How Could You NOT Support a Ronnie James Dio Statue in Portsmouth?

A Change.org petition is asking Portsmouth residents to back a statue of the late rock god who got his start on the New Hampshire seacoast.

Metal gods never die. They merely transfer their power to anyone who throws up the horns and accepts the all-powerful presence of darkness.

Ronnie James Dio was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and went on to become the father of heavy metal before passing away six years ago. One guy in the city wants to see his image live on forever.

Brian Kelly drafted a Change.org petition for the construction of a statue of the metal legend in Prescott Park. Plans for the statue, which would preferably be in the water, will be presented to the Portsmouth City Council after receiving 100 signatures.

Here is what the petition says:

There is currently no statue of Portsmouth native Ronnie James Dio, paragon of Rock and Roll, anywhere in Portsmouth.

Ronnie James Dio is a hero, and deserves to be memorialized forever on his native soil.

We demand a statue in Prescott Park, the heart of the Arts in Portsmouth, honoring the legacy of this beautiful man. Preferably there would be a water feature on this memorialization considering our strong maritime tradition. It should be constructed of metal (naturally).

We wish him to be depicted as he was in the video for Holy Diver, sword in hand, ever vigilant against threats to the Arts.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkysjcs5vFU

Rest in Peace, native son. We will remedy this injustice soon.

Something tells me that Brian Kelly is a big supporter of the arts, but that could just be my imagination. This seems to be in collaboration with the Keep Portsmouth Loud group that is resisting gentrification in Portsmouth.

The petition has a total of eight supporters so far who see Dio as the true defender of the arts scene in the city.

Would I like to see this statue built in downtown Portsmouth? Oh yes. Will it ever happen? Sure, right after Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump forge an alliance and take over America.