EDIT: Man Painting ‘LAFA-ETTE’ Sign At Parc Sans Souci Questioned By Police
EDIT: This story has been edited to better reflect the events of that day. The original story can be found here.
Police were called to question a man who was seen painting over the rainbow colors on the "LAFA-ETTE" sign at Parc Sans Souci.
The sign, just behind the splash pad at the park, was intentionally erected without the "Y", so that visitors could take pictures of themselves posing as the "Y", standing there looking like they were dancing to the "YMCA".
A lady noticed the man, identified as Ted A. Richard, painting over the ROY G BIV colors of the Gay Pride flag that had adorned the "LAFA-ETTE" sign. The sign had been painted with the Gay Pride colors for the candlelight vigil held for the victims of the terrorist attack in Orlando. The lady asked Richard why he was painting the sign white, and Richard told her that he was preparing it to be painted red, white and blue.
About 15 minutes later, a motorist pulled up and asked Richard if he worked for the city or if he was doing this on his own. Richard replied "on my own". It was then that the concerned citizen said "I'm calling the cops". Not concerned, Richard replied "have at it!".
The police showed up within a minute, and Richard "wasn't even mad"! You see, Richard was the one who designed the sign for the candlelight vigil, and has been tasked with designing the red, white and blue scheme.
Once the police got there, everything was straightened out. Richard found out that the man who called in the report was making certain that the sign wasn't being defaced; Richard explained the situation to the police, and then all was good.
Richard explained it further in a Facebook post:
Here's why I'm not mad. It actually made me feel good that these people actually took pride in that sign, and they actually cared if anyone was damaging or defacing property. So much so, that they got law enforcement involved.
Unfortunately , I did not know that they were angry until it was too late. I would have loved to tell them that I had actually designed the Rainbow LAFA-ETTE sign too. And would have liked to tell them that covering the sign was bittersweet, and that it was an emotional experience for me too. But I never got the chance.
That's why I want everyone to PLEASE SHARE this post.
I would like to know who these people are and say THANK YOU !!! Ted A. Richard, Facebook
As it turns out, it was a man by the name of "Jeffery" who called the police. He was a little upset; in a Facebook post, he noted "Why would I call the cops if he had explained himself?"
So, Jeffery, thank you for watching out for the sign! We need more people like you in Acadiana.