Cook County Pride Committee reflects on “huge success” despite bomb threat

Each June, Pride is celebrated in communities across the United States. It both commemorates the struggle of the LGBTQIA+ movement, and reinforces community both for those who are queer identifying, and allies. In Cook County, the Pride Committee planned events throughout the month of June, but concentrated a collection of events on Saturday, Jun. 15, for a full day of celebrations.

This year, Pride events across the nation were recipients of threats of violence against participants. On the morning of Jun. 15, a bomb threat was reported in Cook County that named several locations in Grand Marais where Pride events were taking place. The Cook County Sheriff’s Department was notified immediately, and they were able to coordinate with the Pride Committee to ensure that everyone in attendance was safe.

One week after the threat, the Pride Committee released a statement reflecting on the experience, and on their weekend of events. The statement called the day a “huge success,” and celebrated the connections made across the community during the events.

M Baxley told WTIP that the Committee and law enforcement were able to coordinate quickly and smoothly on the security response, meaning that there was minimal disruption for attendees. In the press release, the Pride Committee wrote, “Part of our extensive planning involved designated security leaders from our local community and professional collaborators brought in for support.”

While law enforcement and Pride Committee leadership took the threat seriously, the statement from the Pride Committee emphasized that their takeaway was the celebration of identity and community, rather than the fear of violence. All planned events were able to go forward, despite the threat. The press release read, “Considering our theme for this year’s event, “We Belong Here”, this was a powerful way to claim the truth of these words and celebrate with a feeling of both safety and joy.”

In the days following the event, the Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen announced that his department had worked with The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to look into the threat. He said that the threat came from a Russian e-mail address that the FBI has determined sent out a series of similar e-mails to Pride organizers and groups across the U.S. Some of the other events that were threatened were cancelled, though the reporting around the threats has included statements from Pride organizers in those locales saying that they will not be deterred in celebrating their community.

The Cook County Pride Committee echoed those sentiments in their statement, writing, “The Cook County Pride Committee hopes that other queer communities can hear our story and be inspired to celebrate belonging through intentional community engagement.”

Kirsten Wisniewski June 24, 2024