Huntington officials condemn KKK costumes worn during Halloween ride

Residents of Huntington, Indiana, faced a new layer of community tension this week after photographs of a couple in Ku Klux Klan costumes circulated online. The images, captured on Saturday while families trick-or-treated in residential neighborhoods, prompted immediate formal responses from local and state officials.

Huntington Mayor Richard Strick issued a statement condemning the incident. The Huntington County Commissioners also released a joint statement on Sunday. Commissioner President Rob Miller told 21Alive News that the event cannot be treated as a simple Halloween prank.

“I think it’s something that we can’t disregard as just a Halloween prank,” Miller said. “I don’t know how anybody could come up with this and not know that this was such a dark chapter in this nation’s history, and to reenact, in costume fashion, this type of racism and violence that plagued this nation for years. I think it is unconscionable that somebody would think that that was OK.”

State Senator Nick McKinley, who represents Senate District 17, also issued a statement regarding the event. The district covers Huntington, Grant, and Wabash counties.

The woman pictured on horseback declined an on-camera interview but sent messages to 21Alive News on Monday. She previously posted to a local Facebook group, describing the outfit as “1 ghost off the kkk, 2 ghost horses and 1 regular old ghost.” She apologized to children who may have been offended after taking photos with the pair.

When asked about critics who felt the explanation minimized the symbolism, the woman defended the choice. “I think there’s not much wrong with it being a costume on Halloween. Lots of Halloween costumes are controversial,” she said. “And yes I do fully understand that some people were offended it just doesn’t give them the right to attack people when we didn’t attack anybody.”

She stated that the costumes were worn for roughly 30 minutes and that the couple is not a Klan member or racist. She claimed the situation was blown out of proportion and that her family is now facing doxing, defamation, and harassment, including death threats and threats to steal their horses.

Roderick Parker, founder of Big Hearts Community Projects, said the display represented racism and hatred. He noted that his daughter grew up in Huntington. Parker argued that reacting with anger alone creates more anger rather than solving underlying issues.

“It represents racism. It represents hatred of humanity,” Parker said. “Seeing something like that definitely causes immediate concern. It sparks a sense of fear. It sparks a sense of outrage. And then there’s the anger and the frustration for what it represents.”

Parker extended an open invitation for the couple to sit down face-to-face with him and other local leaders. He wants the meeting to serve as an opportunity for education and unity. “I would love for you guys to come sit down at a table with myself and a couple of the leaders in the community, so that we can have an open discussion, so that we can try to do some educating, so that we could try to bridge some gaps,” he said.

When asked on Monday if she and her boyfriend would accept the invitation, the woman said it was a possibility. “It would have to be something me and him discuss but a possibility,” she said.