NEW ORLEANS (AP) – A New Orleans parade group says it has put a lifetime ban on a guest who threw yellow penalty flags protesting removal of Confederate monuments.
The woman, Mimi Owens, told Nola.com/The Times-Picayune that she also threw beads with a pendant bearing Robert E. Lee’s image and the words “Forever Lee Circle.” She rode Saturday with the Krewe of Freret (fruh-RET).
Freret captain Bobby Hjortsberg tells the newspaper the group investigated after hearing reports of the penalty flags. He says the group won’t tolerate use of its parades for a political agenda, especially one against Freret’s gender and racially inclusive nature.
New Orleans parade riders throw beads, big aluminum “doubloons,” stuffed animals and other items to the crowds.
A city ordinance bars throws with commercial, political or religious messages.
