Skip to main content

BBQ for Equality in Williams Park canceled, organizers still plan march downtown for Sunday

By Howard B. Owens

A plan for a unity gathering at Williams Park on Sunday has been canceled according to one of the organizers, Macy Paradise.

Paradise said city officials have pulled out of the BBQ for Equality.

Attempts to contact City Manager Martin Moore have so far been unsuccessful.

There will be a peaceful protest march in Downtown, Paradise said, and that event is being organized by local people of color.

"I will march alongside them," Paradise said.

Yesterday, Paradise met with city officials and said at the meeting he was led to believe the city was committed to cosponsored a BBQ for Equality in Williams Park.

Later in the evening, Moore called The Batavian and said plans for an were actually not finalized and that the city would need to clear the plans with the state.

Police Chief Shawn Heubusch yesterday expressed concern about outside agitators coming to Batavia to cause trouble if there was a protest Downtown. The venue change to Williams Park was meant to help avoid such a turn of events.

Authentically Local