Members of the Float 21 and other members of the Krewe of Nyx did not take the posting by the Krewe’s co-founder and captain Julie Lea very lightly.
Three simple words in the tweet: “All Lives Matter” have been interpreted as a slap against the Black Lives Matter movement and a criticism of the BLM group directly.
According to the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate, members of the all-female krewe were so incensed many photographed Nyx souvenirs and merchandise in the garbage and posted them with the caption “Nyxed.”
Even after Lea issued an apology, members were not satisfied that the Captain, who is also a former police officer, has not endorsed the Black Lives Matter movement or group.
On Saturday, a number of Nyx members protested outside the krewe’s headquarters.
The protest also saw the resignation of 49 members, most of them riders of Float 21.
Members of Nyx issued a strongly worded rebuke to the Lea: "We've felt ignored, mistreated and silenced by you for a while now, but for us--members of a krewe with such a large population of Black women--the used of the hashtag #AllLivesMatter along with the statement "our souls are the same color" on official Nyx social media pages that are supposed to represent us, made us feel even more silence by you.”
Those who resigned and other members are calling for Lea to step down from her position as captain and leave the krewe.
Many said that would keep other members from abandoning the krewe and hopefully start a healing process.
Fallout from the tweet also has hit the krewe in the form of two major dance troupes, the Krewe de Lune and the Star-Steppin Cosmonaughties, will no longer associating with Nyx.