CROSSLAKE — Despite social media rumors of a possible conflict during a Pro Trump Boat Parade hosted Saturday, Aug. 15, on the Whitefish Chain — there were no issues.
“We had a very visible presence both on the lake and on the roads in the area,” Crow Wing County Sheriff Scott Goddard reported Monday on the boat parade. “There were no real problems that I am aware of. There definitely was an uptick in traffic on the Whitefish Chain that day.”
Goddard said they did not have more people working that day, but rather specifically assigned more of their water and water staff to the area. The Minnesota DNR also had staff working, Goddard stated.
A flyer floated around Facebook indicated support to organize an “Antifa Trumpofascist boat blockade” — although people sharing the post stated it was a joke. Based on the multiple posts on Facebook, a number of people took it seriously or thought it was an act of bullying. The flyer stated manure-filled balloons and launchers would be provided and encouraged people to bring a supersoaker filled with a liquid of their choice.
“Got a parrot? Bring it! This is for all ages, so keep signs appropriate. Boarding parties will be formed at the discretion of individual captains. There will be facepainting.” A link listed on the bottom of the flyer was not connected to any site and instead led to a 404 error page, noting the link was either bad or invalid.
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There were numerous comments on Facebook as to whether the post was serious or not, and what the retaliation may be should there be a response to the pro-Trump boat parade. Some posts questioned whether the flyer was real, others appeared to think it could be real and one of the posts in response reminded readers of the number of deer rifles with scopes in the area.
The Crosslake Police Department posted Saturday on its page:
“As most of our fans probably know, there was a Pro Trump Boat Parade held on the Whitefish Chain today. Rumors started to spread that Anti Trump persons were going to launch manure filled balloons at parade participants. The Crosslake Police Department, Crow Wing County Sheriff's Department and MN DNR were on hand to make sure the parade went off peacefully. “Members of the Crosslake Police Department are humbled by the overwhelming support from the participants in the parade. The amount of Thin Blue Line flags, kind words and waves were incredible!!! We thank you!!! For those that either gave us a thumbs down or "waved" with one finger, please know that we will serve you with the same respect and integrity everyone else receives!”
