A Pennsylvania town is facing backlash after their Halloween parade featured a Donald Trump-themed golf cart pulling someone pretending to be Kamala Harris tied up.
Images shared to social media Thursday following the Wednesday parade show several individuals in suits and sunglasses pretending to be security as they walk with the golf cart that has a Trump sign on the front of it. Two more individuals stand in the back of the golf cart, which has a rifle and American flags mounted to it.
Behind the golf cart walks a figure resembling the vice president in a red pantsuit. Their hands appear to be tied to the back of the golf cart as they walk with their head down.
Halloween Parade showing Donald Trump escorting Kamala Harris in chains. Mount Pleasant, PA pic.twitter.com/0lv9haVJoI
— Warren (@swd2) October 31, 2024
"It may have taken several seconds for people to realize what it was all about," Mount Pleasant Borough Mayor Diane Bailey told WESA. "I didn't hear anyone cheering. I didn't hear anyone laughing, either. It was like 'Wow, I didn't expect that.'"
The mayor stated that the administration had "no part in that parade," adding that it was the fire department who has run the parade for years.
The Mt. Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department said in a statement Thursday, "We do not share in the values represented by those participants, and we understand how it may have hurt or offended members of our community. We're proud to have sponsored this parade for over 70 years, and its goal has always been to support our community's children."
The statement continued, "We are committed to learning from this experience and ensuring that our future events celebrate the diversity and spirit of our community in a positive way."
Daylon Davis, president of the local NAACP chapter, said in a statement obtained by TRIBLive, "In allowing this display, the organizers have sent a troubling message that demeans and dehumanizes Black and Brown individuals. This kind of imagery reinforces a dangerous narrative, implicitly suggesting that Black individuals belong in chains. Such a display has no place in our society today or any community that values inclusivity, respect and human dignity."
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