Davis Jones had fire in his eyes Monday when he accused the N.C. Historical Commission of sitting back while sewn-on Carolina Hurricanes jerseys defiled state monuments.
Jones -- who broke the law by tearing jerseys down from Union Square statues dressed up for the Canes' playoff run -- blasted the Historical Commission for its silence about the jerseys during the 2002 playoffs and again this year.
"Do you think Andrew Jackson, sitting majestically on his horse while wearing a Hurricanes jersey was awe-inspiring and thought provoking?" Jones said to the commission. "No, it was a distraction and derailed the purpose of the monument to both educate and honor."
When Jones, 49, took the matter into his own hands on May 24, Capitol police stopped him and issued a citation for injuring the personal property of the state. The remaining jerseys were taken down soon afterward by Hurricanes staff.
The charges against Jones were dropped Friday after the Hurricanes, the actual owner of the jerseys, chose not to pursue the case, said State Capitol Police Chief Scott Hunter.
Canes spokesman Howard Sadel said the team would probably choose not to adorn the statues with jerseys in the future.
"For me, the bigger concern is someone on state property wielding a box cutter with an obvious hairline temper," Sadel said.
Jones, a Raleigh resident who said he likes the Hurricanes, made no apologies for his actions.
"I considered it not only a responsibility, but a duty to go down there and take those jerseys off."
Despite officials' statutory obligation to obtain approval from the Historical Commission before altering memorials owned by the state, the commission was not contacted in 2002 or this year, said Joe Newberry, public information officer for the Department of Cultural Resources.
Jones said N.C. Administration secretary Britt Cobb gave the Canes permission to put up the jerseys without getting authorization from the commission. He chalked it up to a "miscommunication" between between his agency and the Department of Cultural Resources, which oversees the Historical Commission. Cobb didn't return phone calls Monday.
Members of the commission wouldn't comment on their responsibility for the statues' regalia, but chairman Jerry Cashion said he was taking steps to ensure that it didn't happen again.
"I share the outrage over the desecration of the monuments," he said.
Not everyone took the jerseys so seriously.
"I thought it was a great way to enjoy the winning streak," said Terri Morris, 50, as she ate lunch on a bench next the statue of Charles Aycock. "I came up and took a picture."
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