RI Tea Party banned from parade

BRSITOL, R.I. (WPRI) - The next time the nation's oldest July 4th parade steps off, members of Rhode Island Tea Party will not be included. Parade officials in Bristol have now banned the group from participating ever again.

The parade organizing committee said they caught members of Rhode Island Tea Party handing out flyers along this year's parade route, which is a violation of the rules, even after being warned.

However, Tea Party members maintain they didn't hand out anything and they're being singled out.

"He just said you people, we should have never let you people in the parade in the first place. You people are horrible," recalled Rhode Island Tea Party treasurer Marian Peterson.

RI Tea Party is the group responsible for organizing several tax protests at the State House, including one on April 15 that drew upwards of 3,000 people.

Peterson said the committee is confusing its members with people who were walking beside the group's float handing out copies of the U.S. Constitution.

"They were there to support us, but they were not with us," Peterson said.

Peterson also said the enforcement of the hand-out rule seemed to be arbitrary, claiming other parade participants were handing out flyers with no repercussions.

Parade organizers denied that claim.

The organizing committee said it prohibits handing out anything on the route because spectators who run up to floats could be injured.