Second Christmas Parade Cancelled (Apex, Garner: tax, live, association)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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My two cents: These controversial groups shouldn’t be allowed to march in the parades, we should keep it light.
I agree -- a Christmas parade isn't the time or place to bring all these politics into the mix. It's supposed to be a "happy time" for all. Leave your politics at home.
I disagree - it's a slippery slope when you start banning certain groups. These groups know the controversy that surrounds them, and should respect the fact that these are family friendly events. I feel bad for the kids.
It's not about groups that are or are not marching, it's about groups with their own agenda showing up to disrupt things. All you're doing is letting these people win by cancelling.
I agree with everyone that this is unfortunate and probably an embarrassment for people who live there and especially those who manage the parades. I don't remember these kinds of groups being in any other Christmas parades I can think of. Maybe this particular organization chapter is more aggressive about grandstanding in an event that has nothing to do with them? Garner and Wake Forest are the only two towns in the state that have felt the need to do this, unless something has changed very recently.
It also appears, if I'm understanding correctly, that the town governments (in this case Wake Forest and Garner) are responsible for the parades. If the parades were managed by a private entity, such as a Chamber of Commerce or Downtown Merchant Association (receiving funding from private dues rather than tax dollars), I'm thinking they would have some more leeway to tell a group with the potential to stir up trouble "No thank you. You're not consistent with what we want for this parade. Goodbye.", since they're the ones who get to pick and choose who represents the underlying spirit of their agency. If it is the local government responsible for approving participants, their hands might be tied more as far as 1st amendment issues. That might be a strategy to consider for future years to help avoid this kind of problem again.
The Christmas Parade in Apex is done by the Apex Rotary. I have only been once, but I do not recall any controversial groups being involved. https://apexrotary.org/
I’m not sure about who runs the Garner or WF parades. Good point about the local governments.... I’m curious now!
The article said a local non profit sponsors the parade,that’s all. I wonder.
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