Ron Paul slams militarization of US police

Former US congressman Ron Paul has condemned the militarization of police departments in the United States after a video showed police officers attacked a group of black teenagers in Texas.

The video released on YouTube last week showed white police officer Eric Casebolt drew his gun at teenagers during a pool party in McKinney.

He also grabbed a black teenage girl by the hair and wrestled her to the ground to handcuff her. The officer sat on the 14-year-old bikini-clad girl in an effort to prevent her from standing up.

“The biggest problem right now is the militarization of the police because that seems to be a culture,” Paul said during his program, Ron Paul Liberty Report.

“When I was watching that video… I thought where are these policemen? Don’t they even turn on the news? Don’t they know what people are thinking? Why would they do this and pulling a gun? It’s the militarization of the police which is the consequence of other problems,” he added.

Hundreds of people took to the streets in McKinney on Monday to protest against police brutality.

They also called for the firing of the police officer.

Casebolt resigned from his post following protests over the incident.

Police Chief Greg Conley said the actions of Casebolt are “indefensible," adding that the officer was "out of control during the incident."

Jane Bishkin, the resigned police officer’s attorney, said his client had received death threats.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) condemned the incident.

"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 of the NAACP. "These teens appeared to be simply attending a pool party and deserved respectful treatment under the law.”

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