'This is gonna look really bad': Black man tied to police horse and paraded down street shown in newly released bodycam footage
Neither officer has been charged following the incident in August
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Newly released body camera footage shows a police officer on horseback leading a black man down a street by a rope.
“This is going to look really bad,” one of the officers is heard saying in the video, released on Wednesday.
The clip shows the arrest on 3 August, when Donald Neely — a man who family lawyers have said suffers from mental illness and regularly sleeps on the streets of Galveston — was arrested on trespassing charges.
The incident sparked outrage, after images were shared widely online. In those pictures, the officers can be seen leading Mr Neely with a rope, and on horseback.
While neither officer faced criminal charges, the new video provides yet another glimpse into the series of events. Both officers were placed on “modified duty” following the incident.
At one point in the video, officer Amanda Smith, who can be seen leading Mr Neely with a blue nylon rope, tells the man to “stop” at an intersection, adding: “stay next to me, because I’m gonna drag you if not.”
Her patrol partner, Patrick Brosch, raises concerns at two points during the video.
“This is going to look really bad,” he says, according to the video.
At one point, Mr Neely says he is not embarrassed, prompting Mr Brosch to say: “I’m glad you’re not embarrassed, Mr Neely.”
Community activists and lawyers for Neely’s family have demanded decisive action to prevent a repeat of police conduct they said was an insult to the dignity of all African-Americans.
“When they dragged Donald Neely down that road by horses and rope, it was like they were dragging our entire community down the road,” Ben Crump, president of the National Civil Rights Trial Lawyers Association, said in an appearance with other supporters in August.
Reuters contributed to this report
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments