Fury over Halloween parade float with chained-up Kamala Harris being dragged by Trump golf cart
A fire station has been raked over the coals for a Halloween parade with an image of Kamala Harris chained to it.
Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department shocked onlookers with the outrageous stunt during the spectacle in the small town in the swing state of Pennsylvania.
A woman in a suit, standing in for the vice president, was chained by her wrists to the back of a golf cart carrying a Donald Trump banner and led along the route.
On the float sat two men dressed as Secret Service agents and the third as a sniper with a rifle in hand.
Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department is raked over the coals for a Halloween parade with an image of Kamala Harris in chains
Even Trump allies like local Westmoreland County Republican Committee Chairman Bill Bretz were outraged by the float.
“We certainly do not condone the simulation of political imprisonment or violence in any context, regardless of the party affiliation of those involved,” he said.
Bretz’s Democratic counterpart, Michelle Milan McFall, was even more scathing in her condemnation.
‘It’s mean. It’s heartbreaking. It’s worrying. And I think there’s an element of danger there too,” she said.
“Again, we live in a climate where people don’t just think about hate and feel it in their guts and bones.
‘They act on it. We need to bring the temperature down.”
The head of the local NAACP, Daylon Davis, called the float racist for its allusions to slavery “dehumanizing” black and brown people.
‘These types of images reinforce a dangerous narrative, implicitly suggesting that black individuals belong in chains.
“Such a display has no place in our contemporary society, nor in a community that values inclusivity, respect and human dignity.”
Harris has both black and Indian ancestry through each of her parents.
A woman in a suit, standing in for the vice president, was chained by her wrists to the back of a golf cart carrying a Donald Trump banner. On the float sat two men dressed as Secret Service agents and the third as a sniper with a rifle in hand.
The fire brigade shocked onlookers with the scandalous stunt during the spectacle in the small town in swing state Pennsylvania
Mayor Diane Bailey added: “I was shocked, angry and upset. This has no place in this parade or in this city.”
The fire department apologized profusely for “allowing the attacking participants” to bring the float to the parade.
“We do not share the values that these participants represent, and we understand how this may have hurt or offended members of our community,” the report said.
“We are committed to learning from this experience and ensuring that our future events positively celebrate the diversity and spirit of our community.”
The fire service said it was “reviewing our planning processes” to prevent something like this from happening again.