NYT mistakes sailor's depth finder on the NYC seal for a 'long rope with a loop on its end'

Greg P. | 12:11 PM on July 28, 2020

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said yesterday that his administration will review the NYC seal which features a Native American in a loincloth:

The @NYCMayor says it’s a very good question, to ask if the seal of NYC is relevant for today. He says it’s a great question and something worth taking a second look at: pic.twitter.com/J7sfdDf0Dh

— Gloria Pazmino (@GloriaPazmino) July 27, 2020

But to the New York Times, the New Yorker in the seal is problematic as well. They’re calling him an “American settler” and they’re disturbed by the “long rope with a loop on its end” that he’s holding:

A Native American man in a loincloth is on NYC’s official seal.
So is an early American settler, holding a long rope with a loop on its end.https://t.co/IWDutR9bIk
By @danarubinstein

— Cliff Levy (@cliffordlevy) July 27, 2020

From the NYT:

It features a Native American in a breechcloth and an early American settler holding a long rope with what appears to be a loop on its end, and for more than a century, it has served as the official seal of New York City — but perhaps not for much longer.

Except, the “settler” is a sailor and the rope he’s holding does not have a loop at the end. That’s a lead weight called a plummet and it’s used to measure the depth of the water. From NYC.gov:

Supporters: Dexter, a sailor, his right arm bent, and holding in his right hand a plummet; his left arm bent, his left hand resting on the top of the shield; above his right shoulder, a cross-staff. Sinister, an Indian of Manhattan, his right arm bent, his right hand resting on top of the shield, his left hand holding the upper end of a bow, the lower end of which rests on the ground. Shield and supporters rest upon a horizontal laurel branch.

Wow, this is bad: