National and leadership throughout the state of Texas within the NAACP have released statements in response to the McKinney Police Department’s excessive use of force against teenagers between the ages of 13 and 16, including a 14-year-old girl clad in a bikini, while attending a pool party in McKinney, Texas.
“I am deeply disturbed by the McKinney Police Department’s treatment of these African American teenagers. The excessive force on an unarmed 14-year-old girl clad only in a bikini by an officer wearing a uniform and a gun, was particularly troubling,” said Cornell William Brooks, president and CEO of the NAACP. “The NAACP has reached out to the families of these young people and will be advocating on their behalf at our meeting with McKinney Police Chief Greg Conley tomorrow. These teens appeared to be simply attending a pool party and deserved respectful treatment under the law. We are calling for a full investigation of the McKinney Police Department officers and that they be held accountable to the full extent of the law. We also join the community in wrapping our arms around these young people as they heal from the physical and mental scars this incident may have caused.”
“The over-the-top response of the McKinney Police Department has led to very serious concerns about the department’s ability to fairly provide police protection in our neighborhoods and to children of color,” said. Gary Bledsoe, Texas State Conference President.
“The NAACP has serious concerns about the overbearing response, specifically the officer’s unreasonable brandishing and the aiming of his firearm at 13, 14 and 15-year-old teens who had broken no laws,” said Ricky McNeal, president of the Garland Texas Branch. “ We are concerned because the level of force applied did not match the alleged resistance exhibited by the teens.”
The organization says that Dallas/Fort Worth, state and national NAACP leadership will meet with McKinney Police Chief Greg Conley to demand a thorough investigation led by an independent police agency.
