Rally against police brutality in McKinney, Texas, June 8, 2015.
The head of the US's largest organisation of Black lawyers and judges joined activists and community leaders on June 10 to call for national police reform to address racial bias. She also backed calls for an independent investigation into a white police officer's recent assault of a young Black girl in her bathing suit at a pool party in McKinney, Texas.
“McKinney's not a moment,” said the National Bar Association President Pamela Meanes. “This is a movement.”
Meanes stressed that laws around appropriate use of police force are inadequately defined, calling for reform to hold officers accountable and address the disparities when it comes to policing of minority communities.
Hundreds of McKinney residents have protested since the incident that has further fuelled national outrage over police racism and brutality.
The calls for investigation come one day after officer David Eric Casebolt resigned from the McKinney Police Department amid public outrage.
Activists have condemned the systemic discrimination in police practices when it comes to Black youth and other racial minorities, highlighting the need for training and reform.
Meanes called for mandatory tolerance training and mental health testing for police officers. She stressed the importance of de-escalation training to stop officers pulling their guns as an immediate reaction, as Casebolt did.
[Abridged from TeleSUR English.]
Like the article? Subscribe to Green Left now! You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.