Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
For the second week in a row, continuing a multi-year run, left-wing Mobile activists expressed their disapproval of the commentary displayed during the Mobile secret Mardi Gras society Comic Cowboys Fat Tuesday parade.
The mystic society has been parading humorous posters on Fat Tuesday since 1884 when comedian and store owner Dave Levi founded the group. The purpose was to poke fun at newsworthy events and bring a lightness to negative headlines.
However, one float in particular triggered some residents of Mobile who want the Comic Cowboys banned from parades.
“MPD finally releases BODY CAM footage With SHOCKING RESULTS,” the sign stated, with a photo of a skeleton being electrocuted.
Mobile County NAACP President Robert Clopton said the sign was one of the most “deplorable, detestable and reprehensible” floats he has ever seen.
SEE ALSO: Slideshow — Comic Cowboys hit the streets of Mobile for Fat Tuesday on 140th anniversary
It was referring to the death of 36-year-old Jawan Dallas, who died after an encounter with police. Family members and supporters addressed the Mobile City Council for months asking for body camera footage and claiming he died from a Taser stun gun. Police said Dallas, who matched a suspect description from a burglary call, was hit by the Taser after resisting arrest. He became winded during the struggle, due to asthma, and was transported to the hospital.
Investigators later revealed Dallas had multiple drugs in his system that exacerbated pre-existing medical conditions, which ultimately caused his death.
Although the death was tragic, Comic Cowboys offered comic relief with their sign on Fat Tuesday.
But on Tuesday, March 19, Mobile resident Sabrina Mass, who has been previously identified as an "activist," told the city council that she believes the Comic Cowboys only get to exercise free speech because they’re white. Standing with a woman dressed in a Black Lives Matter shirt, Mass said the woman and others were “attacked” by police last year when they protested with signs in the council chambers.
“So, if you’re white, you’re right and if you’re black, get back?” Mass continued. “What is this?”
Mass, who once served on the public safety committee, was previously appointed by Police Chief Paul Prine, but she said the council called on her removal. She claimed District 3 councilman and council president C.J. Small led the call to remove her from the committee despite her efforts to calm the public following the George Floyd deaths.
City attorneys said floats in a parade are free speech.
Council member Joel Daves and Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson are former members of Comic Cowboys. They resigned seven years ago due to insensitive signage.
Although the Comic Cowboys are highly secretive and have been criticized for over a decade, it does not appear as though they will allow the angry mob to stop them from bringing laughs to those who can take a joke.
"We’re a melting pot of Mobile business-men who like to poke fun at politicians and anything that comes into the public light," one Comic Cowboy told the Mobile Bay Magazine in 2013. "Our main job is to entertain the public during Mardi Gras with our satirical signs. We want to be humorous without being offensive, cruel or mean. It’s all in jest. We say things that the community wants to say, but can’t for lack of a communication platform."
It is important to note, their motto is "without malice."
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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