Whitemarsh Township will not hold its annual Fourth of July parade this year because of concerns about violent incidents that have occurred at other large gatherings in the United States and Canada, township officials announced Friday. The township's board of supervisors made the unpopular decision after police and emergency management staff conducted a security review of the parade, including how to protect against vehicles being used to ram into crowds. The township's four-person board voted unanimously on Thursday with minimal advance notice to the public and did not cite any specific threats connected to this year's parade. MORE: Record-breaking 600-foot flag to be on display — and on the move — at this year's Pride festival "Safety is, and always will be, our top priority," board chair Jacy Toll said in a statement. "That is not a cliché here in Whitemarsh. We say it and we mean it." Whitemarsh is in southeastern Montgomery County and has a population of just under 20,000 people. The community's Fourth of July parade usually runs about a mile from Crescent Avenue and Germantown Pike to Miles Park, where the celebration continues with a community picnic. Kids decorate bicycles, local sports clubs carry themed displays and families gather in a local tradition marking the nation's independence. The township, which has planned and paid for the event for decades, says it had liability concerns about moving forward with this year's parade. Officials determined they did not have the funds to provide adequate manpower and equipment to ensure public safety, but residents contend they were kept in the dark about the township's reservations. "The cancelation of the parade has ignited pretty deep frustration in the community," Whitemarsh resident Chrissy Balster, one of several people behind an online petition urging officials to reconsider the decision, said Monday. "There are a lot of residents trying to organize, whether it's showing up to the next board meeting in June (and) certainly demanding that the township demonstrate the accountability and openness that we deserve." Police chief cites recent attacks at large events Whitemarsh Township Police Chief Christopher Ward explained the decision to cancel this year's parade in a statement discussing his department's security review. Ward said he has attended the Fourth of July parade in Whitemarsh since he was a kid and has represented first responders there in years past. He lamented that he "lost a lot of sleep" over the choice to pull the plug. "Unfortunately, the society that we live in today has changed and what people are willing to do today to risk the safety and security of our communities has increased to a point that we never would have imagined," Ward said. Ward gave examples of violent incidents that factored into canceling the event, including last month's attack at a Filipino street fair in Vancouver. Eleven people were killed and dozens more were injured when a 30-year-old drove a car into a crowd. Authorities in British Columbia have not determined a motive, but said the suspect had past interactions with police and mental health professionals. Ward also cited the 2022 mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in suburban Chicago, where a gunman killed seven people and injured dozens more, and the New Year's Day attack in New Orleans this year when a man intentionally drove a pickup truck into a large crowd on Bourbon Street. That incident — believed to be an act of terrorism — killed 14 people and injured more than 50. The police chief said "hate, antisemitism, racism, and many other motivations" have been behind these attacks on large gatherings, but he didn't say why Whitemarsh — which is much smaller than the places he mentioned — fears heightened risks of violence this summer. "While we all want to believe that this could never happen in Whitemarsh, I do not want to be the next Chief of Police who has to make that statement," Ward said. A voicemail left with Ward on Monday afternoon was not immediately returned. Petition to save parade criticizes lack of transparency The petition Balster started with other Whitemarsh residents says the township acted "without sufficient transparency" and didn't involve the community in the conversation about the parade. Over the weekend, Balster said several hundred people signed the petition. One of the main points of confusion among residents is why the Fourth of July parade is seen as a bigger security threat — and one with greater costs for mitigation — than some of the larger events that have been held recently in Whitemarsh and surrounding communities. Balster mentioned the Whitemarsh Township Day that drew big crowds to Victory Field in late April, and she pointed to last week's PGA Tour event at the Philadelphia Cricket Club in neighboring Flourtown. By comparison, she said the Fourth of July parade should not represent as great of an expense to the township, especially given its importance to the community across generations. "There's a lack of dialogue, transparency, inclusion and representation of the people here," Balster said. "We have not been aware of any local data or threat assessments. That has not been shared with us, yet we continue to have these pretty large — for us — gatherings." Residents fear Whitemarsh faces losing its Fourth of July parade altogether if it doesn't happen this year. "Let’s be real, if canceled this year, it’s unlikely to return," the petition says. The township has not indicated whether it anticipates bringing the parade back in 2026, a milestone year as the United States marks its 250th birthday. Balster said she and others are working to request public documents showing how Whitemarsh officials evaluated and decided to cancel this year's parade. Community blog More Than the Curve, which covers local issues in several municipalities in Montgomery County, reviewed public documents to determine whether the Fourth of July parade appeared on any agendas in Whitemarsh over the past year. It was not mentioned anywhere until the May 8 agenda of the board of supervisors, which vaguely listed a motion for a "4th of July Parade update" without any other context. "I'm not going to discredit that maybe there are safety concerns, or maybe there are cost pressures or personnel pressures," Balster said. "But there was no warning. There was no public discussion. There was no clear agenda language from that meeting on Thursday indicating that a vote would happen and that this was a potential to be canceled." Whitemarsh Board of Supervisors Chair Jacy Toll did not immediately respond to an email Monday seeking an explanation for why the township did not conduct a more visible public evaluation of the issues related to the Fourth of July parade and whether the township would reconsider holding the event. Other communities struggle to balance safety and tradition The parade in Whitemarsh is one of a few annual community traditions in the region that have been canceled or postponed due to security concerns. In Huntingdon Valley, also in Montgomery County, the century-old June Fete fair was scrapped last year when Upper Moreland police — who provide security for the event — denied a permit to organizers over anticipated safety risks. That event is scheduled to return next month with increased security measures. Gloucester Township Day — usually held in early June in South Jersey — was postponed indefinitely this year because of concerns about a brawl that broke out during last year's event. Hundreds of teenagers showed up at the township's celebration and started multiple fights, resulting in 12 arrests and injuries to three police officers. Balster said she grew up in Whitemarsh and has brought outsiders to the town's Fourth of July parade to show off how they celebrate. "I talk about how wonderful this parade is — sometimes, potentially, too much hype for the 1 mile stretch that it truly is if you're not a local," she said. "But generations have really come to love it and it brings the community together." The petition argues there are "practical, community-driven" options available to address security challenges for this year's Fourth of July parade. Balster and her neighbors argue canceling will set a bad precedent for Whitemarsh. "Traditions fade when we stop showing up for them," the petition says. "This one's worth saving."