Long Beach Pride celebration underway after threats deemed ‘not credible’
The Long Beach Pride festivities continued as planned Sunday after law enforcement officials said they found threats against the event were “not credible.”
Long Beach police said they were made aware of social media posts circulating that referenced potential threats of violence at the annual parade and festival. The message was originally posted on May 6 and had been shared hundreds of times on “numerous platforms,” officials said.
Officials did not elaborate on the nature of the threats.
“There is no current threat to the Pride festival as of now,” said Lt. James Richardson of the Long Beach Police Department. As with any major event, Richardson said, extra officers would be on hand to patrol, but no staffing or security was added as a result of the investigation.
Travis View, a researcher who studies conspiracy theories, noted that there had been a post on far-right message board 8chan about a potential “false flag” that was “planned for Long Beach Pride.”
The Long Beach Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade is celebrating its 36th year. This year’s event honors the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which became a watershed moment in the LGBTQ rights movement.
The event began with a parade at 10:30 a.m. and was set to continue with a festival featuring live music, DJs and dancing at Marina Green Park until 10 p.m.
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