Settlement Agreement Reached In McKinney 'Pool Party' Lawsuit
MCKINNEY (CBSDFW.COM) - McKinney Mayor George Fuller accused a Dallas-based community activist of using political extortion rhetoric and threats and cancelled a planned meeting.
"What he (Dominique Alexander) said specifically, he made a threat to impact the judicial system that was taking place, a veiled, unsubstantiated ridiculous threat," Mayor Fuller claimed during a called news conference organized by Alexander, leader of Next Generation Action Network.
Alexander led protests against the McKinney Police Department in 2015, after video was broadcast worldwide showing former officer Eric Casebolt tossing a bikini-clad teenager to the ground in his effort to shut down a rowdy end-of-school pool party.
On Tuesday, the City of McKinney announced the settlement of a lawsuit filed on behalf of teenager Dajerria Becton against the city.
Mayor Fuller confirmed that he cancelled a meeting with Alexander, after the community activist spoke at a McKinney City Council meeting. During that meeting, Councilman Lashadion Shemwell was formally censured for making questionable statements during a police stop.
Police arrested Shemwell after he declined to sign a traffic citation. Alexander spoke against the called censure of Shemwell.
In email correspondence after Alexander's council statement, Mayor Fuller stated, "I believe any time spent with you... would not produce positive results," he wrote.
Fuller added in an email a description of teen Dajerria Becton. He described her as a "verbally abusive and disobedient girl." He called the former officer's actions "reckless."
The proposed meeting request for Mayor Fuller included an invitation to a pool party for Becton, who is graduating from high school this week.
Attorney Kim T. Cole chastised Fuller's statements regarding Becton, while he stood ten feet from her. "I'm very disturbed by the Mayor's words this morning. For this Mayor to come out and say the girl was verbally abusive to the officer, and it justifies his behavior, is ridiculous. Once again, the city turns a blind eye and deaf ear to these kids," she said.