# Blacks get lassoed by white men on horseback and paraded through Texas town... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 6, 2019, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278 "2019-08-06T23:29:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/81 "2019-08-21T15:14:10Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > So let me get this straight. You’re upset not because anything bad actually happened, but because it _looks_ bad? Yes, appearances matter. As **Atamasama** said, it’s not enough to be ethical, one must preclude the appearance of being unethical. That was the lesson at my place of work for a government contractor as well. > [@](#): > > And that it also doesn’t matter what something _looks_ like because it’s not the cops’ job to look good? It _is_ important for cops to look good. A key part of their role is being a trusted part of the community to enforce laws and protect people. It’s hard to do that role when they aren’t trusted by a large segment of the community. > [@](#): > > But why? They didn’t need a car. They had horses. The suspect could walk. Why would they call for a car? So they don’t _look_ bad? Why should the suspect have to walk? Punishment? Of course they should have called for a car. The point was that the cars were all busy, so they decided not to wait. But they should have waited. Or else let the suspect ride double. Yeah, that’s happening. Or let the suspect ride and walk the horse? No, not happening. I know, throw the suspect over the saddle like a pair of saddle bags. Yeah! ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/82 "2019-08-21T15:49:38Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > He’s their boss. It matters what he thinks. I’m not their boss, and neither are you. It doesn’t matter what we think. With respect to the police, “we” are a mixture of customer and boss. We, as taxpayers, setup and fund the police force to work on our behalf to keep the peace and enforce the laws. If the police use the power we have granted to them in ways that abuse the public, (without being necessary to keep the peace or enforce the law) what we think about it matters, and it should matter a whole hell of a lot. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/83 "2019-08-21T15:50:11Z")
And neverminding the way this makes the cops look, they should not do this also as a matter of respect for the accused. Lead a black man down the road with a rope? In light of what this means with respect to American history, rocks are truly required to be In the heads of anyone that doesn’t see the inhumane aspect of this. The top cop saw it right away. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/84 "2019-08-22T01:11:34Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > So let me get this straight. Yes. Let’s. > [@](#): > > You’re upset not because anything bad actually happened, but because it _looks_ bad? Something bad did happen. White LEOs put used a rope to force a Black man to walk through town. It actually does not matter if the cops were on horseback, were walking alongside him, or were in an automobile while holding the free end of the rope. Well, that last one is definitley worse than the others. One would hope you do not need an explanation for that. It looks bad because it is bad. > [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Not because anybody actually got lynched or anything, but because a rope kinda sorta reminds you of a lynching, and horses just seem to antiquated? “Or anything”. Guess what. “Or anything” actually happened, and it is bad. No, the Black man was not actually lynched. But there sure is history–quite modern history, too, mind you–of Blacks getting lynched, even in Texas. Guess what all those lynchings had in common? > [@](#): > > You realize cops use horses in 2019, right? And this doesn’t matter a good god damn if they remind anybody of the 19th century? And that it also doesn’t matter what something _looks_ like because it’s not the cops’ job to look good? That’s not the fucking issue here. > [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > But why? They didn’t need a car. They had horses. The suspect could walk. Why would they call for a car? So they don’t _look_ bad? They should call for a car so they don’t give the impression that they’re tying a fucking rope around a Black man and parading him through town. They should call fo r a car for transport. This might shock you, but it’s not the suspect’s responsibility to transport himself to the hoosegow. If a fucking car is not available, here’s a nifty idea: put the suspect on the horse with the cop. Are you actually that unaware of the country’s modern history? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/85 "2019-08-22T01:22:12Z")
I’m honestly trying to figure out _why_ a police department would even have a policy “for escorting a prisoner through town with a rope tied to his handcuffs and/or shackles while the escorting officer is mounted on a horse”. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/86 "2019-08-22T01:50:58Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > I’m honestly trying to figure out _why_ a police department would even have a policy “for escorting a prisoner through town with a rope tied to his handcuffs and/or shackles while the escorting officer is mounted on a horse”. Because it’s in Texas. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/87 "2019-08-22T04:27:28Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Because it’s in Texas. Thread decrying racism makes bigoted, stereotypical statement for about the 8th time. Come on…this could have happened in…well…Arizona too. Louisiana if it were an escaped prisoner. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/88 "2019-08-22T05:17:41Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > Thread decrying racism makes bigoted, stereotypical statement for about the 8th time. > > Come on…this could have happened in…well…Arizona too. Louisiana if it were an escaped prisoner. I don’t disagree. Or Florida, but anything can happen there. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/89 "2019-08-22T05:29:25Z")
But only if _Florida Man_ is involved. ---
**Author:** ![Translucent\_Daydream](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/translucent_daydream/32/16170_2.png) [@Translucent\_Daydream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Translucent_Daydream)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/90 "2019-08-22T13:35:57Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > But only if _Florida Man_ is involved. Definitely [Alabama Man](https://southpark.fandom.com/wiki/Alabama_Man) ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/91 "2019-08-22T14:36:34Z")
> [@3trew](#): > > Irishman has called for the paddy wagon in a thread dealing with the question of police racism. Irony’s last words were “Oh, man, I wish I’d thought of that”. Wait, paddy wagon is derogatory ? If so, I apologize for having used the word - in my defense, I only know one other way to call those in English, and Google told me “hurry-up wagon” was antiquated, obsolete and linked me to the 18th century, so. What’s the real word, then ? ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/92 "2019-08-22T15:03:11Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Wait, paddy wagon is derogatory ? If so, I apologize for having used the word - in my defense, I only know one other way to call those in English, and Google told me “hurry-up wagon” was antiquated, obsolete and linked me to the 18th century, so. What’s the real word, then ? Looks like it’s Police Van: > **[Police van](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_van)** > > A police van (also known as a paddy wagon, meat wagon, divisional van, patrol van, patrol wagon, police wagon, Black Mariah/Maria, police carrier, or in old-fashioned usage, pie wagon) is a type of vehicle operated by police forces. Police vans are usually employed for the transport of prisoners inside a specially adapted cell in the vehicle, or for the rapid transport of a number of officers to an incident. > Early police vans were in the form of horse-drawn carriages, with the carriage being ... However, the origination of the term is disputed and may actually be short for Patrol Wagon, which wouldn’t have any derogatory origin. Who knows? I’d probably just say paddy wagon, because I wouldn’t remember police van. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/93 "2019-08-22T15:06:46Z")
Black Maria ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/94 "2019-08-22T19:04:52Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > It would be interesting to know when the last time this treatment was applied to a white guy. It would be equally interesting to know when the last time the opportunity arose to apply this treatment to a white guy. You can’t claim someone is being treated differently without something to compare it to. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/95 "2019-08-22T19:21:06Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Wait what? > > You seem to be excusing the police because the man was walking, and was not actually exercising passive resistance and being dragged. So a headline used an incorrect word, and this makes it OK then? You think the problem was with the “dragging” part, and the rope around him was no big deal? Huh? Have you just beamed down to the planet? And you don’t think that kind of inaccurate reporting fans the flames? Accuracy matters. Man Being Walked Down Street by Mounted Cops While Handcuffed probably isn’t going to make you read any further. Black Man Dragged by White Cops on Horses! Now, that’s an eye-catcher! I don’t know the name for the phenomena but people tend to believe the first thing they see/hear about any given event. Even when the belief is later proved wrong. Michael Brown is still held up as some sort of martyr. We have a President who uses this to his advantage on a daily basis. To say this guy was dragged is inexcusable. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/96 "2019-08-22T19:24:26Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > It would be equally interesting to know when the last time the opportunity arose to apply this treatment to a white guy. You can’t claim someone is being treated differently without something to compare it to. I’m searching for data on how often mounted police make arrests. So far, I’ve found out that the standard procedure is to wait for a patrol unit, and that San Diego police similarly tied a prisoner to their saddle and walked him through the streets in [1986](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-12-19-me-3503-story.html). Not surprisingly, the black community there was outraged and witnesses said it looked like a slave being taken to market. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/97 "2019-08-23T09:24:35Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > Is it really that hard for the cops to say “sorry, no cars are available right this instant. Just sit tight on the curb there until we can get transport”? That would certainly surprise me. From observation and direct experience, it’s lying face down with the officers foot lightly resting on your back. And the word “sorry” wasn’t used. As to if that’s better or worse, I agree with management as quoted above: it’s better to lie with your nose rubbing in the gutter rather than to be paraded in public a couple of blocks. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/98 "2019-08-23T11:58:57Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > I’m searching for data on how often mounted police make arrests. So far, I’ve found out that the standard procedure is to wait for a patrol unit, and that San Diego police similarly tied a prisoner to their saddle and walked him through the streets in [1986](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-12-19-me-3503-story.html). Not surprisingly, the black community there was outraged and witnesses said it looked like a slave being taken to market. That it’s not surprising that it was a black man then as well goes basically without saying. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/99 "2019-10-04T07:36:10Z")
[_Update_](https://news.yahoo.com/looks-bad-says-white-texas-023949990.html): > [@](#): > > One of two white police officers who rode through the streets of Galveston, Texas, on horseback escorting a black man walking tethered to a rope is heard saying: “This is going to look really bad” in newly released police video footage of the incident. & > [@](#): > > At one point, officer Amanda Smith, seen leading Neely on a blue nylon rope she has fastened to his handcuffs, cautions him to “stop” at an intersection and to “stay next to me, because I’m gonna drag you if not.” And the two police officers concerned are still employed, albeit on “modified duty”. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2019, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/100 "2019-10-05T14:43:45Z")
I saw that on the TV news. Shows they had some awareness of the visibility of the incident, but not the prudence to reconsider. That remark about dragging sounds more like a parent chiding an unruly child than a racist. Still, not the best remark out of one of Galveston’s “Finest”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278.md?page=6)