Fargo Juneteenth organizers blame threats for low turnout
Wess Philome, organizer of a Fargo, N.D. and Moorhead, Minn., community diversity group known as OneFargo, runs around a group of protesters at Fargo City Hall on Friday, June 19, 2020. Philome led the Juneteenth march from a city park to City Hall and was getting in place to lead the group back to the park. Several hundred people attended the event the three-hour event.[AP Photo/David Kolpack]
Organizers of a peaceful march in the Fargo and Moorhead, Minnesota area to celebrate Juneteenth and address racial injustice said threats by city leaders and a federal prosecutor contributed the low turnout – and promised a robust crowd for another march planned on Saturday.
Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney on Thursday declared an emergency declaration to protect the city from potential violence, the same day U.S. Attorney Drew Wrigley told reporters that the feds may charge people accused in a May 30 protest that turned violent in downtown Fargo.
Wess Philome, organizer of a community diversity group known as OneFargo and the leader of Friday’s event, told several hundred marchers that Mahoney and Wrigley tried to sabotage their gathering.