Halloween display featuring brown gloves and a skull for a head hanging from a noose is branded ‘racist’ by Georgia residents who describe the creepy decor as ‘modern-day lynching’
- A Georgia resident’s Halloween decorations are denounced as ‘racist’
- The display appears to show a person hanging from a noose by their neck
- Local residents have expressed outrage, but the homeowner says the kids love it
A Georgia resident’s Halloween decorations have sparked outrage in a neighborhood where residents have blasted their front yard display as “racist.”
The home on Cassville Road in Bartow County, about 45 miles from Atlanta, shows a person with an animal skull above his head hanging from a tree with a noose around his neck.
Between 1882 and 1930, the American South experienced an epidemic of deadly mob violence that left more than 3,000 victims, the vast majority of whom were African Americans.
More than 450 lynchings were recorded in Georgia alone, adding to the bitter taste in the mouths of locals who came close to the grisly display.
Locals slammed the demonstration, but the family living in the house don’t believe they did anything wrong, despite the region’s history.
When Christol Stevenson first saw the humanoid doll hanging from the tree, she couldn’t believe her eyes.
“The first thing I thought of was a modern-day lynching,” she said Fox5 Atlanta.
‘To me it’s absolutely racist. It is very insulting to the black community.”
A Georgia resident’s Halloween decorations are denounced as ‘racist’
The display appears to show a person hanging from a noose by their neck
Local residents have expressed outrage, but homeowner Rachel (pictured) says the kids love it
Her concerns are echoing far and wide across the area, with many outraged that it appears to be a black man.
Dexter Benning, the president of the Bartow County NAACP, said the demonstration “crosses the line” and believes it is “offensive.”
“It really meant and insinuated that it was a person and that it was a person of color.
“Bartow County has a history of hangings. To do that is simply not appropriate.
“Black people have endured so much in this country, and depicting someone being (hanged) is not a place we want to be in 2023.”
Randy Livsey, a local pastor, said he hopes the family takes the concerns seriously.
When a neighbor took down the Halloween decorations, the family immediately put them back up
Her concerns are echoing far and wide across the area, with many outraged that it appears to be a black man
Stevenson said she thought she was witnessing “a modern-day lynching” as she drove past the display
“If you really want to celebrate Halloween and not be offensive, you should have no problem taking it down, hanging it around your waist if you want, or just hanging something else.”
The homeowner, Rachel, has defended the display, saying her children ‘love Halloween’ and are both excited about ‘Mr Creepy in the tree’.
She denies that the figure is supposed to represent a person of color, even though the doll is wearing brown gloves and a black T-shirt.
‘It’s just the spare clothes my husband had that he threw away anyway. No reason other than that,” Rachel told WSB-TV.
“I’ve seen a lot of people drive by taking pictures and beeping and giving me a thumbs up and saying that’s great. But then I have other people who call the police and say it’s racist.
“I was just trying to make a Halloween decoration, something spooky for the kids and adults to look at (and) enjoy.”
Local residents in the area have reported the incident to the police at least twice.
Officers visited the family’s home but believe they did not break the law.
