A fire department has been dragged over the coals for a Halloween parade float depicting Kamala Harris in chains.
The Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department surprised spectators with the scandalous stunt during the show in the small town in the state of Pennsylvania.
A woman in a suit, standing in for the vice president, was chained by the wrists to the back of a golf cart with a Donald Trump banner and driven down the road.
On the float were two men dressed as Secret Service agents and a third as a sniper with a rifle.
The Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department has been dragged over the coals for a Halloween parade float depicting 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 tolerate the simulation of political imprisonment or violence in any context, regardless of the partisan affiliation of those involved,” he said.
Bretz’s Democratic counterpart, Michelle Milan McFall, was even more scathing in her condemnation.
‘It’s vile. It’s heartbreaking. It’s worrying. And I think it also has an element of danger,” he said.
‘Once again, we live in this climate where people don’t just think about hate and feel it in their guts and bones.
‘They are acting accordingly. We have to lower the temperature.”
The head of the local NAACP, Daylon Davis, called the float racist for its allusions to slavery that “dehumanizes” black and brown people.
‘This type of imagery reinforces a dangerous narrative, which implicitly suggests that black individuals should be chained.
“Such a display has no place in our current society or in any community that values inclusion, respect and human dignity.”
Harris has Black and Indian heritage 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 with a Donald Trump banner; on the float were two men dressed as Secret Service agents and a third as a sniper with a rifle.
The fire department shocked spectators with the outrageous stunt during the show in the small town in the swing state of Pennsylvania.
Mayor Diane Bailey added: “I was shocked, angry and upset. “This doesn’t belong in this parade or this city.”
The fire department humiliatedly apologized for “allowing the offending participants” to take the float to the parade.
“We do not share the values represented by those participants and we understand how they may have hurt or offended members of our community,” he said.
“We are committed to learning from this experience and ensuring our future events celebrate the diversity and spirit of our community in a positive way.”
The fire department said it was “reviewing our planning processes” to prevent something like the stunt from happening again.
