This video is upsetting and I am tired of our country shrugging off situations of police misconduct or brutality. These teenagers were simply attending a pool party. How is the treatment of these kids justifiable?

Officer Casebolt escalated the situation by screaming and cursing at these kids even though the other officers on duty were calm. After he manhandled a 14-year-old girl and drew his weapon on the boys who seemed to be reacting in her defense, this officer’s suspension and later resignation was not enough. Why is he not facing additional charges?

According to witnesses who were at the party, this incident began when an adult from another group that was using the pool insulted a teenager using racial stereotypes and then assaulted the 19-year-old woman who tried to defend the young girl. Why is the woman who initiated the argument given a free pass for her behavior?

Also according to accounts from the teenagers, these kids were invited to the party by either classmates or friends and it was a diverse group of students. The white teens who were interviewed stated that they were “invisible” to Officer Casebolt and that their friends of color were the only individuals targeted by the officer. What is the rationale for treating some or any of these teenagers as perpetrators?

Our society needs to stop making excuses for police brutality. It does not matter what we think these teenagers “should have done” when the officers arrived on scene. When we see a young girl abused and humiliated, young boys nearly shot, and kids criminalized, we have to question those in law enforcement and the other adults who were directly or indirectly involved in case. Would we really applaud the actions of Officer Casebolt if these kids were our own children, relatives, or acquaintances?

Is this the procedure for handling encounters with unarmed teenagers?