Trolling is at an all-time high these days but the people who sent envelopes filled with glitter to the organizers of the “Straight Pride Parade” just may take the cake.
The #FBI and Massachusetts state police are investigating after three members of a group who plan to hold a “Straight Pride Parade” in #Boston next month reported receiving suspicious envelopes in the mail, @cnn reports. At least three parade organizers of the group ‘Super Happy Fun America’ reported receiving envelopes in the mail with no return address.
One of the organizers, Samson Racioppi, said he discovered the envelope in his mailbox around 1:30 p.m. Monday and called the police because of its strange appearance. “I went out to my mailbox and there was an envelope in there with my name and address, no return address, the back was very heavily taped up and when I shook it I heard stuff shaking around inside,” Racioppi said.
A hazmat team shut down his street to traffic and told neighbors to leave their homes while the mail was investigated, he said. Officers later told the organizers that the envelopes were filled with glitter. The FBI does not believe the packages pose a threat to public safety but the investigation is ongoing, said Kristen Setera, a spokesperson for the bureau.
Read our coverage about the parade here.
Racioppi said he called other organizers and told them to check their mail. He says at least two other organizers, including the organization’s vice president Mark Sahady received similar envelopes.
Sahady told CNN that he called police after receiving an envelope that appeared to be filled with a sand-like substance and that he was later told by an officer that the envelope contained glitter and a handwritten letter.
Neither the Massachusetts State Police nor the FBI would officially comment on who the packages were sent to.
But organizers said they believe they were targeted because of their efforts to plan their straight pride parade.
“It got a lot of news coverage, so it obviously had to do with the parade,” Sahady said.
Last week, the group’s public event application was approved, Boston officials said.
Parade organizers still need the approval of police district captains and the licensing board to receive a parade permit and an entertainment license before the parade can happen. It is tentatively scheduled for August 31st.
Critics have called the parade homophobic but the organizers stress that the event is not anti-gay but pro-straight.
What are your thoughts on this one, Roommates? Let us know!
