Statue of Norman Lane, Mayor of Silver Spring

This statue immortalizes a man I can’t believe I just learned existed: Norman Lane, «Mayor of Silver Spring» (1911 – 1987). I’m so grateful to have been drunk when I stumbled upon this treasure, as I think that’s how Norman would have wanted it. Martin Luther King Jr.‘s headlining quote is «I Have A Dream.» Norman’s is kind of like that: «Don’t Worry About It.»
Here’s a few excerpts from his plaque:
«The ‘Mayor of Silver Spring’ was our official town drunk. He ran away from a school for retarded children when he was six. He was an odd-​shaped piece that never quit fit into society’s jigsaw puzzle. Often wearing shoes on the wrong feet, his rumpled clothes hung off of his 90-​pound frame like a scarecrow. He looked like a gargoyle peering out from under a hard hat.»
[Okay, so at this point, you, like me, are probably wondering why there’s any honorary statue calling someone a runaway retard and a scarecrow. But read on!]
«In Silver Spring, he found a home. The Phillips family set up a cot for him in the back of their auto body shop. For 23 years, Norman lived in that back alley garage, which was directly behind this statue. It was the only real home he ever knew. Silver Spring’s business community, the shoppers, the fire department, were his family. They accepted his drinking, his coarse manners, and came to love his quirky sense of humor. ‘Don’t worry ’bout it’ was Norman’s answer to everything.»
The plaque goes on to detail his love for women, how his face looked like a rusty ax, and how just seeing Norman helped people to «not worry ’bout» how hard their own lives were, because, you know, at least they didn’t look like a rusty ax.
So… obviously this is awesome. But is it also insulting and offensive? Eh, don’t worry ’bout it!