This filmed scene quickly provoked numerous reactions. The Democratic mayor of Mount Pleasant, Diana Bailley, spoke on local television. She said she was “appalled” by the tank: “There appears to be either a rope or chain attached to the rear of the vehicle.” Michelle Milan McFall, chairwoman of the Westmoreland County Democratic Party, called the incident“despicable”: “It’s heartbreaking. It’s disturbing. And I think there’s an element of danger to it as well. Again, we live in a climate where people don’t just think about hate and feel it deep within themselves. They act accordingly. We need to lower the temperature.”
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The “National Association for the Advancement of Colored People“, American civil rights organization also wanted to react in a press release: “Chis gruesome depiction goes beyond the realm of Halloween satire or free speech; it is a harmful symbol that speaks to a painful history of violence, oppression, and racism that black communities have long endured here in America. We urge event organizers and local leaders to implement clearer guidelines to prevent this type of hateful and hurtful protest from happening in the future.”
On the Republican side, NBC News reports the words of Bill Bretz, chairman of the Westmoreland County Republican Committee: “The group does not condone the simulation of political imprisonment or violence in any context.”
Kamala Harris did not want to react for the moment.
An event organized by the firefighters
The Halloween parade was organized by the Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department. They wanted to apologize for having “allowed offensive participants“to scroll:”We do not share the values represented by these participants and we understand how this may have hurt or offended members of our community. We will review our planning processes to prevent a situation like this from happening again.”
