Black Teen Assaulted by White Cop at a 2015 Pool Party awarded $148K settlement
Black Teen Assaulted by White Cop at a 2015 Pool Party awarded $148K settlement
In 2015 a video surfaced of then 15-year-old Dajerria Becton being assaulted and violently arrested by a police officer at a pool party in McKinney, Texas. The video went viral back in 2015 and gained a ton of media attention. Now, Becton has won a settlement for $148K after filling a federal lawsuit. (more…)
Black people still can't swim: Reflections on the McKinney, TX pool incident 3 summers later
Black people still can’t swim: Reflections on the McKinney, TX pool incident 3 summers later
Editor’s Note: A version of this piece was previously published on The Each Other Project
I learned to swim well before I was 14 by taking classes at the local YMCA in East Cleveland. If that rec center was the only frame of reference, you’d think swimming was an exclusively Black phenomenon, the pool being even more segregated than the larger community. After moving to a more diverse suburb,…
After Winning $148K Settlement Over Violent Pool Party Arrest, Dajerria Becton Plans a ‘Do-Over’ to Celebrate
It’s been almost a month since Texas teen Dajerria Becton reached a settlement with the City of McKinney over her violent arrest at a neighborhood pool party in 2015. As a recent high school grad, Becton, 18, has a lot to celebrate these days and is reportedly having a “do-over” for the pool party that ended so violently for her three years ago.
In May, the city announced a $148,850 settlement with Becton and her family after they filed a $5 million lawsuit against McKinney and ex–Officer Eric Casebolt, who was filmed slamming the then-15-year-old to the ground and pinning his knee in her back as he tried breaking up a pool party. Viral video of the incident made headlines and sparked renewed conversation around police use of force against Black bodies.
Under the terms of the settlement, all claims against Casebolt, who is white and has since resigned, and the city of McKinney will be dismissed, the Star Telegram reported.
“… While the events precipitating this case are regrettable, the City of McKinney and the McKinney Police Department would like to express their thanks to the community for its commitment to inclusiveness, order, and unity,” the city said in a joint statement.
The traumatic incident is years in the past but Becton’s attorney, Kim T. Cole, said the teen still experiences backlash from the ongoing publicity surrounding her case. Cole told Teen Vogue of the time Becton called her in tears because one of the teachers at her school had shown the video of her arrest in class.
“This girl will never be the same,” Cole told the magazine. “Anyone who has been a teenage Black girl knows how hard it is, and to have this type of negative publicity, in your bikini, shown all over the world. It tore her up. We don’t know who she would have been had this not happened.”
This and other instances is what prompted her to host a “fabulous” pool party for Becton and the other teens arrested at the pool party that year. The event, set for June 23, will celebrate the teen’s recent graduations and the resolution of their lawsuit.
“My goal is to redo this experience,” Cole continued. “Dajerria recently told me she hasn’t been swimming since the incident.”
Among those on the guest list are Black Lives Matter activist DeRay McKesson and social justice writer Shaun King. The event will also help raise money for college scholarships, Teen Vogue reported.
As for Becton, Cole says she plans to attend community college and has dreams of starting her own business with the settlement money she received. Her attorney said he hopes this weekend’s festivities will offer some healing as Becton moves into the next chapter of her life.
Black Teenager Brutalized At Texas Pool Party Sues For $5 Million
#NewPost Black Teenager Brutalized At Texas Pool Party Sues For $5 Million
Dajerria Becton, the black teenager slammed to the ground during a 2015 pool party in McKinney, Texas, has filed a federal lawsuit against the officer involved, the city and the McKinney Police Department for $5 million. A cell phone video that went viral in June 2015 shows Eric Casebolt, the officer responding to disturbance calls at Craig Ranch North Community Pool, yanking 15-year-old…
An attorney for the teenage girl pinned down by a police officer during the infamous McKinney pool party in 2015 asked the city for $2.5 million in June to avoid a lawsuit, records show.
Attorney Kim T. Cole said that her client, Dajerria Becton, 16, had healed physically but that she still suffered from "social damage" because of the incident, according to a letter obtained this week through an open-records request.
"She would be best served at a private school for the remainder of her high school years due to the social backlash," Cole wrote about the teen.
A grand jury in Texas decided Thursday not to press any charges against a white police officer recorded on video apparently roughly handling a black teenage girl at a pool party last year, according to CBS DFW.
A video of the incident posted to YouTube went viral after former McKinney, Texas, officer Eric Casebolt threw the girl to the ground, sparking immediate outrage and criticism of the police department.
In the video, the officer is seen assessing the situation of a neighborhood pool party in which a fight between a mother and daughter broke out. The girl who would eventually be tossed to the ground, her face pushed into the ground by Casebolt, can be seen asking officers to call her mother throughout the entire ordeal.
It's unclear from the video what, if any, involvement the girl had in the fight prior to officers arriving at the scene.
But the jury decided to toss the investigation out entirely, reporting there wasn't enough evidence to press charges against Casebolt, according to CBS DFW.
The City of McKinney provided this statement on the incident, CBS DFW reported:
The McKinney Police Department's mission is to make the city a safe place to live, work and visit for everyone. In light of this, we seek to work in partnership with all who live and work in this great city. The incident at the Craig Ranch Pool in 2015 was turned over to the Texas Rangers for investigation. The Rangers concluded their investigation and presented it to the Collin County District Attorney's Office. On Thursday, June 23, the District Attorney's office presented the findings of the Rangers' investigation to a grand jury. The grand jury's decision was to "no bill" any charges against Eric Casebolt in relation to the June 2015 incident.
The McKinney Police Department will be holding a community forum at the Old Settler's Recreation Center 1201 E. Louisiana Street, McKinney, Texas 75069 on Monday, June 27, at 6:30 p.m. Several community leaders involved with the Police Chief's Advisory Council will be on hand to speak at the meeting focusing on the theme: Moving Forward, Strengthening Police and Community Relationships. All McKinney residents are invited to attend this meeting.
The officer's handling of the situation even prior to his treatment of the individual girl was called into question by those who had watched the video. Casebolt arrived to the scene sprinting, performing a barrel roll that led to nowhere.
#2015faves Peppy Hare Teaching Officer Eric Casebolt how to properly "Do a Barrel Roll!" #McKinney https://t.co/GtW3QBFGib
— Derek (@KentuckyBlacc)
December 30, 2015
He then ran back toward where he originally came from, pushing young boys to the ground and screaming at some to sit on the street while handcuffing others.
When McKinney policeofficer Eric Casebolt tossed a 14yr old blk girl to the ground; kneeling on her back. #Thathurt https://t.co/Ui9D5HSvSF
— Lanyia Richardson (@Lanyiadr)
June 16, 2016
To date, the original YouTube video has been watched over 12 million times.
Eric Casebolt, the officer who instigated the #McKinney Pool Party fiasco, will NOT face charges. Casebolt being let off scot-free (along with Caesar Goodson acquitted on all charges) is a sad day in America.
