A Pennsylvania parade float depicting Democratic nomineeย Kamala Harrisย chained behind a truck with former Presidentย Donald Trumpย at the helm sparked outrage among residents and officials who compared the display to a lynching.
The float appeared last Thursday in a childrenโs Halloween parade in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, where its presence left attendees stunned, with some describing the assemblage as a simulated lynching.
The effigy of Harris was an actual person, dressed in a pantsuit and wearing the same hairstyle as the vice president, while walking slowly behind the float in handcuffs tied to a rope.
The float immediately drew comparisons to the 1998 slaying of James Byrd Jr., a Black man who was horrifically dragged to his death behind a pickup truck in Texas by three white supremacists, leading to the establishment of state and federal hate crime laws.
โItโs a hot political season, probably not something Iโd want at a childrenโs parade,โ Josh Huff, a resident of Mount Pleasant, told WPXI Channel 11, saying the float reminded him of a lynching.
Mount Pleasant Mayor Diane Bailey said that she was also appalled, adding that the city has been rushing to manage the fallout since the parade.
โThe worst part of it was that there was either a rope or a chain attached to the back of the vehicle, and there was a woman who was to resemble Kamala Harris in handcuffs and chained to the back of the vehicle as though they were dragging her,โ Bailey said.
A parade attendee filmed the moment when the float rolled by and sent the video to a local news station.
Surrounding the float were several individuals dressed as Secret Service agents. Inside the cart was someone wearing a mask of former President Donald Trump, while a makeshift sniper was perched on top of the golf cart vehicle.
โThis is not a good look, this is simulating a lynching down Main Street in Mount Pleasant. It is not the community I grew up in, not the community I came back to,โ Huff said. โIt was dark. It was dark. This has been escalated way beyond what it should be.โ
Huff questioned who authorized the vulgar display to be featured in a childrenโs parade.
โSomebody in power had to say hey, yeah, thatโs fine. Thatโs OK,โ he said.
When asked how the float got approved, Mayor Bailey told Channel 11, โThat is a legitimate question, and I cannot answer that totally.โ
She stated that she would arrange a meeting with the borough manager and council president, and she may involve the Westmoreland County solicitor to get to the bottom of who was responsible.
โRight now weโre just trying to do damage control the best we can, but after itโs already done Iโm not sure that thereโs much we can do except for going forward,โ she said. โThis needs to stop. In this country, this needs to stop.โ
Bill Bretz, the Westmoreland County Republican Committee chair, issued a statement to Channel 11, saying, โWe certainly donโt condone the simulation of political imprisonment or violence in any context no matter the party affiliation of those involved.โ
Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department also issued an apology on its Facebook for โfor allowing the offensive participantsโ to take part in the parade.
Adding, โWe do not share in the values represented by those participants, and we understand how it may have hurt or offended members of our community.โ
News reports about the incident caught the attention of some social media influencers, who shared video of the episode and took aim at Republicans for stooping to a new low.
โItโs ONLY One Side That Goes This Far! Make Up Whatever Excuse U Want! In My Eyes U Are To Me What Your Actions Show!!! An Yโall Are The Bottom Of The F*ckin Barrel!!!โ wrote Plies, whose comedic posts on Instagram feature colorful commentary on politics and everyday life. โThis Actually Happen In Pennsylvania Last Night! F*ckin Disgusting!! VOTE People!!!โ
Other voices on the comments thread criticized the news reporter for calling the disturbing display โpolitically themed.โ
โNah Itโs racist, threatening, and terroristic! Letโs call it what it is,โ one person wrote. Another added, โRepublicans are despicable scum.โ
Another person noted, โHillary was right. A bunch of deplorables,โย then finished the point with the sad emoji.
Another voice used the incident to explain why they would be voting against Trump on Tuesday.
โItโs not just Trump weโre voting against, weโre voting against people who would do something like this and think itโs normal and acceptable cause trust me if theyโll simulate a public lynching , theyโll do much worse with time. Vote blue for your nation and letโs rebuild.โ
Many commenters echoed Harrisโ campaign pledge to turn the page on the hate and divisiveness that has dominated politics since Trump came on the scene in 2016.
โIโm lost for words but not shocked at all,โ one person wrote. โThis is the bs that he, Donald trump, has made them feel so comfortable with doing voting for him will only continue to push us Back in history it will never make America great it will only make it worse and i guarantee him or Vance is gonna say America canโt take a joke ! This shโt is not a joke, itโs always a joke to them when itโs people of color and it blows my mind that other ppl canโt see that and still want to vote for him smh.โ
