'Simulating a lynching': PA parade float condemned for 'vile' depiction of Harris in chains

01 November 2024

In Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania — a small town of roughly 4,000 people an hour outside of Pittsburgh — officials are loudly speaking out against a recent Halloween parade float over its depiction of Vice President Kamala Harris.

On Friday, Pittsburgh NBC affiliate WPXI reported on the local outrage over the float, which was a golf cart-style vehicle surrounded by men in suits meant to resemble Secret Service agents, with someone wearing a mask of former President Donald Trump riding on top with a sniper rifle. But Mount Pleasant Mayor Diane Bailey said the most offensive part was how it portrayed Harris.

"The 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," Bailey told WPXI.

Parade attendee Josh Huff told the outlet that the float was "probably not something I'd want at a children's parade," and that it looked like the float was "simulating a lynching."

"Somebody in power had to say hey, yeah, that’s fine. That’s okay," Huff said.

Bailey told reporters she wasn't sure how the float was approved to be displayed, and that she was planning to speak with the borough manager and the city council president to get to the bottom of the issue. The parade was organized by the local volunteer fire department, which almost immediately condemned the float in a post to its official Facebook page on Thursday night.

"We, the members of the Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department, want to take a moment to sincerely apologize for allowing the offensive participants to take part in the Mount Pleasant Annual Halloween Parade last evening. 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," the post read. "We’re proud to have sponsored this parade for over 70 years and its goal has always been to support our community's children. 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."

Westmoreland County Democratic Party chair Michelle Milan McFall called the float "vile" in an interview with NBC News. And Westmoreland County Republican Committee chair Bill Bretz said the local GOP organization doesn't support "the simulation of political imprisonment or violence in any context."

"It’s heartbreaking. It’s concerning. And I think it’s also got an element of danger. Again, we’re living in this climate where people aren’t just thinking about hatred and feeling it in their guts and bones," McFall said. "They’re acting on it. We have to take down the temperature."

Click here to read WPXI's report in full, and click here to read NBC News' article.

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