Native American Marine Attacked And Tased By New Mexico Park Ranger

A New Mexico Park Ranger was captured on video attacking and tasing a Native American man while he was hiking at Petroglyph National Monument.

Over the weekend, Darrell House was out walking his dog through the Petroglyphs at the Piedra Mercado trail, where he says he visits often. House was accompanied by his sister. The two eventually came across a group of people, and to make sure they performed social distancing, House and his sister temporarily entered a blocked off area to get around the other group.

House explained to KRQE that he never was confronted with an issue when stepping outside of the trail, but this time around, a park ranger came up to him and asked him to get back on the trail. House complied with the ranger, but then the ranger asked for his identification, which House refused. In response, the ranger pulled out his taser and began shocking him. “I was holding my dog, so my dog got tased as well, he felt the shock, he felt everything. I ended up dropping him when I fell,” said House.

While House says the entire situation has left him in shock, it hasn’t deterred him from living his life. “He wanted to show power, dominance, keep me in order. That’s what authority figures are trained to do, to keep people like me in order. To make the ‘Indian’ look crazy, to make them look insane,” said House. He continued, “I will go back. I am going to continue to do my prayers, going off-trail without permission. Without consent. That is my right.” 

House, a marine, was not arrested, but the federal park ranger gave him three citations for interfering with an agency function. The park’s website states that visitors must remain on the trail. House says that rule should not apply to him because he is Native American. 

In a statement, the National Park Service said: “On December 27, a law enforcement park ranger contacted two visitors who were walking in a closed area off-trail, which is a violation of National Park Service regulations within Petroglyph National Monument. A video capturing part of their interaction and posted to social media has generated question and interest from the public.”

It continued, “In accordance with National Park Service policy, this incident is under review and has been referred to the NPS Office of Professional Responsibility, our internal affairs unit, for a thorough investigation. While we work to gather the facts of this specific situation, we cannot speculate on the events leading up to what was captured on video. We take any allegation of wrongdoing very seriously, and appreciate the public’s patience as we gather the facts of this incident. Full performance NPS law enforcement officers complete extensive law enforcement training programs along with many other Federal law enforcement agencies at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia, as well as on-the-job training in the NPS Field Training and Evaluation Program. Throughout their careers, officers complete required annual training to ensure skills proficiency and current knowledge of law enforcement issues. Additionally, NPS officers are required to undergo initial and ongoing specialized training to carry an electronic control device, commonly known as Tasers.”

According to CDC data from 1995 to 2015, Native Americans are more likely to be killed by law enforcement than other racial or ethnic groups.

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