Truck in New Braunfels Trump Train drags Black Lives Matter flag

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) -The Trump Train is gaining steam in New Braunfels, but a recent image circulating on social media has created a controversy.   It shows a truck dragging a Black Lives Matter flag under the pickup.  The image is a screen grab taken from a Sept. 3 Trump Train video that has since been removed from YouTube.

A  photo posted on Ruona Nails’ Facebook page shows a man standing behind the truck wearing a black “Donald Trump Matters” t-shirt. The post reads,”We are ready!! Taking them all off the truck and putting them on the boat.  The BLM and Antifa (flags) are on there to drag on the ground and upside down…”  The man is posing with two young children, one of them holding a Trump sign.

Some of the people commenting on Facebook say dragging the Black Lives Matter flag is a reminder of the murder of  James Byrd Jr., an African-American, who was dragged by three white supremacists for three miles behind a pickup truck in 1998 in Jasper, Texas.

Bishop Michael Franklin, president of the New Braunfels Martin Luther King Association wants the city  to place some restrictions on the Trump Train.

In a Facebook post, Franklin said “acts of racism” by some of the participants “threaten the very fiber of our community’s peace and safety.”  He urged members of the Martin Luther King Association to “remain decent and orderly,” and he reminded them of the words of Dr. King:   “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

Bishop Franklin urged supporters to “remain steadfast and unmovable in efforts to make a difference within our community regardless of the demeaning behavior of others.”

Trump Train participants gather on Thursday evenings at the Creekside shopping Center on IH 35 near FM 306.  They pray before taking off and driving around the city of New Braunfels.

The online newspaper MyCanyonLake.com quotes a resident on Common Street who says the cheering and the honking wakes their baby.  He says there are hundreds of vehicles and some of the horns are modified to sound like train whistles.

According to the newspaper, a police officer says the Trump Train isn’t considered a parade, so organizers don’t need a permit.   As long as they obey traffic signals and traffic codes, they’re not violating any laws.   A councilman tells MyCanyonLake.com that the First Amendment guarantees free speech.

According to MyCanyonLake.com, the Trump Train participants won’t drive around the city this Thursday.  Instead, they’ll gather at at the downtown plaza area to show support for a Republican fundraising event at the New Braunfels Convention Center featuring keynote speaker and former congressman Trey Gowdy.

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