Huntington officials condemn KKK Halloween ride as rider cites threats

Huntington, Indiana officials formally condemned a Halloween incident on Monday after images of a couple riding through city streets in Ku Klux Klan costumes circulated online.

The incident occurred on Saturday in residential neighborhoods where families and children were trick-or-treating. The visual evidence prompted formal responses from the city mayor, county commissioners, and a state lawmaker over the weekend and into Monday.

Huntington Mayor Richard Strick issued a statement condemning the behavior. The Huntington County Commissioners followed with a joint statement on Sunday. Commissioner President Rob Miller told 21Alive News that the community cannot treat the event as a simple prank.

“I think it’s something that we can’t disregard as just a Halloween prank,” Miller said. “I don’t know how anybody could come up with this and not know that this was such a dark chapter in this nation’s history, and to reenact, in costume fashion, this type of racism and violence that plagued this nation for years. I think it is unconscionable that somebody would think that that was OK.” State Senator Nick McKinley, who represents Senate District 17, also released a statement regarding the event.

The female rider responded to the backlash via Facebook messages on Monday. She had earlier posted to a local group that the ride featured “1 ghost off the kkk, 2 ghost horses and 1 regular old ghost.” She apologized to families whose children took photos with the pair.

In her messages to 21Alive News, the woman defended the choice of costume. “I think there’s not much wrong with it being a costume on Halloween. Lots of Halloween costumes are controversial,” she said. She stated that the costumes were worn for roughly 30 minutes and that the situation was “blown out of proportion.”

The rider alleged that the backlash escalated into targeted threats against her family and animals. “I think the news needs to say something about the doxing, threats, defamation of character, and harassment that is happening,” she wrote. She noted that people were threatening families and children, including death threats and threats to steal horses. Roderick Parker, founder of Big Hearts Community Projects, called the display shocking and hurtful.

Parker said he wants to turn the anger into an opportunity for education. “It represents racism. It represents hatred of humanity,” Parker said. He extended an open invitation for the couple to sit down face-to-face with him and other local leaders for an open discussion. When asked on Monday if she would be open to meeting, the woman said it would be a possibility after discussion with her boyfriend.