WASHINGTON _ The annual Heritage Foundation retreat for conservative lawmakers this week has been moved from Philadelphia as the city expects millions of people to flood the streets Thursday for a parade to celebrate the Eagles' 41-33 Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots.
Heritage officials have relocated the retreat to Washington, D.C.
"We are no longer planning to go to Philly because of security and logistical concerns associated with the big event in downtown Philadelphia," a spokesman for the Foundation told Roll Call.
Philly fans are notorious for their lawlessness after big games involving their beloved Eagles, Phillies, 76ers, and Flyers. In 1968, Eagles fans notoriously hurled jeers and snowballs at 19-year-old Frank Oliva, who was dressed as Santa Claus.
Pelting Santa with snow feels like child's play compared to the savagery some fans have demonstrated Sunday night and early Monday morning after the Eagles captured their first Super Bowl victory over the Patriots.
The antics ranged from smuggling a keg of beer over the gates of City Hall to eating horse poop.
Police arrested only four people, far fewer than headlines in the media or photos of the chaos on Twitter would suggest.
"The knucklehead contingent was extremely small," Philly Mayor Jim Kenney said Tuesday at a press conference about the parade Thursday, which is expected to draw millions to the city. "The media focuses obviously on the negative."
Still, Heritage is taking no security risks on an event that hosts roughly three or four dozen conservative lawmakers each year to refocus and explore conservative movement ideals.
Past attendees include House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana, former Freedom Caucus Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio, and Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma.
