Thaindian News

By Gina Gomez
Feb 6, (THAINDIAN NEWS) The recent uproar that stirred the city of Houston after a video of several policemen beating a black teenager was unveiled, has led to the firing of seven police officers who were involved in the act. The incident took place last year on March 24, 2010 when Houston police kicked and stamped a teenager named Chad Holley who was 15-year-old at that time, all because the cops suspected him of burglary.

All the action was captured on a surveillance camera at the Uncle Bob’s Self-Storage store whose owner later on handed it over to the investigators. The teenager was proved guilty in last October of having stolen jewelry, cash and a keyboard from a house for which the court sentenced him to a two year old probation. What now has enraged the black community in Houston is the video where it has been found that the boy was mercilessly beaten by the police on a grassy mound while he was trying to escape from them. Interestingly, the tape was never brought to light during the trial of Chad Holley. It is Houston activist Quanell X who acquired the footage video and handed it over to the media. People were made aware of the fact after it was shown on ABC’s Houston station, KTRK-TV.

Houston Mayor Annise Parker, however, has denied that the authorities certainly were not trying to hide the video, an allegation that has been put forward by the black community. Houston NAACP President D.Z. Cofield said that of the seven officers who were fired two have successfully returned to their jobs after their appeals were granted.