A flyer for the event stated, "this is a peaceful way to show clowns are not psycho killers. We want the public to feel safe, and not be afraid. So come out, bring the family, meet a clown and get a hug!"
“With the numerous death threats and harassment it’s sad to say we have canceled what was supposed to be a fun peaceful walk,” Shelly Gutierrez, the march organizer who goes by the name Nikki Sinn, wrote on Facebook. “We apologize to everyone who was excited to go and have a good night of fun. The group of people that have bombarded the event page with harassing posts and personal information will be reported to the authorities.”
"We really are hoping that people understand the message is not to be taken lightly or usurped, because this is a serious, serious issue," Walton told ABC News. "The violence has to stop."
Walton did not address the violent threats that Gutierrez received, however.
The South Carolina town of Greenville has been plagued since August 21 with clown sightings and reports of red-nosed menaces attempting to lure children into the woods. Police reports about similarly suspicious clowns have been rolling in steadily from across the nation ever since, and the scourge has spread to Europe and Australia.
The disturbing incidents have so gripped the nation that the White House has commented, essentially saying that law enforcement needs to not clown around, and take reports of sightings seriously.
