Kamala Harris depicted chained up behind golf cart during Pennsylvania Halloween parade
MT. PLEASANT, Pa. (KDKA) — Some participants in a Halloween parade in Westmoreland County are coming under fire for their depiction of Vice President Kamala Harris in a float.
Photos of the float in Wednesday night's Halloween parade in Mount Pleasant show a utility vehicle decorated with American flags and Trump campaign signs and people dressed as United States Secret Service agents with what appears to be a rifle mounted on top with a person dressed as Harris chained up and walking behind the cart.
The photos have gone viral on social media and the response is overwhelmingly negative, with many calling the float racist and offensive.
In a statement on Facebook on Thursday night, the fire department apologized "for allowing the offensive participants" to be in the parade.
"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 said.
The Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department said it has "traditionally only provided safety & traffic control" during the parade but didn't elaborate on how the float made it into the parade or who was involved with it.
"We will be reviewing our planning processes to prevent a situation like this from happening again. Thank you for your understanding and support as we work to make our events more welcoming for everyone," the post closed with.
Daylon A. Davis, the president of the NAACP Pittsburgh Branch, put out a statement in response to the float that said, in part:
"This appalling portrayal goes beyond the realm of Halloween satire or free expression; it is a harmful symbol that evokes a painful history of violence, oppression, and racism that Black and Brown communities have long endured here in America.
"We urge the event organizers and local leaders to implement clearer guidelines to prevent this type of hateful and hurtful display from occurring in the future. We also ask that they offer an apology and make a public commitment to anti-racist values that affirm the dignity and equality of all people."
Mayor Diane Bailey said the borough will have more to say in a statement on Friday.
KDKA-TV Investigative Producer Tory Wegerski contributed to this report.
