TL;DR
During Mardi Gras, a Krewe of Tucks member displayed a Black girl doll hanging by beads. In a city with deep roots in Black culture and a painful history of racial terror, this imagery is unambiguous: it evokes lynching. This cannot be dismissed as poor judgment or dark humor. The individual responsible must be identified and held accountable. The krewe must face discipline. And city leaders must ensure Mardi Gras—one of New Orleans’ most vital cultural and economic assets—never again becomes a vehicle for racial intimidation.
This Was Not a Joke. It Was a Threat.
Let’s be clear about what happened.
A member or members of the Krewe of Tucks rode through New Orleans streets during Mardi Gras displaying what appeared to be a Black girl doll hanging by beads.
In a majority-Black city. In a city where racial violence has deep historical roots. And in a celebration meant to unite the community.
The image carries one meaning: it echoes lynching, terror, and the era memorialized in Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit.”
This is not satire. It is not edgy humor. It is intimidation.
Mardi Gras exists to celebrate shared joy across lines of race and class. What rolled through our streets instead was a symbol of racial violence—visible to families, visible to children, unchallenged for miles.
“We’re Sorry” Is Not Enough
We’ve heard this script before:
“This is not who we are.”
“We regret the incident.”
“We condemn the behavior.”
Words without consequences are meaningless.
If someone had brought a weapon onto a float and fired into the crowd, we would not accept an apology. We would demand prosecution, bans, and structural reform.
No bullets were fired here—but terror is not defined solely by physical harm. Terror includes fear and intimidation. And a lynching image riding openly through a city in 2026 is an act of terror.
The Legal Question: Hate Crimes and Accountability
If the evidence supports it, prosecutors should evaluate whether this act rises to the level of a hate crime under Louisiana law.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has pledged to enforce the law to its fullest extent in matters involving public safety and civil rights. This moment demands that clarity.
If laws were broken, prosecution must follow.
If krewe rules were violated, expulsion must follow.
And if leadership failed in oversight, structural reform must follow.
Accountability cannot be symbolic. It must be real.
The Krewe Must Answer
Each Mardi Gras krewe operates with significant autonomy. That autonomy comes with responsibility.
If one member can ride for miles displaying racial terror imagery without immediate intervention, oversight has failed.
The Krewe of Tucks must:
- Conduct a transparent internal review
- Disclose what happened, who knew what, and when
- Impose meaningful discipline on those responsible
If meaningful reform does not occur, city leaders should consider sanctions—including suspension from future parades. That is not radical. It is responsible governance.
Protecting Mardi Gras Means Protecting Everyone
Mardi Gras is culture. It is also economics.
Hundreds of millions of dollars flow into New Orleans each Carnival season. Hotels fill. Restaurants thrive. Workers earn income. Tax revenue rises.
This event is one of the city’s largest annual revenue drivers—and we cannot allow racist spectacle to poison that well.
For years, Black residents have raised concerns about unequal treatment by certain krewes. Some have noted throws that favor certain sections of the crowd. Others have questioned who truly feels welcome.
This incident reinforces those concerns.
If we ignore it, we risk normalizing it. If we normalize it, we undermine Mardi Gras itself.
Related: Black Mardi Gras Traditions
Symbol and History
The power of lynching imagery is not abstract.
Between the 1880s and the 1960s, thousands of Black Americans were lynched across the South. These acts were not random—they were tools of social control designed to enforce white supremacy through terror.
When such imagery appears publicly in a majority-Black city, it communicates something dangerous: You are not safe. You are not equal. You remain targets.
This cannot be dismissed as immature behavior. It is historically loaded, socially explosive, and morally indefensible.
What Must Happen Now
1. Immediate identification and removal of the responsible riders
The krewe must name the individual and announce their permanent expulsion.
2. Full cooperation with law enforcement
If prosecutors open an investigation, the krewe must provide complete transparency.
3. Public accountability from krewe leadership
The Krewe of Tucks must explain how this happened and detail the reforms they will implement to prevent recurrence.
4. Clear disciplinary standards for all krewes
City officials should work with all parade organizations to establish enforceable conduct standards and consequence frameworks.
5. Review of parade permitting
If internal reforms fail, the city must be prepared to use permit authority to enforce standards.
Silence sends a message. Weak discipline sends a message. Strong accountability sends the strongest message of all.
Mardi Gras Belongs to the People
Mardi Gras belongs to the people of New Orleans.
It belongs to Black families who have shaped this city’s culture for generations. It belongs to working-class residents who rely on Carnival income. Also, it belongs to visitors who come seeking celebration, not racial hostility.
If we let this pass without consequence, what does that say about the city we are becoming?
New Orleans has survived storms, corruption, violence, and economic crisis. It should not surrender its moral core during its most visible celebration.
The Test
This was a disgraceful display.
Now comes the test: Will the city defend its values? Or will it allow racial terror symbolism to ride unchecked through its streets?
The answer must be swift. It must be clear. And it must be decisive.
Mardi Gras can only thrive when everyone feels welcome. When everyone feels safe. When everyone knows this celebration is truly for all of us.
That future requires action—now.
Jeff, I support everything you wrote about this disgusting incident. I will write to the mayor and council people. How else can we make sure that discipline and sanctions occur? Annie LaRock
That was a disgraceful and disgusting show of modern racism. The crew should be fined, expelled and banned from any Mardi Gras celebration in this state. The perpetrator needs to be brought in on hate crime charges, fined, banned and lose his job. This same activity was done when I was a child. These types never go away
On the heels of the racist video released by the White House, I’m not surprised this occured. Racists have been given “carte blanche” to “show their true color”. The City Council should pull Tucks’ parade permit IMMEDIATELY, until the perpertrator(s) are identified. Plain and simple! Sadly, one of the dolls ended up in the hands of a seven year old African American female.
Pressure should be kept on our local officials to follow through on this. You can’t count on the Governor or Attorney General to do anything but give lip service.
As of this commentary, I received word that Tucks has identifed and permanently removed two members believed to be the perpetrators. They should now be arrested for a hate crime. This would go a long way to sending a message in case of any further shenanigans.
I am a white 74-year-old male whose formative years were seeded in a racially mixed New Orleans neighborhood. My Father bestowed his greatest gift to me at age seven … it was the gift of tolerance. On the day that many schools broke the segregation barrier, my Father crossed the picket line with me in tow. The anger and hatred directed at us still lingers. At school’s entrance my Father knelt next to me … pointing a finger at the pickets he whispered, “Never forget this ignorance”. I’ve never forgotten the greatest gift my Father ever gave me.i