After a potential threat circulating on social media, the Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services posted on Facebook that the Parade of Lights is still happening as planned:
NOT CANCELLED! The Athens-Clarke County Police Department is aware of a social media post that indicated that there were rumors of threats to conduct a shooting at the Downtown Parade of Lights. The original social media post was shared numerous times and additional social media posts were created. ACCPD is investigating these rumors. However, their investigation has not identified any credible threat of violence concerning the Parade of Lights or the downtown area at this time. We take the safety and security of the community seriously and will continue to monitor any information implicating the security of the parade. As is standard practice for any major public event, ACCPD will have appropriate levels of presence in the downtown area to monitor the safety and security of all people attending the parade.
The Athens-Clarke County Police Department also responded on Facebook:
The Athens-Clarke County Police Department is aware of a social media post that indicated that there were rumors of threats to conduct a shooting at the Downtown Parade of Lights. The original social media post was shared numerous times and additional social media posts were created. ACCPD is investigating these rumors. However, our investigation has not identified any credible threat of violence concerning the Parade of Lights or the downtown area at this time. We take the safety and security of the community seriously and will continue to monitor and investigate any information implicating the security of the parade. As is our practice for any major public event, ACCPD will have appropriate levels of presence in the downtown area to monitor the safety and security of all people attending the parade.
Find more parade info and a route map at accgov.com/parade.
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