charges against Casebolt. Wright said his group has contacted the U.S. Justice Department and is having it monitor the situation.
"We're setting the stage for a terrorist attack in this country, and the group is not going to be ISIS, it's going to be 'US-IS.' Us against these injustice law officers and people (who) continue to allow racism to grow into this city," said Wright.
Parents and those at the rally, say that while they demand accountability, they also want people to remain calm and not to blame all officers for the actions of one.
"I'm not indicting the entire police department because I saw people doing the right thing. I saw an officer trying to keep the matter right," Bakari said. "This guy (Casebolt) was out of control. He should be drug-tested and then fired."
Community activists say they want a review of the entire McKinney Police Department to see whether there is a race problem here.
"Should this man lose his job? I think that's the least of what should happen," said former McKinney resident David Lee. "At best, this department must take a deep look at the belief system that these officers have."
Religious leaders urged everyone to not let the situation get out of control, and prayed for tolerance. They urged patience while the police department completes its investigation.
"We are standing together against racism ... against hatred ... against violence ... and we are standing up and calling out to the city for justice, peace and love," said Pastor Bruce Miller.
On Monday evening, McKinney Mayor Brian Loughmiller issued a video statement about the incident.
"We will continue to communicate with our citizens as a review of this incident takes place, and will report the results of the investigation to the community as soon as they are available," he said. "We will be inclusive and work together to bring resolution to this issue and move forward together."
According to his now-deleted LinkedIn page, Casebolt joined the McKinney Police Department in 2005. In 2008, he was named Officer of the Year.
Prior to that, he served as a military police officer in the U.S. Navy and also worked as a Texas state trooper.
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