Rep. McClinton and other leaders condemn racist Kamala Harris Halloween parade display near Pittsburgh

A racist parade float display depicting Vice President Kamala Harris at a community Halloween parade outside of Pittsburgh has sparked backlash, prompting organizers to apologize.

A vehicle rolled through Wednesday’s Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department Halloween parade in Westmoreland County decorated with American flags and campaign signs for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. The float was flanked by people dressed up as Secret Service agents and had a fake rifle on top. A person dressed up as Harris could be seen chained up and walking behind the cart.

Photos of the float circulated across social media, causing widespread criticism for its racist depiction and calls for an explanation regarding why the float was approved in the first place.

“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,” the volunteer fire department posted in a statement to its Facebook page Thursday 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.”

Mount Pleasant Mayor Diane Bailey condemned the parade display on Thursday. “I was appalled, angered, upset,” she said. “This does not belong in this parade or in this town.”

Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton said in a statement Friday that she was horrified by the float, calling it a “disgusting display of hate.”

“Depicting Vice President Harris in chains at the hands of her opponent is grounded symbolism from our country’s painful past. Exhibitions like these are never appropriate in a civil discourse and are inconsistent with our values as Pennsylvanians,” the Philadelphia Democrat said. “With such a display of hate in their community, leaders should not be silent, so I’m calling on local officials, including my colleagues in the General Assembly, to join me in condemning this hate. Those responsible need to be held accountable and restore the community’s trust. We need to work together to move Pennsylvania forward, not backward.”

McClinton is the first woman and first Black woman to lead the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in its 244-year history.

Daylon A. Davis, the Pittsburgh NAACP branch president, released a statement calling the portrayal “appalling.”

“[This] goes beyond the realm of Halloween satire or free expression,” Davis said. “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.”

The Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department said traditionally participation in its 70-year-old parade has been treated as first come, first serve with personnel “only [providing] safety and traffic control,” and not reviewing floats or costumes ahead of the event. The department said it plans to review its process to avoid future issues.