Man decorates his yard with a kit he bought online. Then neighbors see the 2 bodies hanging from his trees: ‘Do you not see what’s wrong with this?’

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.

Lynching was a way to instill fear in black Americans after the Civil War, as it was a public spectacle for blacks to be taken and hanged in an area where the body would be seen as a warning to others.

It was common enough that it was part of pop culture, including being the subject of the song “Strange Fruit.” The practice of lynching became less common with the passing of the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, which made it a federal hate crime. However, the memories remain, and that’s what made this Halloween display upsetting to other locals.

Halloween has brought upsets for others due to pricing

Not everybody has controversial Halloween decorations on their properties, but there are several people who have uploaded videos on TikTok about their issues with the holiday this year. The biggest culprit is the cost of candy, which led to at least one woman vowing that she’ll keep her porch light off this year.

Target, however, ended up in a similar situation as the Bristol Borough resident when they included a costume in their selection that resembled blackface and racist minstrel show imagery, which did end up being pulled from stores. Sometimes, it’s worth taking another look at items from all angles before purchasing or producing them.

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