The Creswell Chamber of Commerce in Creswell, Oregon, hosted Fourth of July celebrations, including a fireworks show and a military plane flyover, but canceled the town’s annual parade.
Martha McReynolds Jr., a former Creswell City Council member, told the Register-Guard the city and the Creswell Chamber of Commerce did not put on the parade this year due to impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many residents were upset with the cancellation and decided to host their own unauthorized parade, organized by members from far-right extremist groups including the Proud Boys.
The event was refused a parade permit by the City Council, but organizers hosted the event anyway.
Facebook user “Chris Himwho” shared details of the makeshift parade to his Facebook.
Hundreds gathered on the streets for the parade that included horses and race cars.
Lane County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Scott Denham said officers would document the event and pursue citations later for those who violated the law, according to the Register-Guard.
“Anybody that participates in or organizes the parade is subject to citation for violation of any state or local laws or ordinances,” Denham said. “The biggest thing is we want people to be safe right now. We’ll worry about citations later probably. We’ll document — there’s three of us and way too many of them.”
Highlights from the parade included about 10 people riding on horses. They protested a city code that prohibits riding horses through the town’s main drag, according to the Eugene Weekly.
“There’s the potential of us being fined, but it’s OK, it’s Fourth of July and it’s peaceful,” Christine Kiedrowski told the Register-Guard.
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