Many people believe that the U.S. Park Police's decision to detain three black teens who were desperately trying to quench people's thirst Thursday, June 22 was racially motivated.

According to WJLA ABC 7, two undercover police officers cuffed a 16-year-old and two 17-year-old teens accused of selling bottled water at the National Mall without a vendor's permit. The officers also detained and released an adult who they discovered was not involved in the selling at all.

Thanks to tour guide Tim Krepp, his photos of the incident went viral begging the question would this happen to white kids doing the same thing. “My kids sell water and everyone smiles at them,” Krepp tweeted. “These kids do it and get arrested. It IS racist.”

After learning about the situation, Washington D.C. Councilman Charles Allen wrote a scathing letter that Friday to Park Police Cheif Robert MacLean reminding the top cop that this arrest would not happen if the teens weren't black.  

“I can’t help but think how the reaction by these same officers might have varied if different children had set up a quaint hand-painted lemonade stand on the same spot. While still the same violation of selling a beverage without proper permits and licenses, I doubt we would have seen little girls in pigtails handcuffed on the ground,” Allen wrote.

The fact that the teens were cuffed was the real issue here for Allen and many critics. It's also not a stretch to say that matters could have turned south quickly resulting in the young men's death.

“Officers placed them in handcuffs for the safety of the officers and of the individuals,” Sgt. Anna Rose of the U.S. Park Police said in a statement.

Ultimately, police issued a verbal warning and released the parties involved to guardians. 

national mallRacial profiling