“We believe symbols placed in our public spaces should reflect progress, unity and opportunity for the next generation,” said Jason Thomas, Arlington NAACP president

ARLINGTON, Texas — Earlier this week, the Texas Rangers celebrated the installation of a well-traveled statue at its new home on the left concourse at Globe Life Field.

But the president of the Arlington NAACP told WFAA he wishes the Rangers organization had taken their concerns under consideration.

“We have worn the Ranger name now since 1972 with pride,” Texas Rangers owner Ray Davis said during the unveiling ceremony for the One Riot-One Ranger statue depicting a 1960’s era Texas Ranger complete with cowboy hat and holstered gun – his left hand slightly raised as if trying to calm a situation.

Arlington NAACP president Jason Thomas suggests the presence of the statue does the opposite.

“The Arlington NAACP supports the men and women who serve our communities every day,” Thomas said. “Our concerns are about honoring a historical figure whose actions were tied to resistance against civil rights and school desegregation in this community.”


The statue was originally installed at Dallas Love Field in the 1960’s and greeted arriving passengers for decades at the bottom of the escalators on the trek to baggage claim.

But it was removed in 2020 when it was revealed that the sculptor modeled the statue after Texas Ranger E.J. “Jay” Banks. Sent to quell disruptions as Mansfield was ordered to integrate schools, he was accused of doing the opposite – helping keep black students out of the schools.

A widely-circulated 1956 photograph shows Banks standing near the entrance of Mansfield High School as an effigy of a Black student hung above the doorway during protests against integration. 


Now that the statue has reemerged at Globe Life Field, and Jason Thomas said his organization is not calling for the statue’s removal but wants broader discussion about the figure associated with it.

Officials with the Texas Ranger Association Foundation said the statue is meant to represent the law enforcement agency as a whole rather than a single individual.

“This statue represents all Texas Rangers, not any single individual,” foundation board member Russell S. Molina said at the unveiling.

Molina added that today’s Texas Rangers reflect the diversity and professionalism expected of one of the nation’s oldest law enforcement organizations.

Debate over the statue has also spread online. Some social media users have shared AI-generated images depicting the sculpture draped in Ku Klux Klan robes.

Thomas said the controversy underscores the need for dialogue about symbols displayed in public spaces.

“We believe symbols placed in our public spaces should reflect progress, unity and opportunity for the next generation,” he said.