Disappointment, Anger Persist Over Bud Billiken Parade Restrictions
(CBS) -- The Bud Billiken day parade dates back decades -- the largest African American parade in the nation.
Now, just two days before it steps off, there's chaos and confusion.
CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports.
Emotions are raw.
Tears fall.
"It's every young person's dream to be walking down, Bud Billiken Parade route, just to say, 'Yeah. I did it!'" says Jeannettie Merchant of Dance Force.
Members and the loved ones of both the South Shore Drill Team and Dance Force express their displeasure with the enforced 100-participant limit per group at the Bud Billiken Parade. Matthew Thomas' group has 170 members.
Parade spokesperson Kristal Davis says the 100-person limit per performance group, in place for the past two years, is not about exclusion. It's about order.
"We've listened to the neighbors who want to travel to and from their homes on Saturday, unencumbered," she says. "The parade has lasted up to six hours in the past."
Davis says the renowned South Shore Drill Team registered saying they would have 100 participants in their group. Davis says they've been accommodated in years past for having extra performers.
The team has decided to have their own parade, so that all 125 members can perform.
"The parents are in agreement. The kids are in agreement. They're disappointed, but they understand that you can't pick and choose which kids can be on the team and which can't," says Sara Vlajcic, administrative director for South Shore Drill Team.
South Shore Drill Team says they reached out to parade organizers four times, and they wouldn't increase the number.
The team steps off on the same day as the Bud Billiken Day Parade, starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, heading down South Chicago Avenue from 71st to 73rd. Sunday, the team heads to Disney World to perform.
