Did one homeowner cross the line with his Halloween decorations this year?
People worldwide have begun putting up seasonal displays to celebrate the spooky season ahead of Halloween on Oct. 31.
However, a particular outdoor display has raised concerns among some Black residents and the area’s NAACP chapter. Local reports say a Bucks County, Pennsylvania, home went too far with its elaborate setup.
Some Bristol Borough residents expressed outrage over what they described as large black bags hanging from a tree outside the home.
They said the decorations evoked historical images of Black Americans facing lynching.
“I’m just looking at it, and I’m just thinking to him, like, ‘Do you not see what’s wrong with this?'” Bristol Borough resident Roshea Newkirk, a Black woman, told NBC10 Philadelphia.
Another resident, Mike Wade, said, “At first I looked at it, and it’s a little bit different. Like, but then I’m looking, it’s Halloween.”
He resumed, “My house is scary. My house is always scary. It’s always set up scary. Same thing. Dead bodies laying around, skeletons. It’s Halloween.”
The NAACP’s Bucks County chapter weighed in on the controversial decorations in a statement on social media.
“Something can be legally permissible and still be profoundly harmful,” the Facebook post began. “The NAACP Bucks County Branch is deeply concerned by a Halloween display in Bristol Borough, Pennsylvania, depicting simulated bodies hanging from a tree.”
The message continued, “For Black Americans, this imagery carries a painful historical significance rooted in lynching and racial terror. While we recognize that Halloween decorations are often intended to frighten or shock, intent does not erase impact.”
“We cannot change our history, but we can choose how we respond when that history is invoked in our communities today,” the statement concluded.
Facebook users then shared their thoughts on the contentious situation.
“Ummm no this is not ok and it’s creepy AF but in all fairness I stopped celebrating yearssss ago bc it’s not the same … this creeps me all the way out!!!”
“IMHO, it’s extremely offensive,” a second person commented.
An NAACP supporter expressed, “As always, I agree and stand with you in solidarity. Insensitive decor and poor taste is an understatement. It’s hate spreading.”
While many commenters sided with the aggrieved neighbors, some people pushed back on the NAACP branch’s request that the homeowner consider removing the display.
“I stand with the homeowners. Not everything has to be racist. It’s a decoration,” read another response.
For the offended Pennsylvania residents and online commenters hoping to see the black bags taken down, that outcome seems unlikely.
A borough inspector reportedly spoke with the homeowner at his house before a recent Bristol Borough Council meeting. The decorations also came up during the session, where residents raised concerns about the display.
“He feels they’re Halloween decorations and he won’t take them down. And we don’t have an ordinance against anything like that,” Bristol Borough Council President Ralph DiGuiseppe explained.
The unnamed homeowner spoke to NBC10 off camera, saying he bought the decorations as a kit online and never meant to offend anyone.
As the debate continues, the Bucks County incident opened the door for discussions about appropriate Halloween decor.
When does wanting to frighten trick-or-treaters with an elaborate display become too disturbing because of its possible connection to the tragedies of slavery and Jim Crow?
