Introduction
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U.S. Congressman Mark Vesey is urging Major League Baseball and the Texas Rangers to remove a controversial statue recently installed at Globe Life Field.
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Vesey, who represents Texas’ 33rd District, said the statue’s alleged origins to commemorate a segregation official are inconsistent with Major League Baseball’s values of inclusion.
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The statue, titled “One Riot, One Ranger,” previously stood at Love Field in Dallas before being installed at Globe Life Field in early March.
Arlington, Texas – U.S. Congressman Marc Veasey sent a letter to the Texas Rangers and the MLB Commissioner urging them to remove the recently installed statue from Globe Life Field.
Vesey calls for statue removal
what are they talking about
Vesey sent a letter to Texas Rangers co-presidents Ray Davis and Bob Simpson, as well as Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, saying the statue’s installation raises serious concerns about the statue’s history of honoring “segregationist law enforcement officials.”
“Baseball stadiums should be places where families gather and fans of all backgrounds should feel welcome,” said Rep. Vesey. “Honoring a figure associated with resistance to school integration — and doing so with images that evoke racist violence — sends the wrong message about who belongs in this space.”
His letter said the statue goes against the values of inclusivity that baseball stands for and undermines the numbers that have led to racial integration in the sport.
“The modern game exists because pioneers like Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby had the courage to break baseball’s color barrier and endure unimaginable hostility so that the game could live up to its ideals. Robinson and Doby faced hatred, threats and humiliation just for stepping onto the field. Their sacrifices helped turn baseball into a game for everyone,” Vesey wrote in the letter.
Vesey represents Texas’ 33rd Congressional District, covering parts of Tarrant and Dallas counties. He has been a member of Congress since 2013.
Controversial statue installation
Backstory
The statue, titled “One Rioter, One Ranger,” was unveiled on March 2 at Globe Life Field. It stood at Love Field in Dallas for nearly 60 years before being torn down due to historical association issues.
Deleted after publishing Cult of Glory: The Bold and Brutal History of the Texas Rangersa book written by Doug J. Swanson. The book states that the statue is based on Captain E.J. Banks, who was in charge of the Texas Rangers when law enforcement tried to prevent the integration of Mansfield High School.
The Rangers said the statue commemorates the history of the law enforcement entity rather than commemorating a person.
source
The information in this article comes from press releases from Marc Veasey and The Dallas Morning News.
