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INDIVISIBLE 605 DENIED ENTRY TO SIOUX FALLS INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE

  • Alyssa A.
  • 3 days ago
  • 2 min read

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Media Contact:

Roni Wegner

605.370.3746


June 18th, 2026


Sioux Falls, SD — On April 8th, 2026, Indivisible 605 submitted a request for entry into the Sioux Falls Independence Day parade. Our initial submission indicated we would be very patriotic by showing our support for hard-working Americans, teachers, law enforcement, medical personnel, etc. Our entry was denied on May 30, 2026, based on the following (quotes from the denial):


“…it was thought best by the Committee to decline having PACs or any other kind of overt political protest group in the Parade. While we allow politicians of all persuasions, as well as both the Minnehaha County Democratic and Republican Parties, the event is meant to be a civic one, and not an overtly political one.” “… And our main focus is to showcase America's 250th birthday as a unifying event, independent of politicians, political movements, or whoever is in power at a given moment in time.”


This denial does not sit well with us for many reasons:

  • Freedom of Assembly and Freedom of Speech are Constitutional Rights. To deny us because we exercise these rights is un-American.

  • Besides organizing rallies, we support our community through various actions. We have supplied clothing, shoes, hygiene items, food, and thousands of dollars to local groups in need.

  • We initially made it clear our entry would NOT be political, rather it would be unifying as they requested. On June 2, we emailed an extensive appeal letter. In that communication, we offered references from the SF Police Department. We also offered for the Committee to approve our parade lineup beforehand. We even included a visual of our parade plans to show it would not be political. To date, they have not responded.


We believe this denial is an unjustified exclusion and deserves media attention. The Sioux Falls Independence Parade website indicates the Sioux Empire Betterment Foundation is organizing this year’s event.


A PDF of all communication can be found here.




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