Fishermen's Boat Parade In Hamptons Supports Trump, Police

HAMPTON BAYS, NY — A new boat parade in support of President Donald Trump and law enforcement brought a crowd of vessels to the Shinnecock Bay Sunday.

According to Capt. Joe LaFace, a contractor from Remsenburg who organized "The Fishermen's Parade," in Hampton Bays, the reason for the parade was deeply personal. "I have a son who is a police officer with the NYPD," he said.

His son-in-law is also a police officer in Charleston, South Carolina, he added.

"Realizing the heavy times police officers are having, I thought our police needed to be supported — shown that we love them and care for them. And also, show how much we love the President, because he supports the police," LaFace said.

The boat parade, he said, was organized to show support for Trump and the police at the same time.

As a father of a police officer, LaFace said: "I worry about my son's life every day. Every night, I think, 'What's going to happen tonight?' He's in the city with the riots and the shooting and I worry about him."

According to his estimate, about 350 boats participated in Sunday's event. "Driving down, east of the inlet on the Hampton Bays side, there had to be at least 100 people on each side of the Shinnecock Inlet, in their cars, in boats, on the docks, bay beaches and on the Ponquogue Bridge, waving flags. It was very emotional," he said.

The parade comes soon after a boat parade was held to mark Trump's fundraising trip to the Hamptons.

"I just can't emphasize enough that there should be more parades — we should be pro-police, pro-everybody," LaFace said. "Democrat or Republican, we're all one people and we have to stop the fighting. Color, nationality doesn't matter — and whether we are Democratic or Republican should be the last thing we worry about."