Mayor Email: Dear Bill With Indiana's gun laws pre-empting any local action, it may be challenging for City Legal to find a way to revise parade policy to prevent people from carrying assault weapons through the parade. On Monday I fled the parade upon seeing men with assault weapons bearing down on my family as they rode down College Avenue. If they had opened fire, I would have no time, and no where, to escape. So I left immediately. Since then I have pondered on how our City might protect us from this experience in the future. Posting about this on facebook, 100 comments ensued. My suggestions are: 1) At parade line-up, insist on verifying gun licenses belonging to people bearing weapons. Call in BPD for help, if necessary. (I hear a rumor that City employees failed to check gun licenses this year). 2) Make an explicit statement requesting no assault weapons in the parade, or somehow explicitly not allowing them. 3) Issue a statement warning citizens that floats will bear assault weapons in the parade, so that we can choose to protect ourselves by not attending the parade, if the City really has no recourse. 4) Take on the legal issue of state law pre-empting local provisions, perhaps through an action of City Council. Appeal rulings, if necessary. 5) Since a private institution may choose to not allow open carry of weapons, perhaps the City creates a separate, private institution to administer the parade. A public-private entity like the Friends of the Market effort to raise funds for farmer's market. Really hoping you can prevent this experience in future. It goes far beyond the diversity and open-mindedness we want our parade to express. It is about danger and safety. All the very best, Julia DeBruicker Valliant 1992 City of Bloomington July 4 parade Grand Marshal 2013 City of Bloomington July 4 parade float organizer 2016 City of Bloomington July 4 parade terrified spectator