LGBT picnic in College Station canceled because of online threat

Threatening comments left on a social media site prompted officials with an LGBT support group in Bryan-College Station to cancel their annual July picnic.

On Wednesday, Mandy Perry, who lives in a suburb of Philadelphia, Penn., noticed that someone had posted an anti-Semitic slur to her page on the Tumblr social networking web site.

When she attempted to block the man, Perry saw that he also posted a message about a picnic on July 10 at Brian Bachmann Community Park in College Station that had been planned by the local Pride Community Center. The chilling comment was "Lock and load. Time to get on the news."

"I didn't know if it was legit or not. But I can't take a chance, this is legit and not say something," Perry said Sunday.

Perry has no connection to the Texas LGBT group that sponsored the picnic but sought them out to inform members about what she saw.

"My husband was in the room. He looks at me and says, 'You've got to report this to the FBI.' I didn't know how," Perry said.

The recent mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando made it even more crucial to heed the, "If you see something, say something," warning, Perry said.

"We need to keep our eyes open and we need to watch out for each other," she said. "I think it's a normal, decent thing to do."

Officials with the Pride Community Center said they notified local law enforcement and the FBI about the online threat.

"We have no idea where this person is from," said Judy LeUnes, one of the center's board members. "I appreciate it so much that Mandy reached out to us and let us know."

Canceling the July 10 picnic was not an easy decision to make. But, the park is popular with children and families, and safety is paramount, LeUnes said.

"It just breaks my heart. But, we couldn't take a chance," she said. "The park is very open, and we just did not feel (that) we could protect everyone."

Center officials said they intend to reschedule the picnic - and will have security on hand - because of its importance to the Bryan-College Station LGBT community.

"A lot of people didn't even know there was an organization such as this," LeUnes said. "We have been embraced by so many people. When we do reschedule, the love will flow."