An image of two horse-mounted officers utilizing a rope to guide a handcuffed black man by means of the streets of Galveston, Texas, has been slammed as racist and evoking reminiscences of slavery. Police issued an apology.
Police Chief Vernon Hale confirmed that the officers clipped a “line” to Donald Neely’s handcuffs after he was arrested on a misdemeanor felony trespassing on Saturday. They had been leading the suspect to a mounted patrol unit staging space.
The picture ignited outrage on-line after it went viral, with many drawing comparisons to racist photos and the period of slavery within the US. “Looks like they’re going to a slave auction,” one Twitter consumer said.
“This is 2019 and not 1819,” James Douglas, president of Houston’s NAACP chapter informed the Houston Chronicle.
“First and foremost I must apologize to Mister Neely for this unnecessary embarrassment,” Galveston Police Chief Vernon Hale said in a assertion. “Although this is a trained technique and best practice in some scenarios, I believe our officers showed poor judgement in this instance and could have waited for a transport unit at the location of the arrest.”
Police stated the division has modified its coverage to stop it from occurring once more.
It stated the officers, recognized as P. Brosch and A. Smith, didn’t have malicious intent.