Galveston police chief defends white officers seen walking black man by rope on horseback, says 'we will do better'
Shortly after outrage over two white officers from the Galveston Police Department on horseback leading a black man in handcuffs, the Police Chief, Vernon Hale, defended them.
Hale asked his community to "look at the totality of the circumstances" after his department was slammed.
The police chief, while addressing a night town hall on Tuesday, said that the officers seen detaining 43-year-old Donald Neely for trespassing were not acting maliciously. The department clarified that although it may appear in the video that Neely's wrists were tied with rope, he was handcuffed and that the rope was attached to the cuffs. It was also revealed that Neely is mentally-ill and homeless.
The incident came to light after a video of the officers walking Neely was released online. Many viewers pointed out that in the clip, it appears that a bag is being removed from Neely's head, however, police later clarified that he had been wearing a welding mask when he was stopped and an officer then took it off from him.
"I know what the pictures show. I get it," Hale said. "But we have to look at the totality of the circumstances. I also know what I have in these officers, in their hearts. I have to learn from it. My agency needs to learn from it. And I commit to you that we will do better," Click 2 Houston reported.
The department said that the officers involved in the incident are not facing disciplinary action and were wearing body cameras at the time.
The police chief, during the town hall, also pointed out one of the officer's good deeds, saying: "He was handing out blankets in the wintertime to homeless. That's what's in his heart."
Despite the explanations from the chief, there has been continuing outrage from critics over the officers' actions. A prominent civil rights attorney, Benjamin Crump, reportedly flew from Florida to Texas to support Nelly's family and called for the officers to be fired.
"Those officers took advantage of a mentally ill black man," Crump said. "Do you have the courage to do what is right, not just with words, but actions?" he told ABC 13. "It was like they dragged our entire community down the road. We have to send the message that we won't stand for this in America."