A new statue has been erected in New Orleans in commemoration of Juneteenth.
It’s a hair pick.
No, seriously. A giant, 28-foot-tall sculpture of a hair pick topped with a clenched “black power” fist, dubbed “All Power to All People,” has been set up using taxpayer funds in Lafayette Square.
‘Oh, NOLA’: New Orleans mayor touts giant afro pick sculpture intended to honor the black experience https://t.co/CwUhXoP6mh pic.twitter.com/mTjGR2Dr1E
— Conservative News (@BIZPACReview) June 19, 2022
The massive structure was designed by an artist named Hank Willis Thomas as part of the city’s $7.2 million-dollar effort to recognize local black artists for Juneteenth, a federal holiday recognizing the day in 1865 when news of the emancipation of slaves was announced in Texas.
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And, apparently, the freeing of slaves and the recognition of black Americans’ contributions to society was best memorialized with…an afro pick.
While the city was busy showering millions of tax dollars on two-story-tall hair accessories, New Orleans’ murder rate is among the highest in the country, clocking in at 218 murders in 2021 with no sign of slowing down in 2022. Nearly half a dozen people were injured by violent crime in the city between last Saturday and Sunday alone, even as the city struggles under a police shortage to deal with the problem. According to reports, the city lost 150 officers in 2021 and is now operating at a 60% capacity.
In the meantime, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell called the massive hair pick “breathtaking.”
Breathtaking💥❤️💚💛🖤 pic.twitter.com/gpHmzfvd1J
— Mayor LaToya Cantrell (@mayorcantrell) June 17, 2022
Because, priorities.