(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell chose Juneteenth to unveil a new statue in New Orleans’ Lafayette Square–a sculpture of a giant hair pick with a black power fist for a handle.
According to Cantrell, the sculpture titled “All Power to All People,” which is surrounded by beautiful stone buildings featuring classical columns, is “breathtaking,” the Western Journal reported.
Breathtaking💥❤️💚💛🖤 pic.twitter.com/gpHmzfvd1J
— Mayor LaToya Cantrell (@mayorcantrell) June 17, 2022
In a later tweet, Cantrell noted that the 28′ tall, 7,000 pound sculpture is meant to commemorate the long history of fighting racism in America.
“As Juneteenth approaches, we celebrated with an unveiling in Lafayette Sq. This sculpture is very fitting for this time & place as we celebrate the freedoms that we have gained We know that it doesn’t come without struggles, fights, and protests for 200+ years.”
She also used the moment to celebrate the massive public expenditures to feature the works of minority artists.
“Furthermore, in recognition of our local black and brown artists, we have dedicated $7.2 MILLION in bond funding to public art,” she said.
The irony of the major spending project was not lost on some New Orleans residents as their city crumbles.
So let me get this straight, you just spent $7.2 million on art when NOPD has to have 12 hour shifts bc there aren’t enough police in our city. As of this week, 135 homicides & 236 armed robberies. The streets are filled with potholes that damage people’s cars.
1/— mama T 💙 (@momof4boysss) June 18, 2022
According to one resident, financial and cultural difficulties should be addressed before the government allocates funding for diversity projects.
“So let me get this straight,” she wrote. “You just spent $7.2 million on art when [the New Orleans Police Department] has to have 12 hour shifts [because] there aren’t enough police in our city. As of this week, 135 homicades and 236 armed robberies.”
