Former Marine and Friendswood High School alum Haley Carter has voluntarily resigned as Grand Marshal of this year’s 4th of July parade. According to the Friendswood Parks & Recreation Department, Carter “stepped down after receiving threats of harm to herself and her family.”
The ordeal began last Wednesday shortly after the City publicized that Carter had been chosen to fill the ceremonial role, a decision that had been made by the 4th of July Steering Committee several months prior. “We are proud to announce Haley Carter as this year’s Grand Marshal for the 4th of July parade” read the official release on Facebook.
A former Marine and professional soccer player, Carter has all the makings of an ideal candidate, however, Friendswood resident and conservative radio host Jesse Kelly took exception to her appointment. Originally from Arizona, Kelly moved to Friendswood in December 2020.
Kelly took to Twitter, claiming “Communists are in blood red areas too. They just chose Haley Carter to be Grand Marshal of the July 4th Parade. She’s a gun-grabber. She’s into drag. She’s into trans activism.” The tweet included a picture of Carter’s son taken from one of her social media posts. He then posted the City phone number with a message to his thousands of followers: “Let them know.” City staff were quickly inundated with calls.
As chair of the City of Houston’s Commission Against Gun Violence, Carter has advocated for “sensible gun control and violence reduction policies.” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who appointed Carter to the commission, released a statement saying he was “deeply saddened to hear and see many of the comments expressed after [Haley Carter] was announced Friendswood’s 4th of July Parade Grand Marshall [sic].”
On Thursday morning, a little more than 24 hours from the initial post, the City of Friendswood announced Carter had decided to step down. “There will be no replacement Grand Marshal” said the post.
