A heated dispute erupted in the Town of McCandless Open Discussion Facebook group after local mother Erica Aye publicly defended her son against what she describes as false accusations, threats, and online harassment stemming from his Halloween costume, an ICE uniform.
According to Aye, her son, a high school student, has dressed as a law enforcement or military figure for the past 15 years.
She insisted there was “nothing wrong with wearing a government agency costume” and rejected claims circulating online that her son used racial slurs at school.
Aye stated that the school reviewed available information and that all three students involved admitted they did not hear her son say anything inappropriate.
The conflict began when another parent, Matthew Brick, posted on Facebook about the situation.
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Aye alleges that he turned off comments on his post after she responded, encouraging her to create a new, lengthy post of her own, accusing him of spreading misinformation and protecting students who made anonymous threats against her son.
According to Aye, the confrontation escalated when several students allegedly threatened to “beat up” her son and post the video on social media.
One of the students, she claims, sent anonymous messages stating they would “find him” and physically harm him.
Aye, wrote that although her son, a 6’2″ boxer, was not intimidated, she was deeply concerned by the threats and the suggestion that she would be forced to watch a video of her son being assaulted.
She also describes meeting with Brick and attempting to show him a video related to the incident.
Aye claims Brick became angry, shaking, and retreated into his home before slamming the door.
Brick later commented publicly, explaining that he has a medical condition that causes shaking when he becomes upset.
He emphasized he had not mentioned Aye by name in his original post and said he had no desire for ongoing conflict.
Despite her anger, Aye framed her post as a defense of her son’s character, calling the accusations “false” and insisting he had been unfairly targeted.
She also claimed that the police officer involved “turned off his camera” after taking a report and privately expressed support for her son.
Her post ignited a fierce comment war, with dozens of community members weighing in, many criticizing her decision to allow the ICE costume, others defending her right to do so.
Some residents criticized the mother’s position, arguing that an ICE costume carries heavy political implications. Ava Kait wrote,
Leave your comments open, baby, I can’t wait to see how this goes for you 🥲
Ava Kait
Jami Lea added,
As a parent, you should do better than allowing your child to dress as ICE. This entire post is ridiculous and you should be ashamed.
Jami Lea
Melissa Marie noted that while she understood the son’s past costume choices, dressing as an ICe agent in high school was bound to draw attention.
Let’s be honest here. No matter where you fall on the political side. Wearing an ICE costume as a HIGH SCHOOLER (unless I was given incorrect info) when very few high schoolers even dress up.. was an interesting choice. Even if he has dressed up every year as law enforcement – dressing up as ICE this year was def going to get attention.
Melissa Marie
Sarah Elizabeth offered one of the harsher critiques:
Your kid dressing up as ICE? Next year, he’ll dress as an SS officer and you’ll deem it fine because it’s “law enforcement or military”.
Sarah Elizabeth
Jessica Haffely called ICE a “hated” agency and compared the choice to wearing a KKK costume, saying:
You let your kid dress as an ICE officer. You knew what you were doing. This shows your character . You’re not fooling anyone. There’s a reason they cover their faces., bc they’re so hated. This is similar to dressing up as a KKK member and then being surprised & offended that other people are hurt and offended. You do something offensive and controversial, you get backlash.
Jessica Haffely
Others sided firmly with Aye and defended both her and her son. Ronald Allen wrote,
Thanks for telling your side of the story. Reading this, it’s obvious this is the truth. I respect your son’s choice to show support for the heroes of I.C.E. who risk their lives every day to keep us safe and uphold the law. Your son should be proud, and so should you, for not cowering when some thug’s dad gets on Facebook and cries racism in an attempt to make people overlook the fact that his son appears to be involved in criminal activity.
Ronald Allen
Some commenters, like Dave Issod, dismissed the entire controversy as unnecessary drama for the group: “Didn’t we have another McCandless group for all the drama posts?”
