Mayor says hanged-man Halloween decoration should be removed
A Utah mayor says a Halloween decoration depicting a person hanging from a tree is disturbing and he’s exploring whether it can be removed without violating the resident’s property rights.
Holladay mayor Rob Dahle told the Deseret News he’s hoping the man who displayed the dummy with a black hood in the Salt Lake City suburb will remove it himself.
Homeowner Chase Deeds said Wednesday his decoration isn’t meant to have racial overtones. He says he loves Halloween and put a mask on the dummy immediately after some people said the decoration looked “racially motivated,” though he didn’t take it down.
Neighbor Jill Christensen says she’s horrified by the decoration that brings to mind historical lynchings at a time when racial tension is running high in the U.S.
