Pro-Trump parade and counter-protest in Mill Race Park over weekend

Rep. Ryan Lauer, R-Columbus, center, poses with a group of people at the "Trump Train Car Parade" Saturday at Mill Race Park. Submitted photo

Hundreds of supporters of President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence gathered at Mill Race Park on Saturday to celebrate the current presidential administration, while an estimated couple dozen of counter protesters turned up in opposition to the event.

The event, called the “Trump Train Car Parade,” was organized by the Bartholomew County Republican Ladies League and was inspired by boat parades in support of the president and vice president, who is a Columbus native, said Mary Beth Clauss, league president.

On Saturday, an estimated over 200 vehicles gathered at Mill Race Park for the procession, which wound its way through the city and ended near IUPUC, Clauss said.

“The idea was from all the boat parades, and we thought we don’t really have anyplace with lots of boats in Bartholomew County, so we thought we’d do it with cars,” Clauss said.

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“There was just a bunch of people and they were all happy and enthusiastic, and that’s what we wanted to see,” she added.

Many of the vehicles were pick-up trucks with pro-Trump flags and signs, according to images of the event posted on Indiana Rep. Ryan Lauer’s Facebook page. One truck had a flag with Trump’s head superimposed on a muscular body in a tank top with a high-powered gun, with the words “Keep America Great.”

Lauer, a Republican who is up for reelection in November, said he participated in the procession in his Jeep Wrangler decorated with a “Blue Lives Matter” flag, which he said featured an American flag with a blue line in support of law enforcement, and a “Keep America Great” campaign sign.

Lauer described the event as a “love fest of patriotism.”

“What I experienced was that everybody in the Trump train parade had a fun and wonderful time during the route through town,” Lauer said. “We heard tons of honks and thumbs up and people stopping mowing their lawns to give a thumbs up.”

Before the procession departed Mill Race Park, a group of counter protesters gathered at Columbus City Hall and then walked over to the park, said Lt. Matt Harris, Columbus Police Department spokesman.

“We did call in additional officers to assist with the event, however there were no citations or arrests or anything that were issued,” Harris said. “It was a rather calm event.”

The counter-protest was organized by an individual who told city officials she was with with a group called Showing Up For Racial Justice, or SURJ, said Mary Ferdon, the city’s executive director of administration and community development.

The group notified the city in advance of the counter protest, city officials said.

“(The counter protesters) gathered at city hall, which of course anyone can do,” Ferdon said. “The plaza is public space. …We’re always very appreciative when a group lets us know ahead of time.”

SURJ is a national network of groups and individuals working for racial justice, according to the organization’s website. A local chapter of SURJ had previously disbanded in 2018, according to previous coverage in The Republic.