PUEBLO -
Some people in Pueblo are furious that the tax-exempt El Pueblo History Museum hosted an anti-Trump rally Friday in which a Pinata depicting the president swung from the rafters.
The museum director told News 5 the museum rented out their space to a group that staged the political demonstration, and that they expected something much different.
"We were told it was going to be a celebration of Pueblo's diversity and that it was going to be a fiesta type event," museum director Dawn DiPrince said.
Images of the event caused an uproar on social media over the weekend, primarily directed at the public museum for hosting a partisan event. Registered Democrats outnumber Republican voters in Pueblo County by a 2 to 3 margin, yet the business mogul narrowly defeated Hillary Clinton here by 390 votes.
DiPrince said the images were upsetting.
"The images and the activities surrounding that were very upsetting to the community as well as to us here at the museum," DiPrince said.
But Pueblo Republican Party Chairman George Rivera said he isn't buying DiPrince's explanation.
"There's no excuse for not knowing what's going on in your facility, not to be aware what people are going to be doing in your facility," Rivera said.
Rivera said the tone of the rally reminded him of the way he and other Republicans were treated for participating during the Fiesta Day Parade.
"When we were reviled and spit on and cursed and so on for supporting our own candidate, Donald Trump," Rivera said.
The museum is run by the Colorado Historical Society, a tax exempt 501 (c) (3) organization. According to IRS, such groups are "absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign."
Mary Beth Corsentino, chair of the Pueblo County Democratic Party, told News 5 her organization donated $200 to the group that organized the rally specifically to pay for the museum rental.
The museum was closed Monday "out of an abundance of caution" over security concerns that arose from the social media posts.
"We really are upset that this activity made people feel unwelcome here," DiPrince said.
As a part of the Colorado Historical Society, the El Pueblo's financial information is not independently available. However, DiPrince indicated revenue is generated locally through ticket sales and event rentals.
The Pueblo City Council and Board of County Commissioners together awarded the museum a $16,269 grant last year through Community Services Advisory Committee.
