Lindale, Ohio resident, Louie Jones Jr., decided one day that it would be fun to show off his collection of racist lawn jokey ornaments as well as his confederate flag displays on his front porch.
But it get’s worse.
Jones also thought it would be a hoot to put nappy wigs on the jockeys as well as feature a full-sized nappy wig wearing mannequin with red painted lips and black-faced figurine eating watermelon.
Confederate flags, a black mannequin, black figures on a front porch in New Richmond, OH. Racist or not? Hear from the family behind the display at 10 on @FOX19 pic.twitter.com/RicpDhaQP8
— Maytal Levi (@MaytalLeviWXIX) April 20, 2018
However, Jones claims that his displays are not one-bit racist, defensively telling WXIX-TV reporter Maytel Levi:
“In no way, shape, or form should anybody think that it’s racist,” Jones insisted.
Jones’ friend Tammy also explained how the demonstration grown from just confederate flags to include the racist caricatures.
“They went up, a few of them at one time, and then a couple more were added, but the flags have always flown,” Tammy said. “That’s for our country.”
Jones’ expressed pride in his Confederate flag display, which he called the “rebel flag,” which flies alongside the U.S. flag.
“It’s not racist, it’s for the war that we won, you know,” Jones said.
His friend clarified that Jones was referring to the Civil War, which seemed to perplex the reporter even further. She then asked Jones if he believed the north or the south won the war.
“We, as in the North,” Jones said, after a pause, and then turned to stare at passing traffic.
Even more, confused the reported stated:
“That flag would be the wrong flag to fly,” the reporter said.
Tammy murmured:
“Um, in some people’s eyes,” Tammy said.
Jones’ friend went on to explain how the jockeys were a tribute to “the first blacks that played the baseball game,” but her explanation of the mannequin took the cake.
“Like, the mother of the baseball players, basically,” Tammy said.
Jones claimed that his family has since received numerous threats over the display and could not figure out why anyone would believe that he hates black people.
“Everybody hates everybody, you know?” Jones said. “It just depends on what you hate and what you like. It ain’t got nothing to do with race, we ain’t racial.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4boNaBtWsQ&feature=youtu.be
A fun fact that people like Mr. Jones are undoubtedly unaware of is that Ohio was Union state during the Civil War. In fact, Clermont County, where Jones currently resides, has 33 historical sites that are a part of a self-guided Freedom Trail; 19 of which are approved in the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.
Lindale is also about five minutes away from the birthplace of Ulysses Grant, the Union general who defeated the Confederate army and later became America’s 18th president.
While some may argue giving racists like Jones exposure makes spreads racism, as a black man in America I can say that sunlight is the best disinfectant for this insidious disease. To stop talking about racism is to allow it to grow in a dark wet cellar like fungus.
