A newly unveiled bronze statue inside Globe Life Field is drawing backlash, with critics questioning the history behind the figure who inspired it. The statue, now on permanent display at the home of the Texas Rangers baseball team, honors the state’s storied law enforcement agency of the same name. Team majority owner Ray Davis spoke at the unveiling this week. “We have worn the Texas Ranger name now since 1972 with pride,” Davis said. Russell S. Molina, chairman of Texas Ranger Bicentennial 2023, said the statue represents the agency as a whole. “This statue represents all Texas rangers, not any single individual,” Molina said. He added that today’s force reflects evolving standards. “The modern Texas ranger reflect the diversity, integrity and professionalism expected,” Molina said. But criticism erupted on social media because of the statue’s muse: Ranger Captain Jay Banks. In 2020, author Doug J. Swanson re-examined the agency’s history in his book Cult of Glory, raising questions about Banks’ role during the desegregation era. Swanson described a photograph reportedly depicting Banks in 1957 outside Mansfield High School. “He is leaning against a tree looking very relaxed and to his left hanging from the entrance of the Mansfield High School is a black figure hanging in effigy,” Swanson said. Amid social unrest in 2020, the city of Dallas removed the statue, titled “One Riot, One Ranger.” It remained out of public view until Monday’s unveiling at Globe Life Field. Texas Rangers Mar 2 Controversial statue removed from Love Field installed at Texas Rangers' ballpark Dallas Jun 4, 2020 Texas Ranger Statue at Love Field Removed Over Concerns About Racist History Arlington NAACP President Jason Thomas said the decision to display the statue again is painful for some in the community. “There are people who are still alive that live through that ugly period of time. So I think it reopened some old wounds,” Thomas said. The Arlington chapter of the NAACP is calling on the Rangers to reconsider the addition or to provide historical context alongside the artwork. “I would hope that, you know, with their struggles to get African-American community back into baseball, this would encourage not only the Rangers, but the MLB to really think about what they’re doing and the images and the messages that they’re putting out,” Thomas said. Thomas said he would like the public to take a deeper look at the history connected to the statue. “That people will go and do their homework and understand who this individual was and what they stood for,” Thomas said. He added that while the Rangers name carries pride, the legacy of one individual remains troubling. “Yeah, it’s a ranger. Rangers do great things. But this one ranger didn’t do the best of things. And it’s a black eye on our community,” Thomas said. “And we’re trying to move past that.” This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication. ...read more read less