SIOUX FALLS, SD – President Donald Trump will kick off his Independence Day weekend on Friday with a patriotic Mount Rushmore fireworks display before a crowd of thousands, but even in a part of the country where many continue to support the President, the event has drawn controversy and protests.
Trump is expected to speak at the event, which issued 7,500 tickets to view the fireworks he saw Thursday as an “exhibition as few people have seen.” The president is likely to enjoy a show of support, with the state Republican Party selling T-shirts with Trump at the memorial alongside George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. But concern about the risk of coronavirus and the danger of wildfire from fireworks, along with protests by Native American groups, will also salute the President.
Republican Governor Kristi Noem, a Trump ally, said that social distancing will not be required during the event and that the masks will be optional. Event organizers will provide masks to anyone who wants them and will plan to screen attendees for COVID-19 symptoms.
The Republican mayor of the largest city near the monument, Rapid City, said he is expecting an increase in cases after the event, the Rapid City Journal reported.
“We are going to have thousands of people, shoulder to shoulder at these events, someone in line to see a president and to be able to see the fireworks on Mount Rushmore, they probably cannot be disqualified because they developed coughing the day.” or the day before, ”said Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender.
Leaders of several Native American tribes in the region also expressed concern that the event could lead to outbreaks of coronavirus among its members, who they say are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 due to an underfunded health system and conditions. chronic health.
“The President is putting our tribal members at risk by organizing a photo shoot at one of our most sacred sites,” said Harold Frazier, president of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.
Some Native American groups are using Trump’s visit to protest the Mount Rushmore memorial, noting that the Black Hills were taken from the Lakota people against the treaty agreements.
Protests are expected in Keystone, the small town near the monument. Chase Iron Eyes, a spokesman for the president of Oglala Sioux, said the protesters would like his voice to be heard at the monument itself, but it is not clear that they can get close.
Security is expected to be tight, with the path leading to Mount Rushmore closed. Governor’s spokeswoman Maggie Seidel did not say whether the South Dakota National Guard was being deployed, but said organizers make sure it is a safe event.
But several people who once oversaw the fire hazard at the national monument have said that lighting fireworks over the forest is a bad idea that could spark a major forest fire. The fireworks were suspended after 2009 because an infestation of mountain pine beetles increased fire risks.
Noem pushed for the fireworks to resume shortly after she was elected, and requested Trump’s help. The president brushed aside fire concerns earlier this year and said, “What can burn? It’s stone.
The National Park Service studied the potential effect of fireworks for this year and found that they would be safe, although it noted that in a dry year, a large fire was a risk. Organizers are monitoring fire conditions and were due to decide Friday whether the fireworks are safe.
Trump did not mention the fire hazard in new comments Thursday.
“They used to do it many years ago, and for some reason they couldn’t or weren’t allowed to,” he said. “They just weren’t allowed to do it, and I opened it up and we’re going to have a tremendous July 3rd and then we’ll be back here, celebrating July 4th in Washington, DC”
