One resident’s Halloween decorations in Bristol Borough, located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, have been receiving backlash from neighbors and the local NAACP, as reported by NBC Philadelphia. The resident has been asked to remove or change his decorations, but ultimately the choice is up to him, as he can’t legally be forced to modify his decorations.
The NAACP calls the display imagery that “evokes the country’s history of lynching and racial terror.” While the organization understands that Halloween decorations are meant to be fun and frightening, it says that the intent of the decorations doesn’t change the impact when they seem to depict lynching, a dark part of history in the United States.
The owner didn’t mean to offend anyone
According to the owner, he purchased the decorations as part of a kit online and didn’t mean to offend anybody. The specific pieces from the kit that have led to complaints are the fake bodies, which are objects wrapped in garbage bags with tape keeping them together. The homeowner has the fake bodies hanging from his tree, which has left some neighbors with the feeling that it alludes to lynching.
The matter was brought to the Bristol Borough Council meeting, where it was confirmed that officials spoke to the homeowner about his decorations. However, it’s not clear if he’ll be removing or modifying them…