‘Peace Pool Party’ Is to Be Organized in Response to Police Violence in Texas

The story about a police officer who violently attacked a 14-year-old black girl during a pool party in McKinney, Texas, shocked the world this weekend. In a video, which went viral and got more than 10 million views on youtube, the officer is shown aggressively pushing a bikini-clad girl to the ground and pulling his gun on unarmed teenagers. Now, a group of activists and journalists are planning a Peace Pool Party in response to the police violence.

The incident

The incident took place on Friday when the local police received complaints from a neighbor who was disturbed by a group of teenagers having a party at a community-owned McKinney swimming pool. As a result, a simple noise complaint warning turned into a violent encounter between cops and youths.

The video showing the aggressive actions of the police officer Eric Casebolt was shot by 15-year-old Brandon Brooks. This teen together with his friend was leaving the pool when he heard of a fight.

“When I started the video was right after all the kids who got put on the ground had gotten up and ran away. The cop was chasing after all those kids just putting every black person he saw on the ground,” Brooks told NBC News.

The incident caused a public outcry and about 1,000 people in the Dallas-area took to the streets calling for the firing of the police officer. As a result, Casebolt resigned from the department on Tuesday.

The Peace Pool Party

On the same day, Ezra Van Auken and activist Andrew Demeter contacted Sputnik correspondent Cassandra Fairbanks and Joseph Brown of The Mind Unleashed with an idea to organize a pool party in response to the incident in Mckinney and with a purpose to call for tolerance and inclusion.

“The intention of these teenagers was simplistic and innocent: to celebrate the last day of school by throwing a pool party,” he said. “However, because the event was interrupted, we feel it is necessary to give these students – and anyone else who wants to join in the fun – the party they deserve.”

Brooks, a teen who filmed the incident, was inspired by this idea and now is organizing the party, which is going to be open-invite and free of charge.

The activists also launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the Peace Pool Party. They hope that it will help “nurture a more loving and friendly community.”

If you want to help make this pool party a reality, please consider supporting them on their GoFundMe page Here.

Party on. =)

Image Source: DailyMail