New Orleans City Council members on Monday grilled Mardi Gras parading groups over several incidents that darkened this year’s celebration, including throws of dolls with beads around their necks, throws that advertised a business and a throw that injured a child.
Leaders of the Krewe of Tucks also on Monday explained the krewe’s decision to permanently ban two riders who tossed Black and White dolls with beads, an incident that drew immediate backlash in the city, based on the South’s history of lynching Black people and violence against women.
Tucks founder Lloyd Frischhertz and his son, Mark Frischhertz, acknowledged that the image of a Black doll hanging by its neck would certainly be seen as a racist symbol, though they could not be certain of the motives of the riders…