A Black man who was tied to a rope and paraded through the streets of Galveston, Texas, last year by two white police officers on horseback has sued the city’s police department for $1 million in damages, according to reports.
Donald Neely, 44, claims he suffered humiliation, fear and emotional distress during his arrest in August 2019, according to the lawsuit filed last week in Galveston County District Court.
»SOUTH GEORGIA CASE: Black man sues Valdosta Police Dept., claiming excessive force during arrest
“Neely felt as though he was put on display as slaves once were,” the lawsuit states, according to CBS News.
The incident sparked protests and national outrage after police body-cam footage of the encounter surfaced on the news and social media.
»MORE: Black man says he was victim of ‘attempted lynching’ on July 4
The officers crudely tied the rope to handcuffs on Neely’s wrists and then led him to a mounted patrol staging area a block away.
Reports said Neely was homeless at the time and had been napping on a sidewalk when the officers placed him under arrest for trespassing, a charge that was later dismissed in court.
The legal action, which seeks a jury trial, accuses the city and the police department of negligence and calls the officers' conduct “extreme and outrageous,” according to KHOU-TV, the CBS affiliate in Houston.
»IN DEPTH: Police unions brace for fight as calls grow to ‘defund’ law enforcement
The suit further claims the two deputies should have known Neely would be offended by the use of a rope “as though he was a slave” and alleges malicious prosecution connected to the trespassing charge.
One of the officers can be heard twice on body-cam footage expressing concern that the whole thing looked “bad.”
Immediately following the incident, Police Chief Vernon Hale called the officers' actions a “trained technique and best practice in some scenarios” but acknowledged they “showed poor judgment” by using the tactic on Neely.
The department apologized and has since changed its policy.
An investigation by the Texas Rangers found the officers broke no laws during the arrest.
A status conference was set for January, CBS reported.
About the Author
