The night was a night to bundle up; the temperature was in the low 50's upper 40's. The parade seem to start on time as the time was 6:00pm

The recorded music were very nice tunes the dancing was great, the wave from the floats and car seem very genuine and the school bands played really well; you can surely tell there was time spent teaching and learning.

Here is what went wrong and here are some solutions...

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The Sheriff's department... Our usual spot; my childhood friends and our parents brought us to the parade where we all stood together at the end of the hump bridge is what I called it and now we take our kids to stand in the same spot. We've been doing this for over 30 years. This year was different; the Christmas Parade had a Sheriff Car 334 parked in "our spot". I asked my childhood friend why the car there was; she replied to ask him so I did. I asked officer with I believe the Badge # to be 1431 why was the car was parked here? He replied, because I was told to park it here! I responded for 30 years we never remembered a car here, he replied well this year it is, so I asked why and again he replied because I was told to park it here! So I asked who told you to park it here and he gave the name of Marion Borel. So the two police officers and their families stood by the car. My friend made the commit how she was glad we were by the front side of the car, because the car is running and the fumes were bad for the others. I bit later I asked why was there not a blockade where the light was by Food-N-Fun, because it was causing the cars to cross the bridge and be forced down a one way street and along side the bayou or turned around? He spoke as though he was annoyed and angry, I even asked him he replied by stating how much money it cost to put a police officer at the blockage and one on front street, well I didn't tell him, but I was thinking there are two of you standing here with a car why is not one of you over there and the other guarding the car. Well we were bothered the Sheriff car was parked there but what can we do complain right? I was closer to the car so my commits were heard but we were all complaining and making commits. The Sheriff officers never pushed anyone back to stand behind a certain area they just made comments about our commits to one another the Sheriff officers on the bikes were doing there jobs asking people to stand back.

Later toward the end of the parade the girlfriend/wife of one of the offices stated all we are doing is complaining and how immature that made us look and all in front of kids. Yes it was in front of mostly our kids. It was 9 adults as we had 13, of our kids standing among our group. I explained to her how it was our right to do so and let our kids know when something is not right how we need to speak up like her smoking how it's not right and her littering in the street with her cigarettes and how that is not teaching our kids the right thing and she went on to say how cigarette butts are biodegradable There is a lot of misinformation out there regarding cigarette butt litter. The biggest myth is that cigarette filters are biodegradable. In fact, cigarette butts are not biodegradable in the sense that most people think of the word. The acetate (plastic) filters can take many years to decompose. Smokers may not realize that their actions have such a lasting, negative impact on the environment (Compiled by Clean Virginia Waterways, Longwood University). She missed the part of how unhealthy smoking is and how people get fines for littering. Then her husband/boyfriend officer I believe the Badge # to be 1431 got in my face to say forcefully again about how the car was there because he was told to park it there and went on to take up for what she was speaking about and my friend chimed in to say how he just got in my face to take up for his girlfriend/wife. I told him, earlier when he passed he shove me aside and he said he did not he pushed me what is the difference in the words, I said you could have said excuse me to pass. I wasn't the only one he shoved aside.

Whew! Just when you think it ended. My friends brother asked the officer about crossing the bridge as we all live on the other side and he said we would be able to pass NOT they stopped around 70 adults and kids and did not let us pass, we stood in the cold wanting to go home but could not. The two offices that were there earlier got in there cars and the officer in car 334 had his family in the car and crossed the bridge and officer Badge I believe the Badge # to be 1431 crossed in his car behind him. Officer with I believe the Badge # to be 1431 came back and told me to complain to the officer on the bridge if I wanted to complain so I asked if he name was Marion Borel, because that was who he said to call earlier. That was not his name, I did ask why we had to wait and he said it was posted in the newspaper and the TV news and he asked if we read the paper or watch the news. Of coarse I do, but I never saw anything about a bridge closure only about a parade. If it was in the paper and news it didn't flash 24/7 or scroll the bottom of the screen to make sure everyone was in the loop. So around 70 of us babies and adults' ages 6 months to 60 waited in the lower 50's to upper 40 degree weather for the fireworks then had to wait up to 30 min. after the fireworks before we could cross the bridge to go home.

Solution: All officers/dispatch should know the parade route. All officers/dispatch should know where a car can pass not to interfere with the parade route. People should be the blockade for streets for the parade route as it has always worked in the past not Sheriff Cars. There should be a written warning sign with the date and times on each side of the bridge a day before and the day of the parade if the bridge will be closed.

There should be a written warning sign with the date and times on each side of front street a day before and the day of the parade if the street will be closed.

There should be a blockade at the light by food-n-fun so cars are not forced to turn around between the bridge and Front Street.

Officers are suppose to protect and serve and not get in the publics face and treat us in an ugly manner and if you don't like to listen to our complaints then become a broken record and repeat; "I am sorry I can't help you with your problem at this time I am only following orders please contact "So and So" to resolve your issue I am not the person that gives orders I just follow them."

Put bathrooms - some kids could not make it home in time for the bathroom (as they and their parents were not aware they would have to wait to cross the bridge).

I was not the only person distressed over not blocking the Food-N-Fun area, the car placement or the bridge; many people expressed frustration about not being able to go home. This may seem like a small issue but it affects us in a bad way.

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