The bronze statue of Texas Ranger Jay Banks at Love Field in Dallas has been removed because an upcoming book about the Rangers tells about Banks’ involvement “in efforts in 1957 to keep black children out of a white school,” according to the local NBC affiliate.
Author Doug J. Swanson’s upcoming book is titled “Cult of Glory: The Bold and Brutal History of the Texas Rangers.”
KXAS News says the book “reveals a sometimes-racist past for the law enforcement agency, including but not limited to episodes of police brutality and racism against Blacks and Mexicans in Texas.”
Removing the Banks statue, which carried the message “One Riot, One Ranger,” appears to be part of a historic “cleansing.” Statues of Confederate generals or depicting Confederate soldiers have also been disappearing as social justice warriors appear determined to erase part of U.S. history, critics argue.
In an interview, Swanson told the station, “Jay Banks was involved in efforts in 1957 to keep black children out of a white school. Ranger Banks was only following orders but he was the face of resistance to integration in Mansfield in 1957.”
“This is a problem that goes back a long way and the Rangers were involved in it,” Swanson told a reporter. “I didn’t set out to do a hatchet job on the Rangers, I’m trying to do a complete history of the Rangers.”
When the news agency reached out to the Texas Rangers, which operate within the Department of Public Safety, a spokesperson released this statement: “The department is aware that the city of Dallas has elected to remove a Texas Ranger statue from the Love Field Airport, which they have the authority to do. We remain committed to the mission of protecting and serving the community and people of Dallas.”
