Threats against food trucks keep them away from Pembina Valley Pride

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A rural Manitoba Pride organization will have no food trucks at their annual event this weekend after they say a business that signed up to take part received threats.

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On Tuesday, the Pembina Valley Pride organization, which has been hosting Pride events in southern Manitoba communities since 2019, announced on their social media that all food trucks that were lined up to be at their 2024 Pride event this weekend in Altona will not be on hand.

The move comes after the organization’s president Pauline Emerson-Froebe said there were direct threats made recently to a food truck business that was going to take part this weekend.

“We had one receive a notice through their contact page on their website that if they did proceed to attend and sell their food that the vehicle will be damaged,” Emerson-Froebe said.

Emerson-Froebe said although the food trucks that were lined up wanted to be there and wanted to support the event, the organization believes it is now better for all of them to stay away because of what they could face.

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“This it is their livelihood and their busy season, and no one wants to deal with having to fix their vehicle or shut down because their truck was targeted, so sadly they have to weigh if it’s worth it,” she said.

Threats and intimidation are nothing new to Pembina Valley Pride since being founded in 2019, as Emerson-Froebe said they have made multiple police reports since forming, about everything from Pride flags being stolen or damaged, to people threatening the safety and lives of those who take part in their events.

“Unfortunately this is on the regular,” she said “Every year there is something, we have had stolen flags, but we’ve also had threats of ‘I’m going to drive my truck through the parade.’”

Typically, according to Emerson-Froebe, threats and criticism they see come online and rarely go farther than that.

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“It’s seems to be that there are some people in the area that want to stay hiding behind the keyboard and spreading their hate and their threats,” she said.

And although she says threats often don’t go beyond online, it adds some apprehension and some tension every year when they hold their annual event every June.

“The day is about love and acceptance and it’s a welcoming space, but you are always hyper-vigilant and you’re watching who is around you, and you’re hiring extra security.

“There is always that awareness and it’s hard to remove it completely.”

Emerson-Froebe added they have felt strong support from the local Altona Police Department since 2019, and said they expect officers from the department to be on hand this weekend at the event to provide added security.

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“Altona Police have been amazing,” she said.

On Thursday, Altona Police Department Chief Dan Defer said the department has been in regular contact with Pembina Valley Pride organizers leading up to this weekend’s event and been made aware of some recent threats.

According to Defer, Altona Police will have a “visible presence” this week at Pride in Altona, and the department also has officers who regularly monitor social media for threats towards organizations and people involved with Pride events.

“We will be prepared for whatever happens and we have been advised of some threats, but we expect a smooth and peaceful event this weekend,” Defer said. “A lot of this comes from the same groups and the same people in this area that seem to find a controversy and latch onto it.

“This is to be expected, but not to be accepted.”

Emerson-Froebe said it is the threats they receive that only prove why Pride organizations and events are so important.

“This is exactly why we need Pride,” she said.

— Dave Baxter is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

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