This is just sickening and uncalled for.
— zellie (@zellieimani) August 6, 2019
This young black man was put on a leash while handcuffed between two mounted horses in Galveston, Texas.
This invokes painful imagery of slave catchers and runaway enslaved Africans. pic.twitter.com/ZHEmyCYbUE
According to Donald’s sister Tranette Neely, he has a history with mental illness, specifically schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. This has resulted in Donald refusing help from his family, living on the street and having run-ins with the law. She spoke with the New York Times about his condition. This is an excerpt from that article
Court records show that Mr. Neely had been arrested six times already in 2019 on misdemeanor criminal trespassing charges, part of what Ms. Neely said was a long history of interactions with the police. Court records show dozens of arrests for mostly low-level crimes dating back to the mid-1990s.
In recent years, Ms. Neely said, her brother had stopped taking his medication, and his mental state was deteriorating.
Based on his encounters with the law, the police should have known his mental state, Tranette said. The Galveston police have since apologized about the incident, but the damage is already done. That photo shows a lack of empathy for Donald’s condition and worse a lack of respect for his humanity. “You’re a criminal in their eyes. You’ll always be a criminal. Ain’t no redemption for you. You’re trash. And that’s how they treated him,” Tranette said.