The 4th of July is a rather important annual event in the US, considering it’s Independence Day. Even so, one small town in Pennsylvania has decided that it’s for the best to cancel the celebratory parade for the 4th of July, with the town authorities citing multiple problems, most notably the possibility of a terror attack, particularly vehicle-ramming.
The decision came from Whitemarsh Township and its officials in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. After much deliberation, the leaders have decided that a 4th of July parade for 2025 holds “unnecessary risk to the community.” The risk likely wouldn’t have been a problem, but the town apparently lacks personnel and resources for proper security.
Of course, one of the biggest concerns for the parade is the ease of performing terror attacks on parades nowadays, especially vehicle-ramming.
“We can’t safely have a parade and have everyone feel safe, if we don’t do everything that we’re looking at for this parade to eliminate any kind of vehicle incursions or anything like that. Trust me when I tell you that we appreciate the tradition of the parade.
As I said, we wish there were a better choice. In this case, we don’t believe there is. Unfortunately, the society we live in today has changed, and what people are willing to do to risk the safety and security of our communities has increased to a point that we never would have imagined,” explains Craig McAnally, Whitemarsh Township manager, transcript courtesy of CBS.
It’s worth noting that the Whitemarsh 4th of July parade runs for about one mile from Crescent Avenue to Miles Park, and there are too many surrounding streets and intersections to guard. One of the most recent US terror attacks involving vehicle-ramming happened during the New Year in New Orleans, where a truck driver intentionally crashed his pickup into a crowd, killing 14 people.
Another similar tragedy also took place, but in Vancouver, Canada, where a car crashed into a street festival, killing 11 people. It appears such events have made festival-goers and town or city officials more wary, given how it’s almost effortless for criminals to perform terror attacks these days.
No 4th of July Celebration Anyway for Others
While the town of Whitemarsh in Pennsylvania has more than a concerning reason for why they cancelled their 4th of July parade, other people online have chimed in and voiced out their own reasons for why they’re also not celebrating Independence Day– terror attack or not.
As you might have expected, some US citizens are blaming the current administration and political climate for why they’ve lost their enthusiasm for the 4th of July. Some of the most worrying trends in the US right now (and even in other countries) involve the resurgence of Neo-Nazism and alt-right movements, especially since such groups might feel like certain politicians and billionaires have given them an unofficial green light to out themselves.
Hence, it might not be exactly far-fetched or paranoid anymore to expect terror attacks, hate crimes, or other sociopathic outbursts in public these days.
“I don’t see a reason to celebrate this year anyway when so many of our rights are being trampled on and nothing is being done about it. America has no king, and yet here we are with a fucking dictator in the White House,” states Allergictomars
“There’s definitely another reason they don’t want to say publicly,” suspects thegracelesswonder
“Yeah, sure. I believe this and not the fact most towns are going to have issues affording fireworks with the tariffs. Expect more cancelations across the board. It’s going to be too costly for many budgets,” suggests whichwitch9
“Not that it is relevant to this story, but I will not be putting out my flag this 4th of July. I just don’t think the current situation is worth celebrating,” says SuperstitiousPigeon5
