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The Great March on Galveston

NNPA NEWSWIRE — News of the arrest of Donald Neely spread like wildfire, after a couple of shocking photos appeared on social media showing two White, uniformed Galveston Mounted Patrol Officers escorting Neely, who is Black, down the middle of 23rd Street in Galveston like a runaway slave; handcuffing him with his hands behind his back and leading him by rope down the street like a captured animal as they rode their individual horses down the street.

Published

7 years ago

August 20, 2019

Oakland Post

Civil Rights Attorney Benjamin Crump addresses media at historic Jack Johnson Park in Galveston, Texas. Photo Credit: Jeffrey L. Boney

Attorney Benjamin Crump Threatens to Bring National Civil Rights and Mental Health Advocates to Galveston if Sept. 15 Deadline Not Met to Release Body Camera Footage

By Jeffrey L. Boney, NNPA Newswire Contributor

Back on August 3rd, Donald Neely was arrested by Galveston police after he allegedly committed the crime of criminal trespassing at a commercial property located at 306 22nd Street, and after allegedly being warned not to do trespass on the property several times before.

It was not the arrest of Neely that caused a stir, it was the way in which he was detained that has caught the attention of people across the country, including many civil rights activists and attorneys. This action caught the immediate attention of several witnesses, who took the pictures and shared them on social media.

News of the arrest spread like wildfire, after a couple of shocking photos appeared on social media showing two White, uniformed Galveston Mounted Patrol Officers escorting Neely, who is Black, down the middle of 23rd Street in Galveston like a runaway slave; handcuffing him with his hands behind his back and leading him by rope down the street like a captured animal as they rode their individual horses down the street.

Neely, 43, suffers from mental illness.

According to Neely’s family, he has suffered from mental illness for over a decade and had been homeless based off their last known interaction. The family had not seen him in roughly four years, but saw the disrespectful and dehumanizing photos of him circulating online.

According to a statement released by the Galveston Police Department, they state that “when a police car was not immediately available, he (Neely) was escorted by mounted police officers about four blocks to a nearby staging area.”

National civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump held a major press conference on August 12th, calling on the Galveston Police Department to release the body camera footage of the incident to be able to determine whether Neely’s civil rights may have been violated.

“This isn’t 1819. This is 2019, Galveston, Texas,” said Crump. “The Galveston Police Department should have no problem releasing the body cam video, so we can see with our own eyes the content of the character of these two officers; based off of how they talked to and how they treated this unarmed Black citizen who suffered from mental illness.”

Nearly 170 years ago, the federal government passed the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which gave individuals known as “slave catchers” the legal mandate to go anywhere in the country to locate and prosecute runaway slaves and return them to their slave masters.

These slave catchers were usually individual citizens who were paid to catch runaway slaves, and some were members of local law enforcement. Nevertheless, the majority of these slave catchers were known to ride horses, as well as use ropes and chains to secure the runaway slaves, making them walk behind or beside their horses until they reached their destination.

Fast forward to 2019, and we see that the slave catcher model has reared its ugly head once again; this time in Galveston.

One of the people who received a copy of the picture and shared it on social media, is a former Galveston resident named Erin Toberman, who is White and whose father was a police captain.

At the press conference, Toberman spoke to reporters and made some strong and salient points about the incident.

“I’m a White woman and I have nothing but respect for law enforcement and I know how hard their job can be, because my father was a police Captain,” said Toberman. “Members of law enforcement have always told me that if I see something, I should say something. Well, I saw something and I said something, but now I’m being told that I shouldn’t have saw anything or said anything. That isn’t right.”

Crump said that once Galveston Police Department releases the video and they can determine the content of the character of the officers involved to be in line with what the police department is saying, they will leave, but until then they do not plan on leaving the city.

“We are not going anywhere,” said Crump. “As a matter of fact, if you don’t release the video in 30 days, we are going to invite other civil rights advocates, mental health advocates and human rights advocates, and we will have a great march on Galveston. We are going to march down the same street that you dragged Donald Neely down by rope.”

State Senator Borris L. Miles released a statement regarding the Galveston Police Department Mounted Patrol incident, stating:

“I condemn Officer P. Brosch and A. Smith for their actions during this arrest and for unnecessarily subjecting Mr. Neely to that public humiliation. I applaud Galveston Police Chief Vernon Hale for his swift response and apology to Mr. Neely. I ask him to consider disciplinary actions against those two officers and to institute department-wide sensitivity training to ensure that officers, present and future understand why this was wrong, why it was inhumane and why it was downright racist.”

Crump set the deadline date to release the video for September 15. In the meantime, both the Texas Rangers and the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the controversial arrest. In expressing their seriousness about the release of the video, Crump led attendees in a chant to demand its release, chanting, “Say No Mo’…Release the Video.”

According to the Galveston Police Department, the body cameras were functional and were live during the encounter with Neely, so now it boils down to the actual release of the footage.

Galveston Police Chief Vernon Hale and Galveston City Manager Brian Maxwell, both made statements expressing their belief that the officers may have used poor judgment regarding the incident and the officer’s handling of Neely.

“Although this is a best practice in certain scenarios, I don’t think it was the best practice at this point in time,” said Chief Hale.

Chief Hale has stated that his department has ended the use of this practice effective immediately. However, this is not good enough for Neely’s family, his attorneys and for many community advocates who have been riveted by this incident.

Time will tell if the Galveston Police Department will comply with Crump’s demands and inquiring minds want to know what exactly they will hear and see once the footage is released.

Jeffrey Boney is a political analyst and frequent contributor for the NNPA Newswire and BlackPressUSA.com and the associate editor for the Houston Forward Times newspaper. Jeffrey is an award-winning journalist, dynamic, international speaker, experienced entrepreneur and business development strategist. Follow Jeffrey on Twitter @realtalkjunkies.

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Poll Shows Support for Policies That Help Families Afford Child Care

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — New national polling shows persistent voter concern about the affordability and availability of child care for working parents, alongside broad support across key demographic groups for federal child care policies that help families afford care.

Published

1 day ago

March 2, 2026

Oakland Post

By First Five Years Fund

New national polling shows persistent voter concern about the affordability and availability of child care for working parents, alongside broad support across key demographic groups for federal child care policies that help families afford care.

The national survey was conducted by UpOne Insight on behalf of the First Five Years Fund from January 13–18, 2026.

Key findings include:

• Parents need help: 80% of voters say the ability of working parents to find and afford child care is either in a state of crisis or a major problem.

• This is an affordability issue: 82% believe federal child care funding will help lower costs for working families — including 69% of Republicans, 84% of Independents, and 94% of Democrats.

• And there continues to be strong support (62%) for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), a federal program that makes it possible for hundreds of thousands of families to afford safe, quality care for their children while parents work or go to school, including a majority of Republicans, 63% of Independents and 72% of Democrats.

• Support for funding child care programs remains strong: 75% believe child care funding should be increased or kept at current levels — including 75% of Republicans, 85% of Independents, and 97% of Democrats.

• 74% say funding for child care is an important and good use of tax dollars, including a majority of Republicans, three-quarters of Independents, and nine in ten Democrats.

FFYF Executive Director Sarah Rittling said, “Voters across the country are sending a clear message: federal child care and early learning programs work. These investments help parents stay in the workforce, strengthen families, and support healthy child development. They have also long had strong bipartisan support in Congress. At a time when affordability is top of mind for families, continued federal funding is essential to ensure child care remains accessible and within reach.”

First Five Years Fund works to protect, prioritize, and build bipartisan support for quality child care and early learning programs at the federal level. Reliable, affordable, and high-quality early learning and child care can be transformative, not only enhancing a child’s prospects for a brighter future but also bolstering working parents and fostering economic stability nationwide.

We work with Congress and the Administration to identify federal solutions that work for families with young children, as well as states and communities. We work with policymakers to identify ways to increase access to affordable, high-quality child care and early learning programs for children. And we collaborate with advocacy groups to help align best practices with the best possible policies. http://www.ffyf.org

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Trump’s MAGA Allies are Creating Executive Order Plan to Steal the 2026 Midterms

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The document that could lead to an executive order proposes using the claim that China interfered with the 2020 elections as grounds to “declare a national emergency.” The move would be an unprecedented step that would grant Trump new authority over the voting systems in the U.S.

Published

4 days ago

February 27, 2026

Oakland Post

By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Correspondent

A group of MAGA pro-Trump activists, who say they are working in coordination with the White House, are circulating a 17-page draft executive order that would claim without evidence that China interfered with the 2020 presidential election. Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential to President Joe Biden by over 7 million votes. Since Trump lost to Biden in 2020, he has repeatedly claimed that the election was “stolen” without evidence. The report of a group of “Trump allies” preparing an executive order to give Trump power over elections was first reported by The Washington Post.

The lies around the right-wing campaign that pushed falsehoods that the 2020 election was stolen was trafficked through right-wing media, particularly Fox News. Fox News was then sued for defamation for the claims by Dominion Voting Systems. Fox lost the case and had to settle for the largest defamation amount on record of $787.5 million in April 2023.

The document that could lead to an executive order proposes using the claim that China interfered with the 2020 elections as grounds to “declare a national emergency.” The move would be an unprecedented step that would grant Trump new authority over the voting systems in the U.S.

The story in The Washington Post arrives as Trump increasingly signals that he may take actions that would alter the result of the 2026 midterms. The Republicans are widely expected to lose as their approval ratings plummet as a result of a failing economy under Trump. Over 50 members of Congress have announced they will retire this year and not return in 2027.

The Trump Department of Justice, which now has a large image of Trump on the side of it, “sued five new states Thursday [Feb. 26, 2026] demanding access to their unredacted voter rolls — escalating a campaign that has been rejected by multiple federal courts and faces resistance from Republican-led states as well,” according to Democracy Docket, a group that works to protect voting rights.

Trump claimed back in late 2020, the last year of his first term, that he had the authority to issue an executive order related to mail-in voting for the 2020 elections — which he would then lose. But the Constitution states that control of elections lies with the states. As the GOP works to place hurdles in front of voting, Democrats worked to make voting easier.

In March 2021, President Biden signed an executive order calling on federal agencies to expand voting access as part of the Biden Administration’s effort “to promote and defend the right to vote for all Americans who are legally entitled to participate in elections.”

Trump’s focus is clearly on altering the November 2026 midterm elections. Trump’s polling numbers and the elections and special elections that have taken place around the U.S. over the last year clearly indicate that Republicans are about to be hit by a blue wave of Democratic victories.

Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent investigative journalist and the founder of Black Virginia News. She is a political analyst who appears on #RolandMartinUnfiltered and hosts the show LAUREN LIVE on YouTube @LaurenVictoriaBurke. She can be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke

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PRESS ROOM: NBA Hall of Fame Nominee Terry Cummings Joins 100 Black Men of DeKalb County to Launch Victory & Values Initiative

NNPA NEWSWIRE — NBA Hall of Fame nominee and Basketball Legend Terry Cummings was administered the official member’s oath and ceremonially pinned during a special induction ceremony held on Friday, February 20th.

Published

4 days ago

February 27, 2026

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Cummings becomes an honorary member, joining other role model sports stars

NBA Hall of Fame nominee and Basketball Legend Terry Cummings has officially become an honorary member of the 100 Black Men of DeKalb County, marking a powerful new chapter for the 100 Black Men and youth development across the region.

Cummings was administered the official member’s oath and ceremonially pinned during a special induction ceremony held on Friday, February 20th. The moment signified more than membership — it marked the launch of the organization’s transformative new platform, the Victory & Values Initiative.

The Victory & Values Initiative is a groundbreaking youth development program designed to empower elementary and middle school students through a dynamic blend of sports, mentorship, and STEM exposure. The initiative focuses on building health, discipline, character, leadership, and access to opportunity — creating pathways for long-term academic and personal success.

“This is about more than sports,” said Cummings during the ceremony. “It’s about using the platform of athletics to teach life lessons, create access, and build the next generation of leaders.”

The induction ceremony also featured notable guests including NASCAR’s newest Star Driver, Lavar Scott and NASCAR Director of Athletic Performance, Phil Horton, who joined Cummings for a powerful Victory & Values Town Hall discussion. The Town Hall was moderated by renowned Sports Emcee John Hollins and focused on leadership, resilience, discipline, and the importance of mentorship in shaping young lives.

A “Day at NASCAR” for 75+ Youth

Cummings wasted no time getting to work. On his first full day as an honorary member, he joined his new brothers of the 100 Black Men of DeKalb County to host a “Day at NASCAR,” escorting more than 75 youth to a once-in-a-lifetime experience at EchoPark Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway).

The youth participants received behind-the-scenes access including: an exclusive tour of Pit Row, access to the Garage Area and exploration of the interactive Fan Zone.

The experience culminated with a surprise meet-and-greet and Q&A session with NASCAR Superstar Bubba Wallace, who shared insights on perseverance, preparation, and breaking barriers in professional sports.

The day served as a living example of the ‘Victory & Values’ Initiative in action — exposing youth to new industries, expanding their vision for the future, and connecting them directly with high- level mentors and role models.

Building Leaders Through Access and Mentorship

The 100 Black Men of DeKalb County – a chapter of the largest, national mentoring organization in the county – continues to expand its footprint with programs focused on academic excellence, economic empowerment, leadership development, and health & wellness.

The launch of ‘Victory & Values’ represents a strategic expansion of the organization’s impact

intentionally integrating athletics and STEM to engage youth at an early age while reinforcing core principles such as integrity, accountability, teamwork, and perseverance.

“Our mission has always been to mentor the next generation,” said Vaughn Irons, President-Elect of the 100 Black Men of DeKalb County. “With Terry Cummings joining the brotherhood, along with partners in NASCAR and professional sports, we are creating unprecedented access and exposure for our youth. Victory & Values is about turning inspiration into structured opportunity.”

By connecting elementary and middle school students to professional athletes, executives, STEM professionals, and community leaders, the initiative aims to:

Increase youth exposure to careers in sports business, engineering, and performance science
Strengthen mentorship pipelines
Promote physical wellness and mental resilience
Build character-driven leadership at an early age

Open Invitation to Youth and Families

All youth are invited to participate in the Victory & Values Initiative, along with the other countless, impactful programs offered by the 100 Black Men of DeKalb County.

Parents and guardians seeking mentorship, leadership development, academic enrichment, and transformative exposure opportunities for their children are encouraged to connect with the organization.

As NBA Legend Terry Cummings’ induction demonstrates, Victory & Values is more than a program — it is a movement designed to build champions in life, not just in sports.

For more information about the Victory & Values Initiative or to enroll a student, contact: 100 Black Men of DeKalb County at Phone at 404.241.1338, info@100bmod.org or Tee Foxx at 404.791.6525,