02/24/2026
Lousiana Weekly
Tuesday, February 24th, 2026
Judicials
Business
Education
Entertainment
Health
Opinion
Politics
Advertise
Printing Service
Subscribe
Videos
Filed Under: Local
Black dolls hung in effigy from Krewe of Tucks prompts calls for reform
By C.C. Campbell-Rock
A viral video of two Black dolls with carnival beads around their necks, hanging over the side of a Krewe of Tucks float called “Crack Pipe,” prompted a fierce backlash from concerned citizens and the expanding Louisiana Grassroots United (LGU), which held a press conference about the racist imagery.
“Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘Our lives begin to end the day that we become silent about things that matter to us.’ We will not be silent,” Janet Tobias said about the press conference.
Members of Louisiana Grassroots United, from left to right, first row: Janet Tobias, the Rev. Raymond Brown, Pastor Manning; back row: Renada Collins, Debra Campbell, Not shown Acquanette Barnes, the Rev. Richard Bell and Jason Lawrence.
The LGU of civil rights, community and advocacy organizations is calling for immediate action to address ongoing racism against Black, brown and BIPOC people at Mardi Gras. The coalition wants “enforceable civil protections to hold Mardi Gras krewes accountable for discriminatory conduct,” according to an official statement.
While the Krewe of Tucks parade was rolling, the SCLC’s New Orleans affiliate commemorated the 69th anniversary of the SCLC, which the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders organized and incorporated here in New Orleans on February 14, 1957.
According to Debra Campbell, Chairperson of A Community Voice ACORN, this effort is about more than responding to individual incidents.
“This has been going on, and it’s got to stop. Racism has no place in our society.” Campbell adds, “Remember when Mayor LaToya Cantrell reportedly gave a parade rider the middle finger? It turns out that a Krewe of Tucks member, on the same float, did that gesture to her first.”
In 2024, in Kenner, a rider in the Isis parade reportedly tossed Confederate flag beads captioned with the words “Southern Pride,” which were retrieved by a 7-year-old child.
In 2025, two members of the Krewe of Thoth were banned for throwing a sack of beads emblazoned with purple and gold Confederate flags to a tourist from Tennessee in the Central Business District.
There were also a couple of other incidents this year that violated the city’s Mardi Gras ordinance. The Krewe of Carrollton reportedly aggressively threw beads at police officers, and a Zulu member allegedly threw a liquor bottle from the second floor of a float that hit a 4-year-old in the head.
Shayna Lee publicly criticized the Krewe of Tucks after her 7-year-old daughter, Railyn, caught the Black doll with a strand of beads wrapped around its neck – resembling a noose – during the 2026 Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans, according to WWLTV’s Instagram account. It was Railyn’s birthday.
“I was like, there’s no way. Of all the things to be thrown off a float. It was her innocence that was taken away because I had to expose her to the darker side of racism,” Shayna said.
The LGU is demanding enforceable civil protections that hold Mardi Gras krewes accountable for discriminatory conduct during publicly funded celebrations and an ongoing process for the public to register complaints and observations of problems during Mardi Gras events.
The LGU’s proposed policy would fine racist Krewes, remove repeat offenders from official parades and establish a process for reporting racist and other harmful behavior by Mardi Gras krewes.
When asked whether it’s possible that the Krewe member didn’t think wrapping the beads around the dolls’ necks and allowing them to dangle on the side of the float was a problem, the Reverend Gregory Manning, a civil rights activist, said, “People know what they’re doing. At this time in our nation, when racial tensions are heightened, you must be careful.”
The rider “may have had some white Barbie dolls,” he said. “But you can’t do the same thing with Black Barbie dolls. That’s not wise, it’s not smart and if you don’t know why it’s offensive, we’ll tell you.”
The coalition appreciates the Krewe of Tucks Captain Lloyd Frischhertz’s apology and “permanently terminating” the offending Krewe members, and Mayor Helena Moreno’s calling it “deeply offensive, unacceptable, and has no place in our city,” and Attorney General Liz Murrill has described the incident as “absolutely abhorrent and entirely unacceptable.” However, that is not enough to address such incidents.
Mardi Gras is a public event, supported by public resources and taxpayer dollars. As such, it must meet public standards of equity, safety and human dignity. Yet year after year, Black attendees, workers and culture-bearers report exclusion, harassment and overt acts of racism by krewes and even attendees that continue to face little consequence, the LGU statement explained.
“This is about transforming the systems that allow discrimination to persist without consequence,” Campbell said. “We are organizing to ensure equity is not optional, accountability is not negotiable and public culture reflects the dignity of all people.”
“What is depicted isn’t free speech, it’s a disturbing effigy meant to harm and intimidate families and children,” City Council President J.P. Morrell wrote.
“We want accountability,” said Janet Tobias of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. “We want the krewe to pay a $5,000 fine. We also want to meet with that organization (the Krewe of Tucks) and we want them to be on probation.”
“If there is a second violation, we would like to see that Krewe banned from streets and using our taxpayer dollars,” Campbell adds.
Morrell invites concerned citizens to a March 9 Governmental Affairs Committee meeting at 10 a.m. in the City Council chambers to discuss the 2026 Mardi Gras season, alleged violations of the Mardi Gras Code, and possible fines for prohibited activity. “Krewes will be present to respond to any violations that occurred during Mardi Gras,” Morell wrote on his X account.
Beth Butler, a lifelong community organizer, quoted Beulah Labostrie, the late president of Louisiana ACORN, who said: “We are lifetime social justice fighters, this is the task today and all of the tomorrows, organize, organize, organize.” Mayor Moreno invited the family to watch the parades from the city’s Gallier Hall viewing stand.
George Lee said the family appreciated the mayor’s hospitality, but they’ve decided to leave Mardi Gras early. He’s troubled, he said, that the Krewe of Tucks has not contacted him with an explanation or apology. “It shouldn’t be that hard, basically,” he said. “So, instead of forcing ourselves to be uncomfortable, we’d rather go home.”
Current Voting Members of LGU Include (but are not limited to): A Community Voice, Allendale Strong, Bayou Environmental Justice, Concerned Citizens of St. John, Four Corners Coalition, Inclusive Louisiana, La. League of Conservation Voters, Melia Subdivision Community Organization, Rosedale Subdivision Community Organization, Silence is Violence, Women of Action ATU (bus drivers), Louisiana League of Conscious Voters, New Orleans Climate Interfaith Coalition, Local 100, United Labor Unions, WAM-F community radio station.
A viral video of two Black dolls with carnival beads around their necks, hanging over the side of a Krewe of Tucks float called “Crack Pipe,” prompted a fierce backlash from concerned citizens and the expanding Louisiana Grassroots United (LGU), which held a press conference about the racist ima...
