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A POLICE CHIEF in Texas has apologised after a photo of two police officers mounted on horseback walking a handcuffed black man by a rope went viral.
The image caused outrage, serving as a painful reminder of some of the bleakest moments in America’s brutally racist past, including the chaining of enslaved people and lynching of blacks in the Jim Crow South in the years after emancipation.
Vernon Hale, police chief for the coastal Texas city of Galveston, said that Donald Neely, who was arrested on Saturday for trespassing, should have been taken to the station in a police car, but only mounted officers were available. Neely was then escorted on foot, led by a length of rope and flanked by the mounted officers.
“Although this is a trained technique and best practice in some scenarios, in a statement published on Monday on Facebook.
“First and foremost I must apologise to Mister Neely for this unnecessary embarrassment,” Hale said, adding that policy had been changed so that the technique would no longer be used.
Hale’s statement sparked frustration, with some activist groups saying his response was “weak”.
Others called for the officers to be penalised or fired for “humiliating” Neely in a manner that recalls extreme acts of racism from the country’s past, or even convicted criminals exhibited in public squares.
“This is 2019 and not 1819,” James Douglas, president of the NAACP’s Houston chapter, told the Houston Chronicle.
Democratic 2020 hopeful Beto O’Rourke, who is from the West Texas city of El Paso, also denounced the incident, tweeting, “This moment demands accountability, justice, and honestly (sic) – because we need to call this out for what it is: racism at work.”
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Fair enough he did wrong but absolutely no way should he have been paraded like this. Hope the 2 cops are sacked. Well done to the photographer who took it
@Annette: stupid thing to do from a PR perspective. They followed procedure though, so there are no grounds to sack them.
@joe: Any training involving this needs to stop.
@Annette: He wasn’t paraded. He was cuffed, they were on horses and they had to get him to jail. He was merely being walked to jail.
@Liam McLiam: Could of called for a car. There is no way on earth they should be walking him to the cell on horse back unless it’s back in the wild west or a post apocalyptic world
@Tommy C:
Check subheading. Mounted were only ones available.
@Maurice: that’s what they will say of course. It certainly won’t be, yes we had cars available but said we will just walk him down the road instead
@Tommy C: well unless you have evidence to otherwise, and at that I’m not saying some won’t come out, we have to kind of take them on their word. From a optics point of view it looks awful. Its appearing on a website half the world away for us to comment on.
@Tommy C: In essence just using Hanlon’s razor on this event.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon%27s_razor
@Maurice: then they should have waited until there was a car available.
@Liam McLiam: call a car?
@Al Fresco:
Yes they should’ve and I’m betting would have in hindsight but like I said above with Hanlon’s razor – their decision can be adequately explained by stupidity and we don’t have to reach for malice by calling them racist. Saying they wanted to parade this black man around town like a returned slave from 170 years ago.
@Tommy C: Doing their bit against climate change?
@Maurice: jesus christ go out the back and have a good fart for yourself
@Liam McLiam: you are one stupid fuc#er
@roderick: I love it when the outrage police don’t bother reading the article n go straight into virtue signaling mode lol sack them, name n shame them, they should never work again !
@Damien Mc Padden: that’s a fair bit of horse manure!
“Although this is a trained technique” is the bit that surprised me. Officers must have been fairly thick if they did not anticipate what the reaction of the public would be.
The Wild West
Surprised they just didn’t gun him down
@Denis White: Racist stupid cops had sawn off shot guns and foolishly sawed off the wrong end
Totally unacceptable behavior, be it black or white, Texas or Tallaght. Arrest the guy, call for a squad car, feck him in the back of it. If this appeared on the front of the Herald because it happened in Darndale there would be just as much outrage. Those yanks really do need their swagger kicked out of them on occasion.
@Tony Harris: our mounted unit is more public order than out arresting people – arrests should always be done in a car.
@Tony Harris: don’t be so stupid. This would never happen to a white person.
@roderick: you virtue signalling NPC.
Django unchained 2019
Mind boggling that they missed the guaranteed negative impact of their equestrian actions
All the arresting police officer had to do was climb down off his horse and walk alongside the individual holding his arm and this would never have been an issue. I’m sure the other police officer could have managed a second horse.
So
@Jurgen Remak: I meant Wow, that’s bad.
@Jurgen Remak: Haha. I’m sure you did!
@Jurgen Remak: C U Next Tuesday
@Jurgen Remak: big BIG difference between So and Wow or were you tying to type in Spanish to please the funky gibbon (TRUMP)
Blazin saddles
They will never learn what is acceptable.
@John Hanrahan: like theft.
According to the BBC the police chief explained that the guy was mentally ill and they didn’t want to hang around waiting over an hour for appropriate transport so that’s why they did it. He told the lads don’t be doing that again and apparently that has fixed the problem. Appalling on so many fronts.
@HuffnPuff: So they walked an mentally ill person through a town on a rope. That is even worse
Holy s**t, they’re just being openly racist now. I knew US cops were racist but good lord!
@Keith O’Reilly: How is it racist; you’re presuming that wouldn’t so same thing to a White man which is pure speculation on your part. One things’s for sure if they were to do it to a white man we wouldn’t hear about it.
@Fintan O’flaois: gobshi#e
@Keith O’Reilly: holy shit you didn’t bother reading it did u lol
To say white men never experience slavery is a misnomer. Our own ancestors were slaves to the English monarchy. And I’m guessing this happened all around the world with the higher classes using the lower as slaves. The Roman Empire also comes to mind.
@Thefallguy: So what happened in this news story/ the image shown is OK or are you just moaning about something else? What point are you trying to prove about white slavery? If it’s such a passion project for you why don’t you write an article on it for the Journal? You seemed to be well versed as you have referenced ‘Roman times’ with regards to a black man being paraded cuffed & roped in the South…your links will be fascinating to read…
@Thefallguy: Irish Slavery is a myth.
@Thefallguy: you do know that the Irish had slaves ? Regular raids into Britain to bring back slaves. Read a fuller history.
@paul: as did the majority of cultures at that time.
@GrahamMManning: no it is not.
@Michael Henvey: yes it is. Indentured servitude and slavery are not the same thing.
@GrahamMManning: indentured servitude was not a choice. There were many cases Irish slave rising in arms throughout the Caribbean. This is history and welll documented. Not exactly happy with their lot one would imagine. English policy after the Cromwell wars in Ireland was to ship off Irish fighters to the colonies.Identured irish slaves in the Caribbean were mostly rebels , criminals and innocents. And women. Shouldn’t forget the women which suffered awfully. Abduction from their homes and country and sent to a lofe of sexual slavery. A slave with a contract is still a slave.
@GrahamMManning: wow… they are
Held against ones will and unpaid for the fruits of their labour. You actually sound like one of the plantation owners with your rhetoric.
@Michael Henvey: have a read. Educate yourself
@Dave Thomas:
From your own link –
In many countries, systems of indentured labor have now been outlawed, and are banned by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a form of SLAVERY. (emphasis added)
At best it is time limited slavery.
@Michael Henvey: they still weren’t slaves. Was it evil and were they treated horrifically? Of course. But it still wasn’t slavery. Educate yourself
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_slaves_myth
@andyearley: chatted a lot with those lads have ya? Not condoning it in any shape or form but it was not slavery. This is easily googleable kid.
@Maurice: still not the same as chattel slavery.
@Dave Thomas: dave you made my point perfectly.
@Dave Thomas:
Agreed, they’re 2 different forms of slavery.
@GrahamMManning: read the book Baltimore and the Barbary Pirates. West cork in around1641 some 240 inhabitants where taken into slavery by as Algerians. Only 2 ever returned.
@GrahamMManning:
No one is saying you’re condoning slavery.
Do you have a comment on the link Dave Thomas posted?
In many countries, systems of indentured labor have now been outlawed, and are banned by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a form of slavery.
so yes they were different from chattel slaves but are still slaves according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
@Bren Guiden: aware of what happened and I’m not saying over the entire history of time there’s never been an Irish slave. I’m saying what happened to Irish people over the course of GBs dominion over us, however horrific and wrong, was not slavery
@Maurice: fair nuff you’re not, reflexive comment given some people’s usual debate style on ere, apologies. Nope didn’t read it. Under UDHR today they may both be differing levels of the slavery. But the UDHR didn’t exist then and under the common everyday understanding of slavery, in either time, the indentured servitude of Irish in the Americas doesn’t meet the same bar. Also the primary proponents of this myth tend to be white supremacists trying to diminish the slavery of Africans in the americas. Not saying that’s what you’re doing.
@GrahamMManning:
You’re right, I’m not trying to diminish African slaves on here. Words change slightly over time, this wasn’t considered slavery but now is even though it is time limited. In my opinion, the most accurate way of putting it (now) is the Irish were slaves but not chattel slaves like the Africans. In another hundred years this statement might not be accurate because of words changing again.
@Maurice: fair enough. I disagree but can see the logic behind it.
@paul: St Patrick being one of them..
@Ashish Uday Lal: nah, got going to humor you with links to my research!! My point being, a lot of folk above me in the comments were harping on about the fact it was black man and the symbolism it represents. The police were on horse back how else were they to bring him to the jail. On the back of the horse, or perhaps put I’m out front and use a whip, (I jest). But the symbolism of the rope is not much different to that of handcuffs, and certainly no different had it being a white male being escorted in the same manner.
Lol texas isnt of this world.they are a different breed of people.anyone that’s been there would understand this.
@Seriously stunned: I have n I found they r just people , imagine my surprise
So, there are no police cars in Texas now ? Disgraceful
Sickening.
@Crom Aboo: The Irish were kept as indentured workers, meaning they could work their way to being free. Black people were not afforded the same opportunity.
@Tracy Moore: identured contacts were lifelong and under extremely bad conditions. Identured slave was and is a slave.
@Tracy Moore: key word is could, not a certainty most likely die a slave
@Michael Henvey: It’s not, indentured servants worked for a fixed time under an agreed contract, plus they were not the property of their master. Yes, in many cases, masters were able to manipulate the contract so that it was extended but a crucial difference is that this contract was not passed on to their children unlike chattel slavery. In any case, I doubt you care to understand the distinction. In your other comment on this page, you belittle the appalling treatment of this man. You wrongfully claim that he was arrested for robbery instead of trespassing, a minor offence by comparison and one which is rarely punished though in the US that depends on the colour of one’s skin. And even if it was robbery, he still deserves human dignity, anyone with an ounce of humanity would argue that. A person is also innocent until proven guilty but in many cases people of colour are wrongfully accused plus they incur far less favourable treatment by the authorities.
@Conor Kennelly: the point is he shouldn’t have been there and the police were moving him. The photo looks distateful. I havent belittled anyone. I feel bad for the man. I would feel worse if he was up to worse and wasnt removed. He deserves dignity as do the men trying to prtect the law. Not you or I know its full context so why do people assume its racial in tone?
With regard the indentured work. Losers in the Cromwellian wars in Ireland shipped to prevent further insurgency in Ireland. Government policy. Id say they were delighted.Uprisings well documented in the Caribbean. Low wages and constant credit to ensure continuous contracts even after being bound to a 35 year identure. Call it what you will. A slave with a contract is still a slave.
@Daniel O’Leary: how does this relate to the article above?
@Vocal Outrage: it’s a article about cops…not doing things correctly…..the link is also about cops not doing things correctly and stiching folks up….and both are being investigated….that’s the relationship..
At what point did they think this was going to be a good idea? Surely they must have known there was going to be an uproar about it.
Amazing the staggering amount of idiots who feel they need to justify this image with useless commentary about race, law enforcement & slavery in general. Get it through your thick skull that this image is bad because of historical connotations. Repeated ‘what about…’ justifications of this action are weak and just put your bigotry out there for all to see…
@Ashish Uday Lal: amazing how quick people reduce their arguments to name calling and labelling when they can’t make a logical non reactionary argument.
They might have mistaken him for Trump
Or a member of the Dail, or Irish water…am I missing anyone?
It’s back to medieval times, hang drawn and quartered. In America .
Woah, well there went about 30+ comments. Thread summed up as “Irish slaves=myth”. If you don’t agree google/read and educate yourself.
@GrahamMManning: i personally cant think of anything more dishonourable to the people , our ancestors, who were exposed to such conditions.
@Michael Henvey: reading and educating yourself dishonours your ancestors how?
@GrahamMManning: misinformed yourself and misrepresenting information is imo.
@GrahamMManning: blatantly ignoring historical record does in this case.
@GrahamMManning: misinformation does
@Michael Henvey: then you should stop doing it. And put things in single posts when they’re that brief. Tis not hard.
Mature.
@GrahamMManning: mature
@Michael Henvey: Not especially but still accurate unlike urself.
@GrahamMManning: wasn’t st patrick a slave?
@Seamus Mac: we’re discussing a tad more recent history. Not saying no individual Irish person over the entire course of history was ever a slave just that those in indentured servitude in the America’s, horrific though there situation was, were not slaves. Also he was most likely either Scottish or Welsh not Irish.
They could have at least put a sack over his head to protect the poor mans identity and save his blushes.
Appalling. Disgusting. Blatantly openly racist. Texas in a bygone age. Bible bashers. How blessed are the hypocrites! # NO RELEGION
Having to do a walk of shame throw the town might actually stop many of theses offenders. Bring back the stocks in the town square I say
@Muddy: you should be the first to be stuck in one
Texas?
I thought it was longford
Number of cars in Texas = 22 million. Number of horses in Texas = 1 million. 2 horses available but not 1 car – something doesn’t add up.
The southern states seem like the most frightening place on earth. What a backwards dump.
@Rochelle: bit of an overstatement? Perspective is helpful
Make America great again……. Aye, dead on!!!!
What a moronic thing to do at any time but especially in todays US.
They should have tazered him and threw him over the horse.
@Mike O’Sullivan: oh dear, why don’t you mention the Irish slave trade in your comment ? Doesn’t suit your narrative ?, ie. British bad, Irish good.
Only in America.
Maybe over the Garda might start doing the same
Vernon L. Hale, III no less.
The sure get royalty running the Texan cop shops.
And? It doesn’t look good but that’s not really the point. This wouldn’t be a story if it were a white person.
Are they idiots or what ???
Not a good look! All criminals have to be treated fairly, their dignity preserved and their human rights respected.
Could the officers not of arrested the man on foot then walk him back to the station?? Would of seemed a better solution and looked better than leading him at walking pace tied to a horse. Didn’t seem like common sense was used or else done for deliberate shock value
have your say