Outrage at Texas police ‘slave’ treatment
Police in Texas have apologised after images emerged of two white officers on horseback leading a black man down the street by a rope.
Donald Neely, 43, had been arrested on suspicion of trespassing in an office building in Galveston, a coastal city of 50,000 people just outside Houston.
The officers attached a rope to the handcuffs behind his back, before leading him to a police staging area eight street blocks away.
A passerby took photographs that circulated on social media, leading to a backlash against the police. “He is not a dog or slave,” said a Facebook commenter connected to Neely.
“This is 2019 and not 1819,” said James Douglas, president of the Houston chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People.
Melissa Morris, a lawyer for Neely’s family, said he was homeless and mentally ill. She said: “I’m appalled. I believe the way they handled him was disgusting. The family is offended. The family is upset.”
Galveston’s police department said leading a suspect by a rope on horseback was something officers were trained to do.
However, it added: “We understand the negative perception of this action and believe it is most appropriate to cease the use of this technique. While this technique of using mounted horses to transport a person during an arrest is considered a best practice in certain scenarios, such as during crowd control, the practice was not used correctly in this instance.”
Vernon Hale, the police chief, said: “I must apologise to Mr Neely for this unnecessary embarrassment.
“I believe our officers showed poor judgment in this instance, and could have waited for a transport unit at the location of the arrest. We will review all mounted training and procedures.”