Trayvon Martin's attorney reams Galveston chief at town hall: 'Officers took advantage of a mentally ill black man'

Benjamin Crump, an attorney for a man who was tied to a horse by a mounted officer, confronted Galveston Police Chief Vernon Hale.

In a town hall meeting on Tuesday, Hale responded to the outrage over the arrest of Donald Neely, a mentally ill homeless man who was tied to a horse and walked down a city street.

Hale encouraged people to “look at the totality of the circumstances.”

Crump, who represented the family of Trayvon Martin, spoke out at the town hall on behalf of the Neely family.

"That image has went viral over not just Galveston, Texas, but all over America," Crump explained. "And people are really passionate because we are here in 2019, not 1819. That image, it projects back."

"There comes a time one must take a position because their conscience tells them it's the right thing to do," he added. "It's the right thing to do to stand up for Donald Neely, to fight for Donald Neely, to speak for Donald Neely because he can't speak for himself."

"Those officers took advantage of a mentally ill black man," Crump told Hale. "And it was evident."

Before giving up the microphone, Crump asked the chief if he had the "courage" to take action. Hale, however, declined to answer.

Watch the video below from KHOU.