A statue celebrating the Texas Rangers’ law enforcement agency was removed from Dallas’ Love Field airport in 2020 when stories of police brutality and racism were revealed in a book about the history of the Rangers.
Nearly six years later, it’s been installed at the Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Field in Arlington.
The 12-foot bronze statue, named “One Riot, One Ranger”, was a fixture at the airport since 1961, but was was taken down in June 2020, just 10 days after George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis, Minn., police officer Derek Chauvin.
The killing of Floyd, who grew up in Houston, sparked nationwide demonstrations, which led to the removal of some statues deemed to have a racist past.
In “Cult of Glory: The Bold and Brutal History of the Texas Rangers”, which was published in 2020, Doug J. Swanson wrote that the statue was a depiction of Capt. Jay Banks, who was the Texas Ranger in charge when Gov.
Allan Shivers unlawfully sent the agency to block integration of a high school in Mansfield and a community college in Texarkana in 1957.
Russell S. Molina – chairman of Texas Ranger Bicentennial 2023 which was formed to celebrate the history and educate the public about the history of the law enforcement agency – disputes that the statue is based on a specific person.
“This statue represents all Texas Rangers, not any single individual,” Molina said at the statue’s unveiling inside the ballpark Monday. “Today, more than 189 women and men serve as Texas Rangers across Texas’ 254 counties.
The modern Texas Ranger reflects the diversity, integrity and professionalism expected of one of the nation’s oldest and most respected law enforcement organizations.”
Molina also said in a written statement, “We recognize that the history of the Texas Rangers, like that of our state and nation, includes moments that must be confronted honestly.
While not everyone who has served across more than two centuries lived up to the ideal, most did – and they deserve to be remembered for their service, sacrifice, and commitment to the people of Texas.”
When the Washington Senators moved to North Texas in 1972, 10 years after Roy Hofheinz brought the first Major League Baseball team to the state in the form of the Houston Colt .45s, the team was renamed after the law enforcement agency.
“We have worn the Ranger name now since 1972 with pride,” said team owner Ray Davis, whose franchise is the only one in MLB to not have a Pride Night.
Swanson told the Dallas Morning News that he was surprised when the statue was removed in 2020 and hopes context could be added to the new exhibit to explain the complete history.
“It won’t take away from the great performances in the Rangers’ history,” he told the Morning News. “Let’s just be able to see the real history, the whole history.”